Reader Design: Zoe Twists Traditional and Fun

Hi friends! We sure hope all you Northeast pals have dug out and are free from the snow! Our roads are still lined with 5-6ft mounds but man, getting those cars uncovered was the best feeling! At least we're not stuck inside anymore!

Today's Reader Design home tour is just the perfect way to end a long week at home. It's full of fun, life and completely unique! Our friend Zoe has nailed the balance between traditional and whimsical and has opened up her living room to us today. Let's look around!

Zoe has turned this Pittsburgh, PA house into quite the eclectic family home for her and her loved ones! It's both vibrant and peaceful - quite the combo to pull off but perfect for adults and littles alike to simultaneously play and relax.

Her soothing, neutral color palette lends well to highlighting some well placed funky accessories and art!

The way Zoe mixes traditional elements with modern creates for such an exciting, unexpected space! As a genius fashionista in her own right, (one of the elements on her blog), Zoe has mastered this mix in both fashion and home decor. Whether it's an #ootd, (outfit of the day), or a corner vignette, there is always something slightly off the beaten path that catches your eye and makes you wonder, 'why haven't I ever tried that?!'

Thank you so much, Zoe, for bringing the sunshine in the dead of winter! You can follow Zoe's decorating and pretty styling adventures over at her blog, Zoe with Love, and on Instagram @zoewithloveblog.

You can find loads of home inspiration by checking out our SPACES page and submit your own simply by emailing us at admin@stylemutthome.com! If you're on Instagram, just tag your images with #stylemuttspaces and we'll contact you with further deets!

Thank you all so much for coming by and kicking off your weekend with us! Have a good one!

A Sweet Buffet with Boho Edge

Well how about that snow, Northeast peeps?! God is just a magnificent Creator, isn't He. The kids will probably be out of school until March so if you've got any favorite indoor activities to share, send them forward! :)

Right before the holidays this past Fall I came home with a piece that wasn't really my particular cup of tea. And it definitely wasn't what I was looking for. What I really had a hankering for was to refinish a credenza or a china cabinet, like this, or this. But everyone's got an Achilles heel of some sort and mine happens to be long and low pieces that are less than $100. These days that's a hard find to come by. But my budget is important and something I do my best not to bend too much because my intention is to produce beautiful, affordable furniture for those looking to fill their homes on a slim budget. With prices on used pieces rising significantly, I've realized I need to bend my expectations of what I'll find in my price range, rather than my price range. And if I'm going to take on pieces that aren't my style wheel house, well then I just need to work extra hard to bring them up to speed!

What really bothered me about this piece originally was this decorative ivy. I mean, why?? I just didn't understand why it was there or how it added anything to this piece that already seemed to have a lot going on, (fancy legs, chunky hardware, freckled wood). My first step was going to be sanding it down and getting the surface smooth and ready for paint. But then something strange happened.

Not only did I not even try to hide the ivy, I went to painstaking measures to carve it out during 3 sittings in freezing cold temperatures in my garage shop! Maybe it was brain freeze, but I suddenly wanted to see the ivy carved through white paint, accented with aged brass hardware.

I think it was the desire for a challenge that lead me to maintain the original look of this piece but in a really cool bohemian chic way. And I knew that to pull this plan off it would come down to the styling. Because a white piece of furniture with carved ivy and brass pulls is still just a white piece of furniture with carved ivy and brass pulls. Are you with me?

I styled the sweet thing two different ways; one more clean and edited, and one care free and over the top. Here's a looksie!

I used my favorite earthy palette of rich browns and rust tones to bring out the sophistication of the piece. The hardware was a critical choice and I went through three different options before deciding on this set. I wanted the aged brass to stand out and the rich colors styled with the piece here do that well, I think.

A chunky woven tray from Target containing clay potted plants and wooden candle sticks still speaks that laid back boho language, but with subtle formality. Like with a British accent.

I didn't over-distress this piece as I've been doing more recently, but rather focused on the edges and corners to highlight the unique details and shape of the piece. Still, I love a well worn surface so I took a little extra off the top just for fun. I really should read Jane Eyre. I use it for styling enough.

Since pieces like this are sought out for their versatility I didn't do anything to alter the interior! The storage makes this a fantastic piece to be used as a dresser or dining room buffet, while the center compartments also add the option to place shelves where the drawers are and use the piece as a media center!

The second way I styled this piece was really for me. Hah! If I ever have a dining room buffet, whether in our current house or a future one, I'd use it just like this: An in-home greenhouse.

Man, watering would be SO much easier if I kept all these guys together regularly!

The carved ivy just fits right in with the real ivy cascading out of the drawer. :)

This piece was a really wonderful learning experience for me in taking something I wouldn't normally refinish and putting my style into it. It's a more feminine and sweet piece than I'm normally into, but feminine with a dash of daring is just smashing.

