Leather Headboard || 2018 Flip List Item No.1

We’ve got a month and some change left in the year and I still have projects left on the 2018 Furniture Flip Bucket List and have only coordinated one room tour since we moved into our new place last Spring. I’ll be the first to admit it, I’m running a bit behind on a lot of things in life, but hey - who isn’t?

Let’s do a little something about that today shall we? I’m fixin’ to kill two birds with one post: item No.1 from the flip list and a master bedroom reveal!

I often use my annual Flip LIst as a declaration on intent for the year. It’s a combination of fun projects I have my eye on and personal challenges I’d like to tackle. Item No.1: Miter Corners definitely falls into the challenge category. I kind of figured I’d try to hone this new skill on a picture frame or something small, but then ended up with the idea to try a headboard shortly after we moved in.

When we moved in, the bedroom was a baby blue. It just wasn’t our style so we promptly painted it a StyleMutt favorite: Swiss Coffee.

The white allows the warm tones in the wood and the leather to pop.

The white walls also showcase the many green accents we have sprinkled around the room - the emerald velvet curtains, the pops in our artwork, and our little succulent garden.

Hanging directly across from our bed where I can look at it every day is our Laura Gunn Still canvas print - a dreamy colorscape of all my favorite moody greens. Don’t mind Thor #theotherstylemutt, the bedroom is equally his domain.

The bedroom has been finished for a few months now, but the DIYed headboard was the perfect special occasion to finally do a full room tour.

This was my first time trying to miter “properly” - using the right tools and mostly the right methods.  And I have to say, I’m darn proud of myself! 

I mitered the top corners and used a simple butt joint for the bottom brace. Then I slung some of my favorite leather across the frame and stapled it in place on the backside. 

They angles might not be perfect, but they’re pretty close for a first try. 

He could care less, but I love how the leather brings out the auburn in Thor’s coloring.

Well on that note I guess I’ll let this little guy get his nap. That leaves only one last project on the Flip List - here’s hoping I won’t slack off for the rest of the year!

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

Room Tour (Finally): McKenna's Bedroom

You guys know how it is... 

It is next to IMPOSSIBLE to decide when to shoot a space. I take one picture, and all I see are the five things I want to change about the room. I keep telling myself that I'll have our new Seattle rental (we moved here in July 2017... is it still new?!) photographed when it's "done." But let's be honest, that day will never come.

I'm lucky, then, that a breakthrough of sunlight - a welcome arrival during this gray and drizzly winter - made my decision for me. I finished work, snuck in a workout, and came home to the most breathtaking sunshine seeping through our windows. So today, Mutts, you can thank the anomaly that is the winter Seattle sunshine for this peek of our bedroom.

Exhibit A:

No, I did not add those light bubbles to these photos. That just HAPPENED. And I know they're not perfect, professional photos, but holy cow, I had to capture it. 

When we moved across the country from DC last summer, we literally brought clothing and kitchen supplies with us. The only pieces of furniture were a coffee table in our living room, and the two bedside tables you see above. Oh, and the painting - which is a Framebridge print of a photo I took in my soul city, Palm Springs, CA. The side table on the left is a table that my parents purchased and refinished at the start of their marriage in the 80s; the table on the right belonged to my fiance's grandmother. Both are precious to us and, luckily enough, majorly back in style. We saw exact lookalikes at a trendy vintage store in Seattle a few months ago. 

So that means that we had to purchase everything else. As someone who moved every 11 months for 5 years, this didn't phase me, but we took our time to make good decisions and find great deals. 

My proudest purchase is actually our bed. Even though it's a mass-produced item from Wayfair, we spent only $73 on it, and the quality has really surprised us! 

I hunted down this midcentury Tallboy on Craigslist. It's a tight squeeze in what is already a small room, but it gives me the storage I need. Now that I've accented it with some dried flowers from our local farmers market and a copy of our favorite engagement photo, I seriously love this little corner. 

And then we splurged on a few things: our Parachute Home bedding; our plug-in West Elm sconces; and our stunning and soft West Elm rug. I waited for sales and have no regrets about these purchases. In fact, we've registered for many more Parachute Home items for our upcoming wedding. They're worth it!

I love the way the small but sufficient bedroom has come together. Of course, there are things I'd change if I had a limitless budget, but it's a space that I genuinely love at the end of the day. There is no better feeling than lighting a candle, diffusing some essential oils, and nestling into bed with a good book. 

I am so excited to share the rest of our home with you all soon; in the meantime, have a great weekend, Mutts!

Reader Design: Linzi's Mod Apartment

Happy November, Mutts! I hope you all are slowly coming off your sugar highs - but we're here to keep the excitement going with a tour of Linzi's mod apartment in Providence, Rhode Island.

She and her longtime love and fiance Spencer love all things retro and have a true penchant for Ikea, with a heavy dose of thrift to keep things interesting.

“We both grew up in upstate New York in a very small town where there wasn’t much to do. In high school, we loved to go thrifting and decorate our bedrooms in our respective houses with our small vintage finds. When we moved in together here in Providence, it was great to combine all our stuff and pick out our own larger pieces of furniture like bed frames and couches together.”

Now, most people think of "basic" and "starter furniture" when they think of Ikea. But that really doesn't have to be the case. In our world of e-design, we know that Ikea can offer so many options for pretty and affordable furniture (this isn't an ad for Ikea, I promise). Linzi didn't shy away from the brand when designing her own home, though; in fact, she had to consciously reel herself in!

“I think one of the biggest things I’ve wrestled with is loving Ikea almost too much. I love everything that place makes, but I had to step back and make sure I wasn’t living in a place that looked like it could be in their showroom. ”

I don't know about you guys, but I can hardly pick out the Ikea pieces in this space. Linzi and Spencer did such a great job adding character through both thrifted finds and family passdowns. In fact, Spencer was lucky enough to get one of the most incredible inherited record collections I've ever seen, gifted by his dad. Those records on display really help this couple achieve the overall feel they're going for:

“I try to evoke a feeling that is fun and comfortable, in a vintage way. I want people to feel like they can come hang out with us and listen to a record. ”

Linzi also wasn't afraid to get hands-on to make this home special.

“In the kitchen, my favorite pieces are the vintage wooden table chairs. I got all 4 for $10 each and put in a lot of elbow grease refinishing them (they were painted bright green before).”

The retro and bauhaus vibe is carried through in every room, all the way to the bedroom. It's bright, happy, and effervescent, just like the 1960's era on which it draws.

Linzi, thank you so much for showing us around! We love what you've done with the place. Follow Linzi along on Instagram at @linziclary for more.

See you next week,