Playing with Jewel Tones

Guys!  I have a new apartment!  More importantly though, said new apartment has a GARAGE!!!  You know what that means my friends... I finally have my own StyleMutt workshop!  No more slugging pieces up flights of apartment stairs [and by me I mean Caleb].  No more heavy chemicals in the kitchen.  No more painting piece on the balcony - much to the amusement of our befuddled neighbors.  And since we moved in November, I've acquired not one, not two, not three, but FOUR new pieces to work on at once...  Praise the Lord for concrete floors, unloading in the driveway, and storage space.  I promise to give you a decor tour of our actually living space this week, but in the mean time one of my projects needs your input ;)  I have a STATEMENT of a dresser in the queue for furniture flip bucket list item number 5 [why do I always go out of order?!?]

Let's take a look at our pre-jeweled candidate.  Ain't she a beaut?  My super strong and oh-so-talented younger sister-in-law Casey [Chelsea's lil sis] helped me pick up this lovely lady.

With the help of some handy-dandy rendering, I have mocked up this dresser in some bright colors and would love your input!  Some of these colors I've used before in refinishes but I'm not ruling any repeats out just yet.  I want the dresser to tell me what color it wants [and you all too].  So first up, let's try on teal:

Yes yes I know what you're thinking - Cate, haven't we seen this color from you before...?  And you're right.  I have done a teal & gold one-two knock-out punch combo before with this lil bamboo number:

I just can't help myself.  I look at that teal rendering and I get giddy.  But I have more colors to try on so I'm open to being swayed...  Next up: Poppy.

There's just something about a pop of red am I right?  I could see her all done up in scarlet, making a statement in any room like this little she-devil: 

Source: Little Green Notebook

But what about an enchanting emerald?  Chelsea won me over with her emerald highboy last fall and I've been aching to give green a go of my own.

Green pieces are becoming more and more a symbol of luxe in the home - a saturated viridescent could be a winning hit for some shopper.

Or maybe I go really bold with a vivid magenta...

Source: For Chic Sake

It's girly and glam and would be a show-stopping moment.  But would it be too risky for a prospective buyer?

I've always been drawn to a rich Chartreuse!  Anthro has the right idea here with a green-gold campaign piece.  

Source: Anthropologie

But again, is citron too decor forward or should I say decorward?

And then there's navy.  Another color I have played with before.  Last year I put a navy & gold dresser on my 2015 flip list and I LOVED how it turned out on this campaign piece.  

Even though the blue came out more saturated in these photos, a deep deep blue was such a winning look.  

Perhaps it's indulgent to include navy in my jewel-tone prospects but I couldn't help but mock up this long-and-low in a deep navy.  Where magenta and chartreuse may be too risky, navy is rapidly becoming the new neutral and so easy in integrate with any home's style.

so what say you?  Which of these gems would you like to see come to life?  I'd love your feedback in the comments below or on vote on instagram!

Gail's Custom (faux) Cowhide Stools

Hey there! Dropping by for a quick before and after of a pair of stools I recently finished up for a client! Remember this handsome pair?

Probably not. Cate and I spotted these across the street when my neighbors were having a yard sale this Summer and thought of a couple ways to reuse the seats in this post.

When a very dear client, Gail, came by to pick up another piece for her new home, she spotted these stools and did some imagining of her own! She noticed Cate's cowhide bench in our Garage Shop, and found an inspirational image of a pair of stools with cowhide seats and chrome bases.

After swapping a few ideas on fabric and style, this was my finished product for her:

The cheapest option for finding round wooden discs to use as seats ended up being a pair of basic run-of-the-mill pine stools from Walmart and removing the seats. After attaching them to the metal stool bases I covered the wooden seats with 2" foam, batting, and finally, the fabric, (found at Fabric Bravo). They're quite comfortable, especially for doing sophisticated things like cleaning your eye glasses. ;)

I don't have a bar or island in my own home so it sure was fun to create this pair of beauties for someone who can use them!

Thank you for stopping by! Now go be your awesome self.

Flip-Off: Chelsea's MCM Restoration

Happy Thanksgiving Eve! We sure have enjoyed sharing our flip-off pieces with you this week and you may be thankful to know that this is the last post of the bunch! Hah! Much like Cate's story, I had out of this world plans for these pieces when they came into my possession, but ultimately convenience, budget and using what I had on hand won out.

My original plan involved actually making these two pieces into one 6-drawer dresser. I was going to deconstruct them completely, giving them a new top and base, and attach them together from the inside. But then I saw them side by side and realized I wanted their future owner to have the choice between using them as one unit or as two!

After giving them a shiny coat using Rustoleum Protective Enamel in High Gloss White, and new tapered angled legs, I decided that hardware would be my best bet for giving the illusion of one piece. I wanted something sleek and thin, but easy to grab hold of - when I saw this 'L' shaped wood molding at Home Depot it was perfect! I cut the pieces to fit the width of each drawer, stained them in Hickory wood stain, (same as I used on the legs), and screwed them into the pieces! When the pieces are side by side, the long pulls create the unified, sleek look I envisioned!

Now these pieces look fantastic side-by-side and could be used as a dresser, or apart as nightstands! My number one motive when refinishing a piece of furniture is versatility. Since I am more likely to spend my money on something that can be used multiple ways, I think that way as a flipper as well.

This pair got snatched up quick but I've got more goodies coming out of the garage soon!

Thank you so much for joining us this week with our mini-flip-off series! Your kind words have been so encouraging to both Cate and I and we certainly count you among our blessings this Thanksgiving. We'll be taking the rest of the week off to spend time with family and friends, but will be back next week getting ready for Christmas!

Gobble, gobble, yo.