Design

I moved into a small house that was a blank slate. Overwhelmed by choice, I had no idea how to make it my own. Chelsea and I started with one room, and I loved working with her so much we completed the whole house. Chelsea was incredible about incorporating pieces I already had and loved with new elements — all while keeping to a budget. Chelsea led me through creating a cohesive style throughout my home, and I ended up finding my own style in the process.
Beth W.
Washington, D.C.

We had just moved (from a quaint carriage house) so I began stalking their beautiful Instagram and website and immediately fell in love with their seemingly effortless mixture of styles.  My more spacious rental home felt sparse so I scheduled a free Facetime consultation with Chelsea to discuss assistance with designing a room.  She was so enthusiastic and encouraging and understood my style ambitions from the start. The process of buying furniture no longer caused nausea or felt intimidating.  Instead it was fun and collaborative, which was fortunate because we had next to no furniture!  I loved seeing the design boards and vision come to life.  Chelsea always felt genuine and listened to my concerns.  She consistently kept the budget in mind and was never pushy.  Chelsea is so quick to respond to any questions, big or small, whether it’s about the overall vibe of a room or simply what type of pillow insert to buy.  Having her support and talent readily available was irreplaceable. Due to the success of the first room and their one-of-a-kind warm personalities we went on to work with StyleMuttHome for 5 additional rooms.  I just couldn’t imagine pulling a room together without them!  They transformed a boring rental home into the coolest house on the block.  When we eventually say goodbye to this beautiful space it will be tough, of course that also means we will be back to working with Chelsea and Cate all over again! 
 Dani B.
Frederick, VA

I never thought I’d be in the position to use an interior designer but after reaching out to Chelsea with some basic questions about my space, I realized it’s a lot more affordable than I anticipated. What I later learned was how much money she would save me by knowing all the tips and tricks to maximize my budget. In the end I spent so much less than I would have on my own, not to mention all of the hours saved obsessing over every single decision. And even better, I now LOVE my home. It feels like I’m walking into my favorite Pinterest board every time I walk through my door. My whole house “sparks joy” and that feeling is priceless. I will never decorate a room without Chelsea’s help again.
Amber H.
Aldie, VA

Having Chelsea and the StyleMuttHome team help design my home was a life-saver, and well-worth every penny.  I cannot speak more highly of this team who guided me through designing a beautiful, functional and cost-effective (gasp!) home makeover.  I found Chelsea very early on after purchasing my very first condo – seeing her aesthetic and style, I immediately knew she was the one to help me in the overwhelming task of buying all new furniture for my space.  A few of the stand-out things I liked most about working with the StyleMutt team was 1) Attitude – these ladies want you to love your home, this is their only agenda!  No pressure to conform to a certain style, buy expensive things, or be removed form the planning process.  They took all of my ideas in stride and coached me along the way -- if I got stuck on a decision, Chelsea coached me through a few style techniques and how to think of the room as a whole.  2) Ease – Let’s face it, we are all busy, busy, busy.  I love decorating, but I needed help to get the job done.  Chelsea mapped out my space, understood my design and budget needs, and effortlessly translated this into a visually appealing design, a Pinterest board, and a SHOPPING LIST.  Did I say shopping list?!  I used StyleMutt’s help for every room of my condo… when I got married and moved 2 years later, we did this whole process all over again.  It must have been pretty good – we had a magazine publish my condo based off of StyleMutt’s work!  I couldn’t say better things of their service – you’re going to love the process and your new home!
Ali H.
Washington, D.C.

I can't speak highly enough of Chelsea and Joy at StyleMutt. When we moved into our first home, an older DC row house with very little storage, I spent at least 6 months on my own trying to find the right furniture and decor for the tight space, especially the kitchen and dining areas. While I enjoy interior design, I was burned out and overwhelmed by choices, or lack thereof. I was thrilled to discover StyleMutt - an e-design company that could accommodate some of the design choices I had made already, while still able to problem-solve where I had gotten stuck. Chelsea helped me streamline my teeny entryway to make to work for our family, and also helped finally find the right rug for our living room space, an area where we had already purchased most of the furniture. I know many designers prefer to start from scratch in a room to find a cohesive look, but the fact that Chelsea was able to pick up from where I'd left off with the last touches, both big and small, was invaluable and really highlights the range of her talent. Joy was also, well, a joy. She had a big task ahead of her with our kitchen/dining area, where we had made almost no changes and needed the most help maximizing storage - from creating a pantry to wine storage to just sourcing smaller furniture generally. Prior to StyleMutt, we had made a decision to paint a bright green accent wall which I think many designers would have tried to talk us into changing, but it feels fun to us and we wanted to maintain it. Joy not only never tried to sway us, but worked incredibly hard to find a color palette for the rest of the kitchen/dining area that was neutral and warm and made the wall feel completely integrated into the space. Her creative ideas included sourcing a vintage cabinet from craigslist because they are narrower than newer furniture and fit better in our historic home. This process took weeks but when we found the right piece, it was beautiful, unique, and 100% worth it. Joy also brilliantly came up with a solution to repurpose IKEA wall cabinets that we had been using as a pantry since we moved in. We lowered them down and DIY'd a topper for them that elevated the whole look. People are shocked when we tell them we did it ourselves!

What I loved most was that both Chelsea and Joy really listened to the feedback I provided as we brainstormed throughout the entire process. I had a very clear idea of what I liked and didn't, and I really felt involved in the process without it feeling like work! I am so grateful for their expertise and look forward to working with them again for our next space.
Jess P.
Washington, D.C.

Design Biz Course (for aspiring designers)

Chelsea provides a step-by-step guide for helping YOU learn how to serve your interior design clients. From soft skills to hard skills; she shares actionable tips to make you successful. My biggest takeaway from the course was the overall process for each client and how to manage that client relationship from start to finish. If you’ve been curious about taking on design clients but don’t know where to start, I’d definitely recommend this course.
Ashley M.

This was so wonderfully written and put together in such an easy read that kept it to the point. I adore Chelsea's honesty and sharing such valuable experiences with the rest of us who may dream to start an interior design business. She's taken so much of the legwork and research time out of it to where someone could hit the ground running!
Lea J.

Chelsea has been such an inspiration to me in building my eDesign business. I was so excited when I heard she was creating this eDesign guide! So many times I have felt confused and overwhelmed with starting my eDesign business, but Chelsea takes the fear and overwhelm out of it and makes it feel doable. She not only is an extremely talented designer but she has a way of inspiring others to carry out their dream of becoming a designer. I'm so grateful for her and for this eDesign guide. If you are starting your own eDesign business or even thinking baout starting one, read this! So many of your questions will be answered and you will truly be inspired.
Mara G.

Brilliant. Chelsea and the StyleMutt team have delivered a concise, yet extremely helpful guide for young interior design businesses to achieve growth. It's not every day a designer is willing to share their trade secretes, but that's just what Chelsea has done. From communication, to software, to photography tips, this guide covers it all! I highly recommend for anyone who needs some help and direction to grow their eDesign business.
Mackenzie