Best Laid Plans || 2018 Flip List Recap

Oh hey there January. When did you get here?

I came so close. Close but no cigar as they say. It’s not the first time I’ve neglected the final item on my annual Furniture Flip Bucket List (see what happened in 2016 for example) but I really did come close.

Every January, I publically declare my resolutions for the year with a list of projects or challenges I’d like to see myself complete. And sometimes the year gets the best of my despite my most noble intentions.

I may have left completing Item No.2 undone but I at least have something to offer the New Years Resolution Police:

My Plans

So what happened? Why didn’t I crank this last project out? I mean - I have the plans and measurements right here don’t I…? Did I run out of time? DId I get a little lazy? Did I change my mind?

Yes.

I admit it. I ran out of time and gusto to make this project happen in 2018. This happens sometimes when I hit a creative wall - when I sat down at my metaphorical drawing board, this project began to accrue a long list of challenges that I just couldn’t ignore:

• How to connect each table top + leg to each other with dowels

• How to stain tapered legs to match table tops

• Will the table tops be large enough to feel proportionate to leg length?

• Am I spending too much on the components to still make a profit

Maybe with some more time in the year I could have solved this puzzle, but the main reason it ended up on the cutting room floor was moolah. Without the connecting dowels or stain, I’m already running a tab close to $80 just for legs, table tops and mounding hardware.

Source: West Elm

Consider this: West Elm’s Clover Coffee Table (now discontinued) is the polished/ mass-produced version of my plans. Although no longer available, they were able to market their tables somewhere around $250. Even f I were able to assemble a table that looks as polished and try to list it for a similar price in the shop, this still means my profit margin would below my comfortable threshold.

It just wasn’t a practical project to take on. Maybe if I were in the market for a piece like this in my own home, I would give it a go. But the unknown risks far out weigh the potential for reward so I had to pass. For now.

So my 2018 list is incomplete. Alas. But exciting things are coming this year so stay tuned for the 2019 Furniture Flip Bucket List!

Catch up on the 2018 Furniture Flip Bucket List:

Neon || 2018 Flip List Item No.7

Guys!  I made a thing.  Well technically I made two.  Besides a new dresser, I've got another 2018 Flip List item to reveal:

Item No.7: Experiment with Neon

You were expecting me to do a neon paint treatment werentcha?  Well I'm not ruling that out just yet, but when I set this goal in mind I actually really wanted to DIY a neon sign.

I started researching my options and I found out there are actual kits for the stuff!  I decided to order this super affordable one from Urban Outfitters.

The kit instruction were very easy to follow and basically just involved lashing the neon rope to wire which I twisted into the word "Mutt" for obvious reasons.  It does have a very subtle hum when it's turned on (like the kind you can only hear if you're under 30 years) so it's a good thing I'm creeping up on the big 3-0.  HA!

Switch gears with me really quick and let's talk about the other new kid in the room: this white and walnut dresser.

The drawer fronts were in great shape so I really did debate highlighting the wood grain, but I was seeing a very specific vision for it in my mind so everything but the legs got painted a glassy white.

The original dresser did have some damage to fix - the big undertaking being the mystery gnaw marks in the left front leg.  Normally, I would putty that in and slap on some paint but I really reeeeeeeeally wanted to keep the base wood so I had to hand paint the filler with some acrylic paint to match the rest of the wood grain in the leg.

Can you tell?

I love the contrast of the dark legs against the white enameled body - a luxury finish!

You might actually recognize the unusual pulls on this piece from another StyleMutt refinishing project.  That's because this long-and-low is actually from the same line as that tallboy I did last spring.  Just like I did with that piece, I kept the original brass pulls as is 'cuz I mean, they are just. that. yummy.

As for the styling, I wanted to punctuate the bright neon sign with some bright-colored art like that enchanting Laura Gunn gallery-wrapped canvas print (cue all the heart eyes!).  Accenting with my usual quirky décor also seemed like a natural fit.

And if you're looking for a beautiful dresser to anchor your space, drop me a line (aka just shoot me an email) to discuss our pick-up or shipping options. 

White + Walnut Sideboard
Now Available for Sale
60"W x 18"D x 30.5"H
$595

If you are interested in this piece or a custom order like it, email me at cate@stylemutthome.com to ask about availability and our shipping policy.

Two down, five to go.  Catch up on the 2018 Furniture Flip Bucket List:

Pendleton Slipper Chairs || 2018 Flip List Item No.3

First Flip List item of the year is a wrap!  Wait... what’s a Flip List you ask?  Well every year I set out to do seven new diy projects. Usually they’re a combination of things (both furniture and decor related) that scare me and things I’ve always wanted to try.

So this year’s list is as follows:

Now let’s meet the slipper chairs:

It was actually that citridelic yellow that drew me to them in the first place, but up-close, the fabric was sad and scratchy.  I loved the beautiful wood and cane frame so that had to stay, but the seat fabric was another animal.  I decided to do two things I’ve long wanted to do: 

1) Restore these beautiful chairs
2) Use a Pendleton Wool Blanket pattern to do it: 

Pendleton wool comes from a family owned company that's been weaving wool blankets for over 150 years.  They have a myriad of blanket patterns - mostly Native American inspired designs but they also produce a series of blankets unique to several National Parks.  It is these blankets that inspired my latest reupholstery project - specifically the Glacier National Park pattern.

Rainier National Park

Glacier National Park

Yellowstone National Park

Grand Canyon National Park

To me, the bright-colored stripes on the upholstery are a young twist on a classic design.  

To keep it fresh, I cut the patterns to be mirror images of each other instead of centering the design the keep it symmetrical.

I would have loved to use the real blanket on this project but they are admittedly priiiiiiiicey.  Plus let's be real... I don’t think I could bear to cut one up.  So instead I had a suede replica made by Spoonflower - something soft for the tushy (and less itchy than wool).  

The handy thing about the pattern was I could use the lines in the design to help create pleats at the corners. 

There is something somewhat traditional about cane-backed chairs.  So to me, pairing them with the primary colors of the classic Pendleton pattern makes them tres Ralph Lauren (as Chelsea puts it).

That gorgeous cane just needed a little oil to bring it back.

And this time, I moved the entire Matisse grid wall from our kitchen just to style this shoot.  

Pendleton Slipper Chairs
Now Available for Sale
$345 for the pair

If you are interested in this piece or a custom order like it, email me at cate@stylemutthome.com for availability or to ask about our third-party shipping policy.

One down, six to go.  Catch up on the 2018 Furniture Flip Bucket List: