eDesign Reveal: A Fresh Start & Our Biggest Reveal Yet

Hello, sweet friends! This is a special reveal and one that’s been close to my heart for quite some time. Last April during my kids’ Spring Break I read through Chip Gaines’ book, Capital Gaines. It’s an all-around motivating, get-it-done read, but the thing that stuck with me the most was the encouragement to bet on yourself. And it got me thinking that one person betting on their own selves can’t possibly have the same power as people betting on one another. I started mulling over the idea of looking for a design job to do for peanuts for someone in need. I wanted to give someone that oomph to keep on keeping on, even if just through the simple act of improving the way they feel at home. One month later in May, we were contacted by an amazing woman who was at a point of reinvesting in her life. Gods timing astounds me.

I think most all of us can attest that life doesn’t always, (or usually!), go as expected, and this woman had just been pitched a curve ball. With two young children in toe she was starting fresh with a new home, an old sofa, and a very happy fiddle leaf fig tree. The thing that just overwhelmed me with emotion while speaking with her was the fact that she wanted to make the most of this next chapter. It was apparent that there hadn’t been joy in her home for quite some time, and that’s what she wanted to bring back. ‘Happy’ was a frequent word that came up when discussing the vision and design of her home.

So with a strict $5,000 budget, I waved more than half of my design fee and cracked down on tackling her Family Room, Dining Room, Kitchen and Living Room. And this reveal may be one of our happiest yet! :)

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BEFORE

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The first order of business was rotating that sofa and pushing it against the wall! This family room space is shared with the children in a big way, and the original placement of the sectional floating in the middle of the floor just made it too chopped up and separated. Also, PSA: With $40 and an 8 minute YouTube video, you, too, can update your overhead lighting.

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So. Much. Beige. With an emphasis on creating an environment that feels happy, color was top priority. The catch, however, was that because this is a rental, the wall color and carpet could not be updated. And because the client requested to use her sofa, (a smart move that allowed her to put her budget in SO MANY other places), that was another shade of beige to overcome.

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Picking pillows and accent pieces for this space was an absolute blast. With a bland canvas to work with the sky really was the limit, so I had to uncover what palette spoke to my client best. She is extremely inspired and rejuvenated by the coast, but I didn’t want to do anything too literal. Creating a relaxing vibe with pops of vibrant color was the way to go. Blue is a favorite color of hers so I peppered it around subtly.

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Ah, yes - the wall mounted Ikea IVAR cabinets. This is the third design since last Spring that we used wall mounted IKEA cabinets to create a custom, clean-lined storage option, (see here and here). You can always add hardware, legs, etc to these to blend them into your own space, but my favorite way to use them is to mount them over the floor 6-8” and give them a fresh coat of paint, (they come in wood). And at just $80 per set of cabinets, that means this massive custom media storage unit cost just $240 + cheap paint.

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There wasn’t much to do in the kitchen but change out the pendants and add some stools - leather for the win!

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More beige! For the particular vision and feel this client wanted, I knew the dark matching dining set had to go. A new mix of pieces pieced together from various retailers creates a one-of-a-kind dining set for the family. The first item we decided on was that rug - even prettier in person if you can believe it!

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This cheery space feels special to me - the colors echo the rest of the home but there’s something about it that makes it feel set apart. It’s grown up but fun, simple but interesting, stunning but functional, (the cabinet is packed with board games)! I have never ever used a sofa in that color before but my gut was pulling for it and I was excited to fill in around it with some contrasting tones - even moodier rich and earth colors!

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I think the vibrancy of the sofa just adds some sophisticated drama here when surrounded by earthier tones and textures.

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Anchoring one whole side of the room by itself is one of my favorite go-tos; an oversized black framed mirror. Not right for every home, but right for this one in this place. It’s a beast in person, and emphasizes the drama of this room.

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Well that’s a wrap! The first thing this sweet client told me when I sent her a sample of these photos was that she can’t believe this is her home and can’t wait to start on her bedroom together in the new year. I can’t wait, either!!!

You all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! It’s a treat every time I have an opportunity to jump on here and share something with you. You make this landing place so much fun and it brings me joy to get to bring finished projects here to show you. So thank you for taking the time out of your day to stop by - it really touches our hearts!

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DC Apartment Reveal!!

You guys! This is a big day for StyleMutt Home and one we've been dreaming and scheming for a nice long time - and it's such a treat for us to get to share it with you, friends! After several years of flipping furniture, we've felt this natural progression occuring in the direction of interior design. When sweet, young Christine came to us asking if home decorating is anything we would be interested in, we jumped on the opportunity to help her with her apartment! 

Her style is very eclectic with an emphasis on cheerful, she loves nature and color, and her edgy side is perfectly balanced by a gentle, soft side. We were so blessed to work with Christine and wanted to represent the multi-faceted, multi-talented, independent woman that she is. 

 

So you want to take the tour?! Come on in!

LIVING ROOM

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Among a very small handful of pieces Christine already owned was this small shelf that her Mom built and painted!

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Christine has herself a nice little vintage camera collection - we used these nesting hexagon shelves from Axel Co. to display them as a fun statement over the media cabinet, (which we found on Craigslist and cleaned up with new hardware).

Faux greens from IKEA nestle cozily inside these wooden bird feeders from Target.

Recognize the tree stump? We shared the tutorial for how we made these from a neighbors backyard trees a little bit ago! You can brush up on the deets here. :)

These faux engineer prints cost about $6 each and only 4 minutes of time a piece, (after getting the supplies). More details on these prints comin' soon - find the easy frame tutorial here!

Christine got herself a banjo during our time working with her - told you she was a cool chick! 

BEDROOM

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As Christine is in grad school, we wanted to give her more surface space to spread out and keep organized. Building her a desk along the bottom edge of her window sill created a long, sleek, inconspicuous space to do so.

Her beautiful headboard is actually an old door that was once used in Chelsea's home! One side is painted Duck Egg blue, and the other is natural wood. We created legs out of 2x4s that can be screwed into the door headboard from either side in case she ever wants to switch things up!

The color scheme for her bedroom was inspired by Christine's most precious piece of art - a painting named "Lilith."

That's a wrap! Happy house warming to the best first design client these two style mutts could ask for! We will be following up shortly with a source list for both rooms. Thank you so much for stopping by and have a wonderful day!