Quatrefoil Credenza ||A Collaboration with Modern South||

Today I have the privileged of debuting not only a fresh piece but also a fellow creative!  Posts like these are some of my favorites - when two creatives join forces to make something together.  I connected with Cory of Modern South via Instagram and jumped at the chance to work with her on a juicy collaboration.

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Modern South Studio

Original Artwork by Cory McBee
Charleston, SC

Cory and I share a mutual love of color and abstract art.  When we were looking for an excuse to work together, I had the perfect piece in mind to show off her ethereal landscapes art.  I found this four door credenza without a leg to stand on and the sweet quatrefoil detailing was so endearing that I couldn't pass it up. 

Plus I was jonesing to do something in a buttery gray again.

The classic lines of this piece called for a feminine and glam look - something a little softer than I normally debut in the garage shop.  

The paint color I went with was Hailstorm Gray by Behr Marquee.  In person, it's almost blue, almost purple, almost green and therefore an all-around very mysterious neutral.

It actually did pain me a bit to paint the burled wood inserts on the doors but there were too many areas of damage that needed repair and I just couldn't picture a two-toned look.  I think because the two-tone is more indicative of a modern streamlined piece that wouldn't fit a piece like this with more decorative details.  

For her new gams, I found these metal 7" legs.  Their sleek lines help modernize the credenza so it can appeal to a wider variety of home decor styles. 

The piece's original floret-ed knobs complimented the quatrefoil design on the doors too perfectly to give up so I gave the legs our favorite faux-gold finish to match.

Inside is a cabinet on the left

and a set of drawers on the right.

Any one of her prints would have been the perfect compliment, but Cory's "Blue Fever" and "Dreaming in Orange" make such a lovely couple. 

Blue Fever by Cory McBee, Modern South Studio

Blue Fever by Cory McBee, Modern South Studio

Dreaming in Orange by Cory McBee, Modern South Studio

Dreaming in Orange by Cory McBee, Modern South Studio

The navy and blush paired with the gray and gold of their piece reminds me of a quiet sunrise.  

I kept a relatively neutral color scheme with the rest of my decorative items: dried eucalyptus in a white ceramic vase, a couple stacks of books, white picture frames and touches of glass and gold.

Cory's prints are the precise soft/ feminine accents I was picturing when I finished this piece.  If you want a set of your own, you can shop Modern South Studio or email Cory for customize print sizes.  And if you're local to the DC Metro area, this gray quatrefoil beauty could also be yours.

Gray Quatrefoil Dresser
Now Available for Sale
72"L x 20"D x 30.5"H
$685

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

Eclectic Summer Home Tour

IT'S HOT.

After all that rain we had mid-May, I guess be careful what you wish for.  But the good news is that heat isn't just ushering in summer - it's ushering in a whole slue of fresh summer home tours!  Jess of Domicile 37 is hosting the Summer Eclectic Home Tours and I'm so honored to be in such company.  Eclectic is the closest synonym for style mutt so I'm rather partial to this group of mutts... I mean er... ladies.

When you walk through the front door of our 1 bedroom apartment, this bright living room is the first to greet you.  

Under the window lays a cot I originally bought to serve as extra seating when we bequeathed our old couch to Caleb's lil sis.  Our pup Thor, however, had other plans - he's claimed it as his personal vantage point.  He spends all day on that thing keeping an eye out for when we return home from work or when his four-legged friends meet up to play on in the grass below.

Adjusting to the merits and pitfalls of a southern-facing apartment [and my pre-existing black thumb condition] has meant mixed results for my plant children.  I'm sad to say we've lost Penelope the String of Pearls and 3 orchids [may they rest in peace].  But Hewie & Lewie the hanging plants are doing alright as well as Sebastian the Snake Plant.  We are all just trying to stay positive while we mourn the loss of our fallen foliage...

Most of the finds in our apartment were thrifted or foraged.  The Blue Chesterfield and magazine-turned-shoe-rack were Craigslist Free finds, the suitcase end tables a generous gift from Chelsea, our TV stand a roadside rescue, and the serape chair and geometric lamp some flips of my own.

Behind the couch is our dining area.  The campaign bookshelf triplets and the white tulip table were also craigslist finds.  I kept the big pieces white to be the stage for my riotous love of color. 

[Some of you may remember this table from it's Instagram debut 2 months ago]

 
 

Around the corner is the hallway leading past the bathroom and to our bedroom.  It's a short walk ;)

Until we can save up for a headboard, I've hung a curtain for some drama and flanked either side with brass sconces.

At the moment, most of our furniture is mid-century inspired [and also thrifted]. 

From the bedroom, you can see into the kitchen [not much to show there - just a builder-grade galley style.  Rental problems am I right?] and beyond is the front door.

