Reader Design: Brooke's Tranquil Tree House

The owner of this self-proclaimed "tree house" has it going on. Brooke is busy mothering, renovating her St. Louis home, operating her business, Sucre Shop, and managing the social media for West Elm St. Louis. WOAH! Color me impressed.

And, Brooke is a serious, self-diagnosed style mutt. From Brooke: 

The house is mid-century modern, and that kind of simple, inside / outside aesthetic is what we wanted to stick with. But I’m no mid-century expert, and at the end of the day, I like what I like. It ends up being eclectic, and that doesn’t bother me at all.
I call our house the tree house because it is so open inside and open to the outside, with its huge sliding doors, floating stairs, and tall windows. I fell in love with the backyard that you could see from almost anywhere on the ground floor, but the house needed a ton of updating!

Every surface you see has been touched in some way or another - the tiger stripe bamboo floors which replaced a mix-match of carpet and hardwoods; the amazing orange that looks vintage but was a splurge Brooke and her husband agreed on early in the renovation process; the raw, uneven, and totally unique kitchen backsplash; and the bright walls that went in to cover up the stained woven wallpaper.

We have so many windows on our ground floor that there isn’t actually much space for pictures or art. To fit in all the pieces that are special to us, we did a gallery wall around our TV in the living room. A smart friend recommended I use Command hooks to test things out and make sure I liked everything before I committed. It may be the best advice I’ve ever gotten!
The ‘I carried a watermelon’ poster on the wall is from Etsy and is a tribute to my childhood. Fun fact: I was an extra in the movie Dirty Dancing when I was 7 years old! I was doing the merengue in the gazebo in my Kellerman’s t-shirt! People get such a kick out of seeing that on my wall.
 
 

Now, you can tell why Brooke calls her home a "tree house" - it's light, bright, and airy. The only problem? No privacy! Luckily, Brooke had a solution. 

Our a master suite is a loft area above the living room. It used to be a sunken living room, which we converted into a closet, because there was so little closet space. The master bedroom has to be closed off with a cardboard accordion door. The huge sliders we put in give us privacy, but we can open them all the way and still have the open feel and views original to the house.

We commend you, Brooke, for achieving beautiful design with some serious practicality! 
Follow Brooke along on Instagram and check out her shop! 

See you next week, Mutts! 

Wood and |French| Linen Dresser

Well, we are in our 4th week of school here and only time will tell if I ever settle down and get used to the quiet of the house and the slower pace without my little ones around. Until then, I'll have a steady stream of things to share here! Turns out I'm finding comfort in creativity, just as I did years ago when my babies were new and I had that deer in the headlights look. Cate and I have had beautiful conversations about how we feel so connected with our Creator when we're creating. The joy we feel when creating something is just one way we've been made in His image, and this is where I've turned yet again during a difficult transition in life.

So today I'm sharing the third piece I've refinished since the kids have started school! You can catch up on the details of the first and second pieces if you'd like, but I'd say there is absolutely no trend from one piece to the next. I've been all over the place and have enjoyed myself immensely with each piece.

Today's piece leans a lot more rustic than the first two! I stripped the dark peeling stain from the beautifully angled drawer fronts and left that gorgeous wood alone!

Over the weekend my girl Shire and I took a tiny trip out to historic downtown Leesburg, VA to The Cottage, where we snagged a can of French Linen chalk paint by Annie Sloan. I love this warm greige color - it reminds me of putty! It's one of those neutrals that's a striking contrast to black, navy, brown, charcoal - it's just gorgeous. And because of it's warmth I tend to use it every Fall when the air turns crisp.

I styled this piece with a striking print from my friend Jessica over at Vol.25! The quality of her prints is really unparalleled. The designs are unique, the colors sharp, and she even sells them already attached to these wooden brackets. We actually just used a couple of her prints in a design project we're wrapping up this Fall! I'm sure you'll have no trouble spotting them when we reveal the space!

This piece is now available for sale!
48"H x 38.25"W x 18"D
$465
Please contact chelsea@stylemutthome.com if interested!

Thank you for stopping by!