eDesign Project Progress: Dani's Modern Bohemian Living Room & Breakfast Nook

Hi guys! I'm trying something new today and stopping by to share....wait for it....PROGRESS! I've never been great at jumping on to let you how things are going with a particular project, but if project progress is your love language, I'm going to do my best to speak it!

At the beginning of the year multi-talented jewelry designer Dani Barbe reached out to us for help with her and her fiance's rental home. Although they are renting, they feel a deep desire to establish roots and create a home that truly feels 'them'. During our first discussion I just knew Dani was going to be a joy to work with, and I can honestly say several months later that the process has been a delight every step of the way. Maybe it's working with a fellow creative, maybe it's personality, but we're having all kinds of fun with this one, (so much so that we're keeping a good thing going and just added her formal dining room and studio work-space to the list of rooms to complete)!

If you haven't checked out our eDesign process you're going to get a glimpse of it today! After our initial consultation with Dani we took to Pinterest to pin inspirational rooms. Dani had a single leather sofa from Article, as well as a round breakfast table for her kitchen nook. Otherwise, we had some serious space to fill! It can be daunting to start with so much empty space and the impulse to fill it can feel overwhelming. But my strategy for this one was to make this space special with a few choice pieces and minimal filler.

Living Room

This was the 3D rendering I designed of her living room shortly after gauging her style through the rooms that spoke to her on Pinterest. Although we knew we wouldn't be using a lot of things for the space, we also didn't shy away from mixing antiques with modern elements.

After getting a thumbs up from Dani and her fiance on the 3D rendering, the StyleMutt Home team researched precise pieces to use for the space and we tried them on in design boards, (below). The toughest piece to find - a vintage turkish rug! The problem was not that we couldn't find the right rug; the problem was that every rug we mocked up looked SO good in the space! Ultimately, we all agreed that a warm, glowing pastel piece would suit the glowy space best. Can we use glowy to describe a space? It's my favorite adjective for this home!

See?! Glowy!!! This is a recent progress shot Dani sent and it makes my heart skip a beat every time I see it. You may notice a few key pieces still missing, (coffee table, mantle piece, plant), but those items are en route now and we're nearly there, you guys! See that big guy to the far left? 1900s Craigslist find. Isn't he a charmer! (Psst! I actually found it before doing ANY designing for this space; I saved it to my phone and it inspired a lot of other pieces that we selected).

Breakfast Nook

The process for the adjoining breakfast nook was the same, starting with a 3D rendering! We nailed down the basic concept for this space but the specific elements changed pretty dramatically when we really started researching products.

This space started with the wooden table and that was it! We wanted to incorporate some color into this space and at first I liked the idea of using patterned upholstered chairs and a neutral wall hanging in a natural un-dyed fiber. But as soon as I spotted these gorgeous vintage inspired blond cane chairs I was smitten enough to bag my original inclination and do the reverse! We paired the blond wood chairs with the warm wood table, (definitely a 'do'), and are having the incredible Filia over at Fibers by Filia create a custom piece similar to this one below! I refinished the thrifted cabinet in a simple glossy white to match Dani's kitchen cabinets that she just painted, and spared the original aged brass hardware. A timeless brass and glass multi-faceted pendant completes this cozy nook.

And here is a recent progress shot that Dani sent over! I can't wait to see it finished with the cabinet and Filia's fiber art piece on that empty wall, but as far as progress goes...I have no words. I just love this space so much. This work is the best!

We are all so thrilled to see this eDesign coming to life and can't wait to share the final reveal of these two spaces! We are currently working on Dani's formal dining room and studio space now but we thought we'd break things up to spare you from a novel of a post!

So what do you think, is a progress post your kind of thing? Because I've got more to share if you're feeling loved by it! ;) Either way, I so appreciate you coming by. Thank you!

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.