Our nightstands were the product of a friendly Flip Off competition against Chelsea.  Her amazing flip sold, but I just couldn't bring myself to say goodbye to mine just yet...

Thanks so much for stopping by our 800 sq.ft. apartment on the Eclectic Summer Home Tour Series!  If you are new to StyleMutt Home and just passing through on the tour circuit - welcome!  Be sure to find the next stop on your tour below and check out the other tours from the rest of the week.  It's dripping with inspiration I tell you - DRIPPING:

Oh Grow Up... Art ||Flip List Item No.4||

For a few months now, my collection of original abstract artwork has felt...off.  It's like you're trying to copy your mom's crowd-pleasing artichoke dip and yet it just doesn't taste the same when you do it - you feel me?

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In an effort to solve this art conundrum, I declared "Grown-Up Abstract Art" as item No.4 on my furniture flip bucket list and began to do some research on what ingredients may be missing from my art collection.  After consulting pinterest, I kept stumbling on some delicious abstract art showcased in gorgeous, minimal floating frames.  

Source: Ellen Dodd

Source: Ellen Dodd

And so my first theory was formed.  I rummaged up some spare wood trim to fashion a make-shift gold frame for one of my smaller pieces, but when I finished it still felt juvenile somehow.  

After mulling over it for a little while longer, I began to think that perhaps my portions were off.  I love to paint but I'm no professional artist - when I paint, I can't help myself: I love ALL THE COLORSSSSSS.  But perhaps I need to balance out the generous helpings of bold pops of color with some graphic patterns and white elements like this large piece I painted to help stage the cowprint bench.  [It actually sold at our Pop-Up Shop at Sweet Clover Barn so I never got the chance to mix it into my new abstract art recipe.]   And interestingly enough, despite my obsession with large-scale abstract art, I don't actually have any pieces hanging in our apartment. 

Ok so let's meet the "art ingredients" I do have in stock and let's see if we can mix them together for a winning combo.

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Van Gogh's Les Alyscamps

Van Gogh's Les Alyscamps

  • "Les Ales Camps" - a 3rd Grader made this piece at a school I worked for.  The elementary art program was doing a series on Van Gogh and this young artist was studing Van Gogh's Les Alyscamps (which she mistakenly labeled as "Les Ales Camps" in the top right corner lol.  I loved the playful take so much that I had it printed on a canvas to hang in my office.
  • "Unnamed" - this is the largest piece of abstract art I've done and yet I haven't found a place for it.  I think I feel like it would overpower any of our small spaces so I've never hung it in our home.
  • "Hadley" - this is the piece I tried to give a floating frame.  I think the proportions are off and I would like it better if the frame were thinner and little daintier.
  • "Picasso" - this is another piece I can't take credit for.  I just love this line drawing so much that I traced it on some paper and popped it in a frame - forgive me Pablo P.
  • "A Riot of Color [in a dreary world]" - name that movie!  I painted this poppy-inspired piece while watching a Heath Ledger favorite (may he rest in piece).  You may recognize this pop of red from staging this piece here. 

For plating purposes, I've enlisted the help of a fresh flip who'll be heading to his new home in DC soon [I removed the original toe-kick and added tapered legs with the nickle caps cut off and painted the top and sides a glossy white].

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Art Recipe No.1:

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Playful "Les Ales Camps" with a side of "Picasso" garnished with plant, brass candlesticks and record player served on a Mid-Century Record Console Table with storage for your vintage record collection.

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[How cool is that rolling door for space-saving storage?!  And there are four compartments inside with removable vertical dividers.] 

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To combat my tendancy to over-saturate with color, my thought here was to pair the two "lighter colored" art pieces on a white-wall background.  The smaller graphic "Picasso" cuts the intensity of the color in "Les Ales Camps" and the record player.

Art Recipe No.2:

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A large helping of "Unnamed" abstract with a side of "Picasso" drizzled with candle sticks and a fern for garnish.  Since "Unnamed" is such a powerful flavor, I also tried to soften it with the dainty print and anchor it with a large plant. 

Art Recipe No.3:

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Spiced "Riot of Color" and "Hadley" with creamy "Picasso" served with natural elements encased in glass cloches and garnished with a potted fern.

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[Look at that gorgeous wood grain in the slats of the console table's rolling front.]

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Since I was using two bold paintings, I again employed the "Picasso"print and accented with the airiness of the glass cloches.

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[Fun fact: the stand for the raw mineral is just one of my fluted candlesticks turned upside down].

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Which recipe hit the spot for you?  Any suggestions on how to make my art collection more flavorful/ refined/ spicy?  Leave your tips in the comments below!

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Mid-Century Record Console Table
48"W X 18"D X 29.5"H
SOLD
$525

If you are interested in a custom order like this piece, please contact me at  cate@stylemutthome.com. 

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Check in on the progress of this year's furniture flip bucket list: