Fraternal Twin Tables

Meet the twins:

Ok they are not identical. But they are fraternal if you will. Yes they have their own different personalities (and if you ask, one is 1/2” bigger than the other) but they are definitely related. I met one at a thrift store and the other on the facebook marketplace and nearly did a double take. Could they be brothers-from-another-mother separated at birth?!? Only one way to find out - get all 1990’s family portrait up in here and dress them alike:

I refinished both of them in a matching color pallet of forest green, rust red, and an inky blue-black. Each has a unique distressed design but the color coordination allows them to “speak the same language” as we like to say.

Both brothers have a hidden drawer. One has it in the front…

And the other on the side.

They each have a lower shelf for more storage…

And brass feet.

How can you deny the resemblance?! These near doppelgängers are distressed to impress and that worn finish will only get better with more use. I can easily picture them in a boys room or even better a vacation rental. Can you tell I have lake living on the brain by my Pendleton Wool inspired styling?

And can I just say I was never a lake person before I married Caleb? My family was split into two camps: mountains or beach. How did I NOT know you can have the best of both worlds with a flippin’ lake house!?!

That coat rack from QT Home Décor would be the perfect drop spot for wet towels when you come up from the dock. And the stainless steel construction means it would withstand heavy vacation rental use too. *Side Note* they also have an incredible selection of modern house numbers if you want to up your rental’s curb appeal too.

Memorial Day weekend means lake season is officially open people! If your shopping for your property, these tables are up for grabs - just email me for purchasing and/or shipping options.

Twin Tables
Now Available for Sale
18ʺW × 28ʺD × 22ʺH
$95 for the pair

If you are interested in this piece or a custom order like it, email me at cate@stylemutthome.com

Man Cave || 2019 Flip List Item No.1

So last Spring, my husband and I were on the hunt for our next lease with a very specific list of must-haves in mind:

• End unit townhouse (less walls to share with noisy neighbors)

• Green space (for Thor and also so Caleb could exercise his supreme lawn skills)

• At least 3 bedrooms (little did we know one of them would become a nursery)

• A garage (a girl’s gotta have her in-home workshop, you feel me?)

• And a MAN CAVE (Caleb’s non-negotiable)

By some miracle, we managed to find something that checked everything off our list - complete with a dungeon-like ground-level media room worthy of Caleb’s video-game playing and sports-game watching needs. The only thing was it was a already painted a very distinctive shade of blue:

“Thalos Blue” to be exact

It’s not that the blue was all that bad. In fact our landlord would have let us paint it if we really wanted, but after giving a fresh coat of paint to the other 80% of the house, we kind of ran out of steam. We decided that the color was workable even though I would have chosen a more masculine navy than a cornflower blue for a media room.

Caleb immediately took up residence down here and I set to work on the rest of the house (you can see our progress here and here). In exchange for giving me practically 100% design control of the upper 2 floors of the townhouse, Caleb asked that I limit my… interference… in his sacred basement space. I admit, this was very hard for me to do and I definitely snuck a few decorative items in there every once in a while. He did allow my expertise however to source a comfy sectional. I scoured Craigslist until I found an affordable leather one that was perfect for lengthy lounging and felt manly but still stylish enough for me to tolerate (I mean I have to watch movies down here too ya know ;).

But after a couple months, Caleb came to me with a surprising request to… interfere… with this space after all. See Caleb and I have often disagreed on form vs function when it comes to a space - meaning I like things “pretty” and he likes things “comfortable.” We’ve found little ways to compromise throughout the house but he was very resistant to my initial input on his man space. Me thinks he just wanted a place to set up shop without making any concessions for once. Hence my surprise when he actually approached me about making it feel a little more homey and how this item ended up on the 2019 Furniture Flip Bucket List.

Challenge Accepted

The plan was to use the blue to our advantage and make it as a backdrop for some rich colorful accents coupled with some touches brass to mature the space a bit.

The sectional was working out well, but I switched out the boxy man legs for some sexier gams to give the couch a more high-end look.

Legs Before

Low profile + a little frumpy

Legs After

Glam gams = soooo classy

Next we had to figure out what curtains to hang in a true blue room? I tried white for a bit but the contrast was too stark.  I could do red but I didn’t want to take away from all the pops of red I was adding elsewhere.  Eventually I landed on a blue to match the walls.  In a velvet no less to add texture and black-out any light on movie nights.

Finding the right TV stand was another fun project.  First we had to source one large enough for our monster TV (almost kept this guy for that very reason).  But we found a deal on this MCM credenza with minimal wear and tear.  I waterfalled the outer edges in a persimmon paint color for another fun by subtle pop.

My alternative coffee tables did get a little push-back from Caleb the Client. Instead of doing one large table, I found two brass martini side tables a varied heights. It’s not his favorite design concept (a coffee table should be more of a foot rest according to Caleb), but it allows us a classy take on TV trays when we are eating down there (which is basically on every movie night). 

Behind the couch is a small-space bar area when we want to get our Mad Men on.

Extra lighting sits on a narrow storage piece that flanks the back of the couch. We keep our small LP collection and record player on the shelves underneath.

A few of our records hang on the wall to make a “man art” moment. They can easily be switched out for a sports poster or two if the mood strikes.

Now this space has the family’s full stamp of approval - Thor included. 

And I’m crossing this project off this year’s list!

Two down, three to go. Catch up on the 2019 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!