Styling: One Hour to a Curated Collection

Hi Friends! With several design projects wrapping up simultaneously right now, I've got styling on the brain 24/7! It's not uncommon for our design clients to have few to no styling accessories, (with the exception of books), so we're always keeping our eyes peeled for shops that we can head to when we need a lot of goodies!

Now, Cate and I love to find accessories when we're out at thrift stores, barn sales and vintage markets. Little by little, we've curated styling accessories that suit our taste and the spaces we need to fill. This exploratory approach has taken each of us years of digging and picking up and turning over in our hands. So how does one create their own collection in a single afternoon? When it comes to the final touches in our clients spaces, we turn to the great world wide web!

Here are some of our favorite online shops where we can find all the patina or polished, modern or time-worn goodness we need to complete any space.

As seen in a StyleMutt Home project:

As seen in a StyleMutt Home project:

As seen in a StyleMutt Home project:

Example pottery styling in a StyleMutt Home project:

We hope you find these sources as useful and inspiring as we have! Now, I'm off to round up some final touch shopping lists for some very awesome clients! This weekend we are off to shoot a finished project that combines my love for industrial urban spaces and bohemian flair. I CANNOT wait to share it with you, friends! Here's a quick peek of the progress our client sent last month:

Thank you so much for stopping by!

eDesign Reveal: Dani's Dining Room

StyleMutt Home hasn't been offering design services for very long - just the past few years, with last year being a break through year that accounted for 23 individual jobs as I switched gears to follow my passion for design full time. I won't get into dull shop talk except to say, we are a small but mighty team! Each of us, Cate, Mckenna and myself, all share a passion for home, and I've discovered that we each bring unique skills to the table. The reveal that I've got for you today is such a fun example of what happens when heads and hands come together.

You may recall our reveal of our dear client, Dani's, living room and breakfast nook from last Summer. Prior to that reveal we had already begun work on her dining room which is just around the corner from those other areas of her main floor. As you can see below, it was very important to me that her home tell the same story throughout. No surprise colors or accent walls! Dani's style is soft but edgy and she's up for taking risks as long as they're practical.

Want to see a before picture for the books?

It's amazing, isn't it. Hah! Dani and her beau, Nate, did the hard part - they painstakingly peeled the wallpaper and painted the room before we even started working together! That's a gigantic first step for any space! So it was a fabulous white box when we arrived, except for the gorgeous Anthropologie table that Dani had already purchased, and the fancy-schmancy chandelier that they'd been instructed not to remove by the landlords, (this is a rental).

The chandelier was a stumper. It's not Dani's style but at the same time this is a formal dining room, afterall. There aren't many of those around anymore these days! So with my first formal dining room to design I was thrilled by the challenge of figuring out how to make it Dani's style and 'speak the same language' as the rest of the home, as Cate says. The three design boards below were the original ideas for the space, with the final design being a blend of 2 and 3.

Final design! I happened by my favorite local stop-in, Valerianne of D.C. to see what they had as far as storage pieces and art - it was a hoot snapping all the viable options that day and texting them to Dani for her thoughts! The piece in the board below won her heart and she snatched it up right over the phone while they wrapped it!

So the room was coming along as decisions were made regarding the larger items, but we needed a lot of things to layer in. As much as I adore those shelves for the way they're constructed, they weren't cutting it totally empty. I had an idea of what I wanted them to look like but it was fuzzy, like I couldn't make out the precise details. So I reached out to Cate and McKenna explaining how I thought a really monochromatic look with a lot of white elements and some fresh greens would complete the space really well. They proceeded to scour the internet for all the pretty, neutral things, and then Cate took those items and created a digital rendering of how to stye the shelves.

I mean, who gets to work with someone who can produce THAT?! It's pretty special. So with the big stuff and little stuff decided, our first formal dining room was born.

Oh yes, the old man sketch was also a Valerianne of D.C. purchase, framed at Michaels. We all like him and we don't know why. That's the best art though, isn't it?

