Blue + Leather Dresser || Why Shop Small

A few months ago I got a handwritten note when I ordered a broom off amazon. It totally shocked when it fell out of the box like a Willy Wonka golden ticket. It read “Thank you for purchasing from a small business on Amazon. Your order means more to us than you know.” I was so struck by the thought that I kept the note.

As a fellow small business owner, I could relate. I mean, I know that every time someone buys one of my pieces, I let a little piece of myself go home with them. I try really hard not to come across as a weird helicopter mother when I help them load up and try to casually ask for a photo of it in its “new home.” I scribble my cell phone down for customers “if they have any problems” or want to know how to best tuck him in at night. I fret over how he’s holding up - is he making new friends? Are they feeding him well? Did they put him in a forgotten corner of the house or is he on display for all to see?

See, it’s more than just a hobby for us. When you buy from a small business, you buy something that’s been labored over. And loved. And it means more to us than you know.

You are feeding our families and clothing our kids. You are taking a discarded piece of furniture out of the landfill instead of adding styrofoam remnants from that assemble-yourself-box-store number you have to allen-wrench into being. And like Chelsea touched on in her recent post, that note got me thinking of new ways to incorporate other small businesses into what we do as fellow makers.

Whether we mean to or not, each of our products affects an intricate assortment of people. I purchased this vintage dresser from Geenae and her husband who were making room for a nursery. The dresser used to be his grandmothers, but with twins on the way, they needed the space. I was scheduled to pick up two of their dressers (the other became this white and wood number) when baby’s cold made me change plans last minute. Geenae was gracious enough to reschedule our meet for the following week so that I could focus on caring for Huntleigh but still nab some project pieces.

After conducting several repairs on Grandma’s dresser, I painted the body in “Deep Breath” by Behr Paint - a color I used for a custom build for clients Lauren and her husband this time two years ago.

This color has that inky quality I like so much in my darker pieces but it has vibrant teal undertones.

To finish it off right, I needed the perfect hardware. Instead of sourcing new pulls via an online dealer like I usually do, I decided to shop small.

I left the unique “bowling pin” peg legs in their original wood so I wanted pulls that would play off the brown tone. I found Julie and Brian selling these leather pulls in their Etsy shop YesterdaysNovember and thought they were perfect paired with their brass capped screws.

I also found Sarah from ModernMakerStamps (also an Etsy shop) who made my custom SMH logo rubber stamp so I can literally leave my mark on each piece I send into the world.

I even borrowed a few baby gifts that were also small business purchases from Huntleigh’s room for this shoot. The yellow letter board was shipped by Lyubomir and Yana in Canada and that gold mobile (given to us by my other beloved sis-in-law Casey), handmade by Eleonora in Croatia - both Etsy sellers, both small businesses.

In light of Small Business Saturday, Chelsea and I have both been thinking about how much your purchases mean to those of us who side-hustle for our families. If you’re also interested in supporting small businesses, Chelsea curated some superb mom and pop gift ideas this holiday that will not only say Merry Christmas to your gift recipient but to the small businesses you buy from.

We are so grateful to get to do the things we love but also to intersect with so many relationships along the way. As a small business, many of our customer interactions have turned into pleasant conversations or even the occasional “small world” moment. Chelsea and I create as an expression of worship and as an outlet for our insatiable imaginations - but it’s a sweeter joy to have these opportunities to meet you. I look forward to meeting whomever purchases Grandma’s re-loved 9-drawer. And to all our past customers and clients out there: thank you for shopping small!

Blue + Leather Dresser
Now Available for Sale
60”L x 18”D x 31”H
$745

If you are interested in this piece or a custom order like it, email me at cate@stylemutthome.com

Wool + Twig || A Small Business Collaboration

It's no secret that our generation is flooded with entrepreneurial fervor.  By the time I graduated college, a large chunk of my peers entered the workforce with a "side hustle" or two to make ends meet in a bleak economy.  We at StyleMutt Home firmly believe that small businesses should band together instead of compete against each other because...

“A rising tide lifts all boats”

— John F. Kennedy

Don't get me wrong, I am very grateful for the large businesses that we've partnered with over the past.  But it's these small businesses that really make some serious magic happen with nothing more than their personal grit and determination.  So it's even more titillating (yes I said it) when you can combine some serious small-business-sized forces to do something really, really fun.

Wool + Twig

Vintage Rugs

Brittney Rossie

Brand and Business Strategy

The Silk Mill

Event Venue in Fredericksburg, VA

StyleMutt Home

Furniture + eDesign

So what do you get when a curated rug vendor, a brand and business coach, an epic factory venue, and yours truly band together in support of each other?  A beautiful display of small business collaboration and...

a really, really fun photoshoot

A while back, my dear friend and business guru Brittney Rossie connected us to a new small business in our area to see how we at StyleMutt home could help them grow.  An email brainstorming session later, we had cooked up this cockamamie scheme to do a photoshoot to promote overall brand exposure and also exercise our collective creative muscles.  

But to do such a photoshoot, you need an epic location.  And I new just the place...

The Silk Mill

which also happed to be my wedding venue

Source: Jillian Michelle Photography

With such a large factory space, we could easily set up some fun vignettes featuring our products:

The rugs were obviously the star of the show.

