StyleMutt Home 2019 Designs: Which One is Your Fave?!

January 12, 2020 Chelsea | StyleMutt Home

We are only 12 days into 2020 but I feel like I’ve taken a big bite out of it already! It’s exciting being knee deep in new projects this early in the year, but before we venture any further I wanted to share some of 2019s most dramatic transformations! Each of these client homes represent the type of work that just makes my heart soar. And the worse our starting point, the better! So I thought it would be interesting to see which transformation you enjoyed the most. No wrong answers here! We’re not pitting home-against-home, but rather which Before & After gives you the strongest reaction.

Before

***Frederick: Master Bedroom***
I gotta say, starting with gold walls makes me look really good when all is said and done. Paint is just an amazing tool, isn’t it!

Before

***Brooklyn Debut: Foyer***
Not bad but kind of sad.

Before

***Brooklyn Debut: Living & Dining***
“Very nice, very nice. We change it all!”
-Martin Short, Father of the Bride

Before

***Brooklyn Debut: Master Bedroom***
Nice blank slate! This bed by Floyd sure was a fun discovery. Very cool company and we used several more of their pieces throughout.

Before

***Brooklyn Debut: Office***
A 6’x10’ pass-through between the bedroom and the rest of the home - a perfect spot for a home office.

Before

***Brooklyn Encore: Master Bedroom***
My favorite thing is to come in after a client has given it their best shot, because you can take your cues from what they’ve done! While this client no longer loved the lime green accent wall, I love that she thought of adding an accent wall in the first place! That speaks to her vibrant personality.So we just improved on that concept with a more sophisticated, (and subtle), wallpaper. (‘After’ photos courtesy of awesome client)

Before

***Alexandria: Living Room***
Ah yes. The reluctant unpacker. This is not the first time to be brought on a job so fresh from a move that much of what could tell me about the client’s style is hidden away in boxes. But if there’s one thing that speaks to someones style, it’s their rug choice. And this was surely a rug to build a room around.

Oops…no before picture

Frederick: Family Room

Not actually a big transformation because the client already had the sofa, coffee table, rug and lamp. Practically there, right?! We asked the client to paint the room and had them rearrange for a more functional and comfortable flow, added the coolest rust velvet chair ever, and styled with pillows, plants and such. This was more about waking the space up than completely transforming it.

So, any gut reactions here? Which transformation caught your eye the most in 2019? Digging these photos up to put this post together really just made my heart so full and grateful for what a gift each of these jobs was. I never know if I’ll be able to, (or want to), get final photos of a project when we first begin. I actually have the opportunity to take pictures of less than a quarter of the projects I work on, so it’s truly a unique gift for me to be able to see these projects in person, to share them with you, and to grow my portfolio. Because for every one of these projects I shared with you today, I was likely working on two or three others at the same time that will never see the light of day.

Thank you all so much for coming by today!

eDesign Reveal: A Fresh Start & Our Biggest Reveal Yet

November 20, 2018 Chelsea | StyleMutt Home

Hello, sweet friends! This is a special reveal and one that’s been close to my heart for quite some time. Last April during my kids’ Spring Break I read through Chip Gaines’ book, Capital Gaines. It’s an all-around motivating, get-it-done read, but the thing that stuck with me the most was the encouragement to bet on yourself. And it got me thinking that one person betting on their own selves can’t possibly have the same power as people betting on one another. I started mulling over the idea of looking for a design job to do for peanuts for someone in need. I wanted to give someone that oomph to keep on keeping on, even if just through the simple act of improving the way they feel at home. One month later in May, we were contacted by an amazing woman who was at a point of reinvesting in her life. Gods timing astounds me.

I think most all of us can attest that life doesn’t always, (or usually!), go as expected, and this woman had just been pitched a curve ball. With two young children in toe she was starting fresh with a new home, an old sofa, and a very happy fiddle leaf fig tree. The thing that just overwhelmed me with emotion while speaking with her was the fact that she wanted to make the most of this next chapter. It was apparent that there hadn’t been joy in her home for quite some time, and that’s what she wanted to bring back. ‘Happy’ was a frequent word that came up when discussing the vision and design of her home.