I absolutely adore this ivy. Who would ever consider covering it up?? ;)

Piece now available
$425
73.5"L x 30.5"H x 18"D
chelsea@stylemutthome.com

Thank you all so much for coming by!

Cate [and Caleb's] Color Clad Apartment ||part 2||

This is a moment I've been waiting for since April.  Ever since we left our jobs, moved in with friends, found new jobs, found a great apartment, and up-and-moved to Leesburg, VA.  We spent March-November with all our stuff in storage which left me pining for a space of our own to decorate again.  The urge got so bad that I even did this mock up back in October to try to quench my redesign thirst.  

Look familiar?

Now, we've been relatively settled in the new place for almost 3 months [and mostly unpacked for about 1] so I reckon it's time for a tour ;)  Annnnnnnddddd since it's Friday - that makes this today's #stylemuttspaces feature.  

If you're new to this style mutt spot, first of all welcome!  Second, let me fill you in: any one [designer, betty home-maker, under-water-basket-weaver] can submit their home for a reader feature on our SPACES page.  This page serves as a curated pool of decor inspiration for any and all [so be sure to check it out if you haven't already - there's LOADS to be inspired by especially for style mutts]. 

So let me get to it and invite you in already!!!

Ok so I don't have the rug yet, or my kilim pillows, and the chair's not all leather - but it's a step in the right direction considering most of the decor was free, cheap, or a hand-me-down.

The first thing that greets you when you walk in, is a rattan shoe rack that was a spontaneous free find on craigslist.  It is actually a magazine rack that was way out of the way to pick up, but it was free and it was cute and even though I didn't have a plan for it when I drove over there to get it, I brought it home, cleaned it up, and then realized it was the perfect solution to our small entryway issues.  Above it hangs some of my original artwork that epitomizes those punches of color I like so much.

The plant stand was also unplanned but only $5 at a gem of a thrift store!  Since there wasn't an impressive selection of palm-fronded trees in the dead of winter at Home Depot, I went with low-maintenance/ black-thumb resistant snake plant I decided to name Sebastian just now.

I got the cot thinking it would serve as our extra seating but Thor quickly claimed it as his seat in the house because he can snooze with his head on the window sill and one eye on lookout for any signs of Caleb after a long day at work.

On the wall hangs my trio of old dresser drawers with an assortment of plants and my favorite brass accents - Steve the Stag in the place of honor obvi.

Just behind the couch is our teeny-tiny dining area - which is exciting because we have never had one before!  The sliding doors open up to our deck which stretches over to our bedroom window too.

Here lives my favorite and most ambitious impulse buys: the white campaign bookshelf triplets. 

They fit perfectly in their little nook and sport more pops of color and the most damning evidence of my collectionist tendencies.  I can see a minerals collection, a cloche collection, colored hardback collection, white ceramics collection, and a moss ball collection apparently.

To the left of the living room is our galley kitchen and the hallway leading to the master.  A necessary ceiling fan prevented me from re-installing our copper pipe canopy bed, but I kept the statement chartreuse curtain as our pseudo headboard.

Points if you recognize that bench ;)

Flanking the bed are these epic brass swing-arm sconces I scored from a fellow local furniture flipper.  We connected via craigslist and I ended up chatting her up for over an hour when I "popped" by to pick up the fixtures.  She was kind enough to cut me a deal and we've stayed in touch swapping tips & tricks.  We're gearing up to show off her home and some of her KILLER furniture flips one of these fridays so you can all look forward to that soon. 

I kept the pieces I restored from our furniture flip off which are perfect because they lend so much extra storage.

At the foot of the bed is another miracle MCM find we're using to corral all of Caleb's clothes.  

He's kind enough to let me leave that frou-frou tray on it 24-7.   Fun fact: that collection of color-dipped candles were made for me by our very own style mutt Chelsea ;)

My dresser hugs the wall between the entrance to the room and our closet (trust me, I'm sparing you some clutter-shock by skipping  the closet part of the tour).

Above hangs the diy faux pull-down chart from our old place while atop lays the dust-trap of a printer's drawer to display all my bells and whistles.

I have to laugh when I look back at our old apartment and I admit that I'm a twinge embarrassed.  But I also have to remember that at the time I was very proud of how I decorated it.  Isn't that always how it goes?  I remember being proud of my second grade poetry but there's nothing impressive about rhyming the word wave with save am I right?  Regardless I have to acknowledge that my first apartment helped evolve and refine my taste.  And perhaps in another two years I will look back at this apartment and also be embarrassed.  But I suppose that's the cyclical curse of an ever-changing style mutt my friends.

Thanks for popping in to take this little tour with me!  I will of course keep you posted as I acquire the pieces we're saving up for and inevitably start rearranging in t-minus 2 months...