Favorite Transformations of 2014!

January 1, 2015 Chelsea | StyleMutt Home

Hi Friends and Happy 2015! This post has been particularly fun to put together as it's been a big year for us! It's been a year of dramatic DIYs and transformations, starting with this blog itself!

We said goodbye to Chelsea's Garage just a few short months ago to begin something fresh and new with StyleMutt. It's been an awesome beginning and we are really excited about what 2015 will hold!

We're ready to dive into 2015 and even have some spectacular projects already up our sleeve, but first, we're taking a day to reminisce over our favorites from 2014:

No question, we share more than a few style loves - not the least of which is mid-century modern!`

And we discovered just how fun it is to work with bamboo!

But we are true StyleMutts, through and through, and enjoyed embracing the many styles that make us tick::

Of course, not all the transformations involved furniture:

In fact, some of the transformations were of entire spaces!

It's been a tremendous year, indeed, and we just want to say THANK YOU for hanging with us, for your encouragement, and for making this adventure completely worth it. Happy New Year, Friends!

Chelsea and Cate

Pallet Platform Bed {Tutorial}

November 5, 2014 Chelsea | StyleMutt Home

Hi guys! Stopping in today to share an oldie but a goodie. It's a tutorial I shared on Chelsea's Garage a couple of years ago but now that we've fully transitioned into StyleMutt, there are a few tutorials I want to clean up a bit and share again - starting with this Pallet Platform bed!

Matt and I built this for Shire when we moved the boys in together and gave her her own room. It was for no particular reason - just pure fun. :) It's hard to pass up any opportunity to build something for your kids, (that doesn't come with impossible IKEA instructions)!

So here we go: This is what we started with: A scrap pallet from Home Depot that they gave us through the kindness of their hearts, (just ask, and remember to smile), 2 2x4s, 2 1x3s, and 4 medium sized caster wheels with locks, (not pictured).

Then we built this:

The 'X' frame with the 1x3s was first. Matt used the shaved off ends of the 1x3s as needed as support 'blocks' so the pieces would all lay flush, (see below):

Top view:

Then it was time to sand and stain. I used 120 and 220 grit sandpaper to smooth out all the blistery edges and round them out. After cleaning the sawdust off, I stained using Sherwin Williams Golden Oak.

Love the rich, warm tone of this stain. It's a favorite, for sure!

Then we secured casters to the bottom four corners.

And that's that!

If you've got any pallet projects you've tackled please share by posting them to our Facebook wall, or tagging #stylemuttprojects on Instagram! We love seeing all your ideas and handiwork!

Thank you all for stopping by!

Before + After: Blue jean inspired cabinet

November 4, 2014 Chelsea | StyleMutt Home

Hi friends! I hope you all had a wonderful start to your week. Ours has been a little rough around the edges - the Fall-back time change kicked our rears last year and it's doing the same thing this year. Our kids are waking up super duper early, getting less sleep, and are certifiable savages during the day. I'm digging deep to remain patient and calm and trusting the Lord that this chaos will not leave long lasting implications on our collective blood pressure....(kidding, partly).

Thankfully, I was able to squeeze in a really fun refinished piece last week before we all went off our rocker on Sunday! Like this set that I shared recently, I didn't have a really defined idea of what I'd do with this piece at first glance.

The interesting double-folding cabinets, tapered brass legs, interior storage, and overall quality of the piece were enough to seal the deal, and I stuffed it into our van with the three little ones in toe, (or is it tow?). After painting it white it just looked so bland, like a big white box. There are absolutely times when a can of white paint feels right, but this wasn't one of them. So, off I went to Home Depot to fill my inspiration tank, (as Cate calls it)!

And I found exactly what I needed!

Leave it to good ol' Ralph Lauren to create a brush just for applying a denim treatment. I mean, I know brushes like this existed before, but c'mon; Ralph Lauren is the king of denim. With this handy brush and the perfect shade of blue jean blue, (America's Cup Navy, by Glidden), I was equipped to turn this cabinet into something special.

Let's zoom in a bit.

I would suggest practicing the application on scrap wood before applying to your piece. I had a scrap of plywood which helped me get comfortable with this technique. I should have taken a picture of that! Let's just say the practice was VERY helpful. :) My biggest advice, (aside from practicing first), is not to load the brush with too much paint. You'll end up with really thick, dark smudges of paint, when really you want it to look kind of bled on and thin. Does that make sense? Just practice first, you'll see what I'm saying.

I'm completely smitten with this marriage of paint and my favorite fashion staple! I'm finding that fashion has more of an influence over the way I refinish furniture than I thought. This leather-pull piece combined two other loves; creamy off-white and leather!

Thanks to Facebook and Instagram, I was able to get some input when trying to decide on the hardware for this piece. I had two options: Brass handles recycled from an old piece, or these original pulls which I refinished in the same denim treatment. 23 votes came in - 20 for the brass and 3 for the originals. What a pickle! Both were stunning choices. In the end it came down to one tiny detail: the brass handles were not a perfect match to the brass legs. The handles were a much lighter shade and the difference between the two wasn't looking exactly right. And the point of this piece was to try a new technique and let that take center stage. The full length original handles won this round and are perfect for debuting this particular piece. The best part about making difficult hardware decisions? It can always be switched out. :)

There's still plenty of dazzling brass on this cabinet, though, and I think it's striking the balance between casual and elegant just beautifully. Like dressing up your best pair of jeans with heels and jewelry, (or saddle shoes and a leather elbow patched blazer if you're a guy - yea I like men's fashion).

Hello, Organization! Seriously, these drawers could be life changing for someone out there. And the double-folding cabinet doors don't hurt either.

After seeing Cate's latest piece, (already sold), we all discovered how awesome these kinds of drawers are when left unhidden! Removing the right cabinet door could instantly transform the piece, (again!), adding even more versatility to it's resume.

A quick interruption to share one of my favorite tablescape accents: Branches! Can you believe I pulled these branches from our back yard over a year ago? It's a miracle they didn't set on blazing fire above the candle flames...