Little Brother Bookcase

Earlier this year, I scored two vintage West Michigan Furniture Co. bookcases off craigslist.

I shared what became of the bigger one in my last post but what became of his little legless brother?

Meet Little Brother:

He may be more petite than his big bro, but he is certainly just as stately.

I wanted the option for these bookcases to get adopted together so I used the same color to do a similar finish with some small changes - can you spot them?

This time, I painted only the sides and top and left the front trim in the original wood finish. This waterfall paint treatment has honestly become one of my favorite refinishing techniques. It allows me to maintain what I can of the original wood finish while still providing a pop of contrast in an unexpected way.

Little bro also go a new pair of legs.

They are a matte black powder-coated steel that matches the matte black paint finish.

Like his brother, he still has his original glass sliding doors to prevent the accumulation of dust on your collectables (provided you dust the inside before you put anything in there… unlike me).

For styling, I really had fun with this one. I liked the idea of incorporating some moody mother nature - considering she’s been quite moody here in VA lately.

And what’s more moody than a dramatic oversized tree branch?

Or some scraggly scavenged moss?

To class it up, I added a few porcelain mushroom figurines (thank you Target for yet another random purchase I don’t really need be somehow really want).

On our staging hunt, Thor even found some tennis balls that have grown a more mature shade of green moss. Leave it to the dog to sniff out old tennis balls like a truffle pig.

And yes, Thor tried to play with each piece of our haul on the walk home from the walk in the woods. Let’s hope baby girl Henderson will have a better appreciation for décor than my men do.

Hit me up if you’re in the market for this little guy (and/or his big bro)!

Little Brother Bookcase
Now Available for Sale
36”W x 12”D x 30”H
$395

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

Back to Black || 2019 Flip List Item No.4

Black. And wood. These have been banner forces in some of our projects for a while now and the reason I wanted to turn up the contrast on my two-toned flips.  That dark mysterious black against a warm and welcoming wood. Yes please and I’ll have another.

Then last week, I came across this listing on Craigslist for two original mid century bookcases made by the West Michigan Furniture Co. They were a great price which made for the perfect opportunity to scratch this jet black itch I’ve been having…

If you’ve been following the 2019 Furniture Flip Bucket List then you’ll know where I’m going with this.. item No.4 is in my sights:

​Now just let me dangle the carrot here for a minute - look at that contrast!

Instead of keeping the cases stacked as a single unit, I decided to make them two separate units. The top surface on the lower, larger cabinet was damaged so it was already asking for a fresh coat of paint.  Painting the casing in a new-found favorite Limousine Leather by Behr allowed the interior to electrify. 

Unlike my prior flirts with dark tones, this black is much more severe.  It’s still my trademark dark and moody and it’s so very stately - especially contrasted against that wooden interior.

This West Michigan Furniture Co. piece still has its original glass sliding doors to protect your treasures from collecting dust.

Truth time - I hate photographing pieces with glass surfaces.  I end up obsessing about the reflections or how I apparently don’t know how to keep glass clean. Does anyone out there have any tips??? Asking for a friend…

It also has the original brass capped peg legs which I cleaned up a little but left a lot of the natural patina. I’m so used to working with tapered or metal legs but these little gams are just so cute, I might have to replicate this look again.

For styling, I leaned into the monochromatic look with terra-cotta, books, touches of brass, and white decorative accents. I felt like the piece called for a more “masculine” look with an emphasis on interesting shapes and varied heights.

You’ll have to tune back in to see what will come of his little leggless brother!

Back to Black Bookcase
Now available for sale
48”W x 12”D x 31”H
$425

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

One down, four to go. Catch up on the 2019 Furniture Flip Bucket List.

Colin + Mason's Room Reveal

Hey there! A couple weeks ago I was sharing a ‘then & now’ tour of our home now versus when HGTV mag came to shoot it two years ago! We ended on a sad note with the boys’ mattresses on the floor:

I promised I’d be back to share it when we were finished! To recap, I sold the old bunkbeds since they were rather bulky for this small room. Over the past few years I have learned a lot about scale and making the most out of the square footage we have. In the bedrooms, especially our itty-bitty kids’ rooms, that means pieces that take up a smaller footprint. With smaller, more streamlined pieces, and A LOT of playing around with arrangement, I think I nailed down a room that feels open and flows well for the way our sons use it. Let’s look around!

Colin REALLY wanted to keep the birch tree wall, which was A-OKAY with me. I love that wall and am glad they haven’t outgrown it yet! To tie this room into our home, I wanted to include similar color tones that we have elsewhere. The ochre curtains are a nearly identical shade to Shire’s quilt, and warm up the space similar to the camel leather we have peppered around our living room and master bedroom.

I was completely lost as to what to do about bedding. I didn’t want white OR a color. Hah! I turned to CStudio Home to see what they had and knew as soon as I saw these quilts that we had a home run!

The Dash Reversible Quilt is beige on one side, and a denim-y gray on the other. I paired it with the Studio Sham in ‘Lake’, a dusty aqua blue. And one can never have too many fresh white sheets! I used the Percale Sheet Set in White shown here!

I’ve always wanted to use this petite wooden cabinet between the beds but with our old separated bunks we just couldn’t make it fit! I found this cutie at a yard sale with Cate a few years ago for pocket change. It’s definitely nice to have some hidden storage in a kids’ room! All our kids are huge collectors - they see potential in absolutely everything! Rocks, leftover party confetti, deflated balloons, ribbon from Christmas gifts….and they actually use these things in their daily play! Even still, it’s nice to not have to see it.

Across from the beds we’ve got three sets of 3-shelf bookshelves I found at Walmart for $17 each. I almost jumped on the IKEA Billy 3-set bookshelves that are identical, but am so glad to have found a cheaper option! By themselves, these bookshelves are nothing to write home about. But three in a row makes a stronger statement in a space, (see how I used the Billy set in this home office)

While the colors used in this space are deep and saturated, I didn’t use many - when I use strong colors in a room I try to keep the palette limited to just a few. In here I used navy, rust and mustard/ochre. So while the room is colorful, the consistency keeps it relaxed and peaceful. Cate does SUCH a good job of using color in her home, and if you look closely, you’ll see that she emphasizes just a few colors and the rest is neutral. I’ve definitely been inspired by her to make some bolder statements, while maintaining a laid back, minimal vibe.

To keep toys and books separate I use various storage pieces, like these green metal ammo containers I found at an antique store a few years ago. Basically anything with high edges can be toy storage - it’s a great way to think beyond the basic storage cubes that slide into cubbies!

That’s a wrap! This space has seen a lot over the 8+ years we’ve lived here and these walls have loads of stories to tell already. (It started off as our twins’ nursery with two cribs on either side)! Every time I switch it up to meet the next chapter of life, I wonder about what that chapter will hold for us.

Thank you so much for coming by today!