So with a strict $5,000 budget, I waved more than half of my design fee and cracked down on tackling her Family Room, Dining Room, Kitchen and Living Room. And this reveal may be one of our happiest yet! :)

BEFORE

The first order of business was rotating that sofa and pushing it against the wall! This family room space is shared with the children in a big way, and the original placement of the sectional floating in the middle of the floor just made it too chopped up and separated. Also, PSA: With $40 and an 8 minute YouTube video, you, too, can update your overhead lighting.

So. Much. Beige. With an emphasis on creating an environment that feels happy, color was top priority. The catch, however, was that because this is a rental, the wall color and carpet could not be updated. And because the client requested to use her sofa, (a smart move that allowed her to put her budget in SO MANY other places), that was another shade of beige to overcome.

Picking pillows and accent pieces for this space was an absolute blast. With a bland canvas to work with the sky really was the limit, so I had to uncover what palette spoke to my client best. She is extremely inspired and rejuvenated by the coast, but I didn’t want to do anything too literal. Creating a relaxing vibe with pops of vibrant color was the way to go. Blue is a favorite color of hers so I peppered it around subtly.

Ah, yes - the wall mounted Ikea IVAR cabinets. This is the third design since last Spring that we used wall mounted IKEA cabinets to create a custom, clean-lined storage option, (see here and here). You can always add hardware, legs, etc to these to blend them into your own space, but my favorite way to use them is to mount them over the floor 6-8” and give them a fresh coat of paint, (they come in wood). And at just $80 per set of cabinets, that means this massive custom media storage unit cost just $240 + cheap paint.

There wasn’t much to do in the kitchen but change out the pendants and add some stools - leather for the win!

More beige! For the particular vision and feel this client wanted, I knew the dark matching dining set had to go. A new mix of pieces pieced together from various retailers creates a one-of-a-kind dining set for the family. The first item we decided on was that rug - even prettier in person if you can believe it!

This cheery space feels special to me - the colors echo the rest of the home but there’s something about it that makes it feel set apart. It’s grown up but fun, simple but interesting, stunning but functional, (the cabinet is packed with board games)! I have never ever used a sofa in that color before but my gut was pulling for it and I was excited to fill in around it with some contrasting tones - even moodier rich and earth colors!

I think the vibrancy of the sofa just adds some sophisticated drama here when surrounded by earthier tones and textures.

Anchoring one whole side of the room by itself is one of my favorite go-tos; an oversized black framed mirror. Not right for every home, but right for this one in this place. It’s a beast in person, and emphasizes the drama of this room.

Well that’s a wrap! The first thing this sweet client told me when I sent her a sample of these photos was that she can’t believe this is her home and can’t wait to start on her bedroom together in the new year. I can’t wait, either!!!

You all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! It’s a treat every time I have an opportunity to jump on here and share something with you. You make this landing place so much fun and it brings me joy to get to bring finished projects here to show you. So thank you for taking the time out of your day to stop by - it really touches our hearts!

Petite Parquet Cabinet Converted

January 19, 2017 Chelsea | StyleMutt Home

Hi friends! Back in today with another flip of a recently thrifted find! No yarn involved today. ;) When I saw this parquet and bamboo cabinet I was so excited to get my hands on it; the piece was in amazing condition, just needed a little TLC!

It looked a little sad sitting so low on the floor like that! So I took a cue from the beautiful parquet surface of this piece and ordered a set of hairpin legs. What I adore so much about hairpin legs is the balance between masculine and feminine - they're strong, sturdy, wrought iron legs but the lines look so graceful!

The one factor that hung me up on this flip for a solid week was what height to order the legs. Ultimately I came to two options; use the piece for its top surface and keep it at buffet height, or lift it even higher for easy access to it's cool interior storage. Since all signs pointed to this piece being a vintage piece, (albeit in fantastic shape), I wasn't sure how truly functional the top surface would be since the parquet creates a not totally smooth surface and I don't know how easy it is to clean. I concluded this piece would be best used as a storage piece so I found legs that would give it the height to make those cabinet pulls convenient to open without bending over. Once the piece was finished I immediately pictured it as a small space liquer cabinet/bar. The height and size would be perfect in a small dining room where square footage is precious, and you could even stash a stool or storage basket underneath!