Oh yes, before we go any further someone would like for everyone to know who's house this is:

Lonny has our hearts forever. We have a stack of pics of this sweet boy, but we'll stick with the room for today. ;)

One week before heading up to photograph the space with Cate I wasn't quite feeling a table centerpiece. I was toying with the idea of completely setting the table for the pictures, or creating a floral arrangement that would be placed off center...but nothing was sticking out as a winning idea. I texted my Momma, (who has a very good eye for this stuff), an unstyled progress picture of the room and asked for her thoughts. She suggested a long and narrow container full of tiny plants. Bingo! With little time to shop around I went to our local Lucketts Antique Store and found a galvanized metal feeding trough. Though the finish was too rustic for the space, there are times when you just can't beat finding the perfect dimensions. So I brought it home and gave it a couple coats of Rustoleum White Enamel. It's definitely a statement centerpiece without overwhelming the space. Exactly what the room needed! Way to go, Mom!

I think Cate had just a little bit of fun playing with these shelves before we took pictures. She styled them out of the park! That fuzzy idea I'd had months ago of how the shelves would look finished - this was totally it. How'd she do that?!

I love the peek-a-boo touch of brass on the chairs - such a subtle element but when I was looking into durable, wooden chairs that would measure up to the live edge and brass dining table, these spoke the language very well, indeed. I don't typically think of wooden chairs in a formal dining room, but these are pretty special.

Oh yes, and there's a gigantic mirror anchoring the entire other side of the room! It's not antique but it sure looks like it. That piece really ties the chandelier and other elements of the room together well.

Details for days...

Dani begged us to be in a shot where she was pretending to cut flowers. NOT! We asked her .237 seconds before snapping this if she'd mind jumping in so we could grab a living shot of the room. And guess who was right at her heels. :)

Well, that's a wrap! Sorry for the length today but I wanted to share a bit of the progress that went into transforming this space - it was such a fun experience! Dani just handed over her bedroom and we are thrilled to dive in and get started in there. We'll keep you posted!

Thank you so much for stopping by today!

SMH Announcement: We're Hiring!

Hi Friends! This post has been a long time coming :) We couldn't be more thrilled to let you all know we are officially seeking a part-time eDesign Assistant!

This time last year I had the pleasure of sitting around a table eating drippy take-out with Cate and McKenna, (our then Intern, now Development Associate), and I shared my hopes and dreams for the design branch of StyleMutt Home. Together we came up with thoughtful goals and intentional steps to achieve those goals. Cate and I prayed for direction, for clarity and the wisdom to make healthy decisions.

2017 FAR exceeded those goals or any of our expectations. By Summer we had to start a wait-list of clients because our plates were maxed out. And to our humbling surprise, people have been willing to wait! We are now eagerly in search of a new eDesign Assistant so StyleMutt Home can serve more clients at any given time.

Responsibilities will include:
-Handling small, (1 room), eDesign jobs solo
-Ability to FaceTime and email with clients to discuss project
-Ability to research product options that best suit the need, style and budget
-Using client approved products to create digital design boards that convey the vision and design plan to the client
-Producing digital floorplans that show the client all their approved products to scale in the parameters of their space

-And that's it! We really need someone capable of being handed a small client project and running with it! I will handle all consultations so I can pass along those jobs that will be just the right fit for you!

Preferred qualifications:
-Local to the Washington D.C./Northern Virginia area
-Experience creating digital design boards
-Experience creating digital floorplans from written down measurements
-Comfortable designing a space based on before photos and hearing client's needs and desires
-Familiar with Pinterest and has an account
-Effective communicator, patient listener

What you get:
-A paycheck for each job  completed
-Fantastic hands-on experience in eDesign
-Individual growth as an eDesigner for your own portfolio
-Your name attached to completed StyleMutt Home designs

We will of course spend time training you in our streamlined eDesign process so you feel comfortable and confident before we hand over any jobs! We are so excited about the opportunity to grow our team and anxious to get to know our future eDesign Assistant! StyleMutt Home is much bigger than who's behind it. It's become a look and the particular feeling of a space. It's intentional style that isn't manipulated or contrived. And as our projects continue to prove, StyleMutt Home designs are not following trends, they are leading the way. If you are interested in joining the team, please contact us through the link below! (Any previous work you can attach, especially digital design boards and floorplans, would be greatly helpful!) We will be accepting interest for this position for the next two weeks, through February 12.