Lindsey's Neutral Family Home

Happy Friday, Mutts! I don't know about you all, but this four-day week felt like a six-day week. Holy cow, am I glad that's almost over!

Today, we have a serious treat for all of your neutral lovers. If you haven't seen this neutral obsession splattered all over social media, you must have been living under a rock. Some of it goes too neutral, towards cold or impersonal. But Lindsey gets it right, creating a family home that feels casually curated but also actually feels lived in. What a concept! 

You can see right away that we're dealing with a historic home here. There's something about that history that really gets to me - thinking about all the families that have built their lives here. I love that Lindsey's design honors that past while making it her family's own.
From Lindsey:

Our home was built in 1900, and it sits on an acre lot in the country. Because of the original wood work, including beautiful pocket doors, and my old soul, I think the style of our home would equate to the Midwest. When I look around, I think, ‘yeah, this house just belongs here.’

A fun fact for all of you, and a shameless plug for a company I adore: I found Lindsey and her awesome space via the Letterfolk Co Instagram account. Their letterboards are seriously amazing, and I do not blame Lindsey at all for owning more than one! And, they plan right in to Lindsey's style. 

I think I would best describe my style as midcentury meets farmhouse, with a side of simplicity. I love visually clean spaces and have an obsession over antique pieces. At the end of the day, I want our home to house only meaningful items, to be inviting and free of clutter. I love this quote by William Morris: ‘Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.’

Now, Lindsey is raising two beautiful babies in the Northwestern Ohio country. So next, let's look at the bedroom these kiddos get to grow up in. I wish I could use the written word to adequately describe my envy. Not that my mom didn't do a great job decorating my childhood bedroom (in case you're reading this, Rosemary...) BUT this room screams 'Be a kid! Explore! Play!' Color me jealous... 

In the boys’ (Hayden’s) room, my favorite piece, hands down, is his bed. My husband and my father built it together with their own hands, just for our sweet Hayden. There’s actually many hand made pieces in his room and I think that’s why it’s my favorite room in our house.
I think our styles are always evolving. Since having our two boys, I have had the biggest urge to purge and to simplify. I found myself thinking, why spend time cleaning up after all of these ‘things’ when I could be soaking up this precious time that I won’t get back with our children. It’s played a huge part in finding my style.

I think you'll all agree with me that Lindsey has found her style and is sticking to it. Finally, let's take a look at her master bedroom. 

Now, everyone has their own opinions of color. I almost think about it in the same way that I consider extroverts vs. introverts. People just recharge in different ways - by being alone or with others OR, in this case, by being surrounded with colors or calm neutrals. 

I really wrestled with the decision of leaving the walls white, or giving them a pop of color. Something about the white walls gives me a sense of calm, and as a stay at home mama, this is something that is so important for my overall mentality. The extra sunlight shining through our home and reflecting off the walls is sure to give us all something to smile about throughout our day. Finding what makes you happy is key.

Lindsey, I applaud you. You're an awesome mama, and you've made a home to serve some seriously important purposes - inspiring your babies, encouraging your family's peace, and giving yourself a place to recharge. We tip our hats! 

Follow Lindsey along on her blog, Being Badenhop, or on Instagram for more decor and life inspo. And Mutts, remember, you too can have your home featured - just drop me a line at mckenna@stylemutthome.com

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!

Thank you ALL for your kind and encouraging comments on the boys' room makeover! To those who entered our Cutting Edge Stencils stencil giveaway, we sure wish we could gift each of you with the stencil of your choice - we loved reading which stencils you'd use for your own projects! But alas, we could only pick one random name for the drawing.

Congratulations, Jenny!
||To claim your prize please email us at admin@stylemutthome.com||

Thank you so much to Cutting Edge Stencils for graciously offering one of our readers a complimentary stencil. It's such a pleasure to partner up with such a fantastic company and we hope you'll check them out and consider a stencil project of your own. We'll share it if you do!

Thank you all for stopping by! We adore ya~

Time for another stencil vote! ||Boys' room tweaking||

Hi friends! It's so good to be stopping by here with you; with just over a week until school starts for our oldest, the twins,  I admit I haven't had much desire to do anything else but spend time with them doing what they enjoy! But I really need your advice and am hoping you'll help me out with something!

This is our boys' shared room. They are currently 5 and 4 years old and while they adore each other and playing together, it's also been difficult under our roof to find any time alone. With all the toys and games currently in our basement, that's been the natural play place. My husband and I thought if we bunked the boys' beds that would create a lot of space in their room, opening it up to bring toys and create a second play space. 

Last weekend my husband and brother, Caleb, (Cate's husband), bunked the beds, and oh my word, is there a lot of space for play!!! I have been praying that this change would be a blessing to our boys, particularly our son who desires time alone here and there. So we want to make it a really fun room! We're currently designing and building a piece for which to keep toys in this room without taking up a large footprint, and other than that we will not be adding more furniture and decor. We want it to be simple and open and a space where a boy can spread out and let his imagination run wild. 

The right side of the room is where the beds are bunked, so we've got this long wall that you see when entering the room where I want to add a fun pattern!

I've rounded up the following 4 stencils from my favorite site, Cutting Edge Stencils
Stencil 1: Birch forest
Stencil 2: Fir trees
Stencil 3: Navajo tribal
Stencil 4: Drifting arrows

There really isn't a 'theme' or style that we're trying to attempt here; just a fun, layed back room with open floor space. The beds are a warm wood tone and we're leaning towards using light, raw, unstained wood for their toy storage. I'm also thinking of using a navy and white or rust and white combo for the stenciled wall. 

Okay, guys. I need help here. Go with your gut and leave your vote below in a comment! 

Thank you so much for stopping by!