But one of our made-to-order benches in camel + nude did get to play a supporting role to those delicious imported rugs and kilim pillows.

As if the opportunity to play with some gorgeous rugs wasn't enough, Aly from Wool + Twig was a HOOT to work with!  She was seriously up for anything - including some fun headshots.

Both with and without her actual head lol

Scroll through these images to see just some of her amazing inventory:

After seeing her carefully curated collection in person, I couldn't help but bring home another pillow child.

We certainly had a lot of fun behind the scenes

And I'm not ashamed to admit I did a few carpet angels the first chance I got...  They were soooooo plush....

But the fun doesn't stop here.  Wool + Twig was generous enough to offer us stylemutts a juicy discount for 3 days only!

Shop Wool + Twig

Just click the image to shop her entire inventory and enter the code STYLEMUTT at check-out to get 30% off your purchase!  Happy rug and pillow shopping mutts!

First Design of 2017: Function + Character in a Century Old Home

Hi Friends! We can't believe we're already rounding the end of February here; it feels like we just celebrated the new year, just sat down and outlined our goals, just put together our new design packages and just said, 'I will put lipstick on every day'. Hah! Hard to believe that after all the work done to prepare for the year ahead, we're ready for the work of the year ahead.

Our first design project of the year wrapped up last week - at least from our end. Now it's up to the sweet Abrosimoff family to take their design concepts and run with them! This sweet couple contacted us from Canada to help them finish off the beautiful 100+ year old home they've been renovating. Let us just say, ANYONE brave enough to take on a century old house always has a spot on our schedule! Here are some snaps they sent over:

Right off the bat we were excited to get to work with such cool stuff in such an amazing space! They're avid thrifters/yard-salers/Kijiji-ers, (fun fact - Kijijji trumps Craigslist up there!) The two red rugs are actual vintage persians they found on Kijiji, but they both agreed that the two pieces together were too much red for the conjoined space.

The gray sofa and mid-century media cabinet were sure keeprs, while the funky mid-century bookshelf was a maybe, and the greenish loveseat was getting the boot.

These parents of three young kids requested a clean, open space that includes storage for kids' toys, a bohemian sitting area tossed with pillows, and layers of color and pattern. The Abrosimoffs chose our brand new Style Try-On package, which is where we design TWO concepts for a client space after getting to know their style and functional needs. One week after our consultation, during which we collaborated together on Pinterest sharing inspirational ideas, we sent them their two design concepts!

DESIGN ONE

Entering from under the archway we added a long storage bench up against the wall that serves double duty as a toy keeper and pillow clad seating. A sophisticated leather Eames lounge with small side table is the perfect place to kick back and observe the beautiful chaos of kids.

We gave the archway white built ins with room at the top for pottery or other sculptural pieces you wouldn't necessarily want at kid height, and an oversize arched mirror to bounce a bit more light in that darker corner of the room.

The kick-back part of this space was kept clean and open, with the addition of a neutral but bold black and white geometric rug and round glass coffee table. Light fixtures in brass and black are distributed to balance the space, while the funky mid-century bookshelf is placed under the window as a plant sanctuary to anchor the room with a strong focal point.

DESIGN TWO

We shook things up a bit with the second design, really tapping into the old character of the home with vintage inspired pieces, including a denim blue chaise lounge! This piece is topped with various leather, fur and patterned pillows and a leather ottoman serves as a scale-appropriate table or child size perch. A storage cabinet under the far windows is home to some happy plants and hides children's toys and games when they aren't being used.

Since the Abrosimoffs clearly aren't afraid of vintage pieces and happen to have a fabulous sense of humor, we included an ironic portrait of a woman on a chaise lounge to represent this spot as a perfect place for an oversized vintage piece of similar colors and proportion. You may also notice we included wallpaper in this design! We wouldn't include wallpaper in just any job, but in a century old home it couldn't be more fitting. We chose a simple, modern paper that is white with an oversize dark green pattern, (it happens to be dragonflies, but this was just to give our clients a visual idea), and we used it throughout the space, so keep your eyes peeled. ;)

See it in the mudroom on the other side of the archway? For this design we swapped the modern white built-in shelves for rustic industrial shelves, again leaving room at the top for various architectural artifacts.

The family kick-back space is anchored by our chosen wallpaper on the facing wall, and grounded with a saturated blue rug, (a fabulous addition our talented intern, McKenna, pulled for this space). The pattern on the chair isn't literal, but we love the idea of giving this room an extra dose of cozy with a floral patterned chair that compliments the surrounding colors and reminds the family of the history of their home.

Two designs for one home - both very different but as Cate would say, they speak the same language. The point of creating two different designs is not for our clients to pick their favorite and follow it verbatum, but rather to show them options - how two different looks and layouts under the same style umbrella would look in their own home. It's literally trying different looks on a home!

So, while we do not pit the two designs against each other, do you happen to have a favorite here? We'd love to hear what you think! And stay tuned, because the Abrosimoffs have hit the ground running and we can't wait to share these shots when all is said and done!

Thank you so much for stopping by today! If you'd like to give our Style Try-On package a try for $165, please don't hesitate to contactus here! We'd love to hear from you.