Reader Design: Lisa's Fashion-Forward Farmhouse

As I promised in my last post, today's reader design is a fun blend of fashion and bold vignettes.  With the life of a jet-setting fashion designer, Lisa's new-found happy place is her countryside home on outskirts of Seattle... I mean, just look at that view!

image.jpg

From Lisa:

I have been designing clothes for over 30 years in the Seattle region...  I have always followed interior design because it is so closely related to fashion and I love creating and advising others to create a unique home! My style is hard to define, but my approach and goal is to make my home a visual "experience" so I think I would call my style "experiential". I love to incorporate my fashion background and travels to evoke a sense of history, function and whimsy!!! (Framed garments are sprinkled around my home!) I want people to enjoy every corner in my home and get a design "fix" when they look around each room....I love it when my friends feel empowered to go home and change things up a bit in their own homes!

Her career has taken her to NYC, LA, Munich, India, Paris, London, Korea, HK, Montreal, Toronto and (Hong Kong 36 times!) - working with sophisticated brands such as Nordstrom's, Cutter & Buck, Annika Sorenstam's Collection by CB, Unionbay Jeans, Eddie Bauer and coat/ outerwear collections for Trina Turk and Pendleton.  Quite the resume I'd say!

image.jpg
We transformed a 1937 farmhouse into our current home. We stripped the house down to the studs [while]... my husband, son and I lived in a duck hunting lodge on our property for 5 months while we renovated this home!  I re-oriented the back door to become the front, with the expert help of an architect. During the warmer months we have hot air balloons floating by my kitchen window regularly! It's a treat to see!
image.jpg
In the Home Office, this mannequin is just "wearing" fabric that I draped and pinned on it ...I love having a pin board to see my lastest inspo ideas and tear sheets...I made the chalkboard from a old ugly print that I painted over, I loved the gold frame. My computer screen is huge so I can design multiple garments and get a big picture view of what the heck I am doing. I tend to get a little lost in my work at times and forget to eat, etc...I have an artist's personality and easily lose track of time!

This would be the office of my dreams Lisa!  A big visual board, comfy/cute chair, and adorably organized desk space... yum.

In the master bedroom, the [featured] artwork is a framed Chanel wool coat from the Paris boutique. I was lucky to buy this at one of our private Nordstrom "design sample" sale...it cost less than a couple lattes...heehee.   This wall was blank for 6 years until one day, I thought, hey, I don't wear that coat very often but I think it would be fun to hang on the wall...the rest is history!  I framed it with a black velvet trim and sprayed a hanger to match (recede to the wall) and voile' art!
image.jpg

Ooohh the perks for being a fashionists!  Tres jealous, Lisa.  But what a great idea to incorporate beloved sentimental pieces into your decor!

In the living room,  I made the coffee table from a wooden crate and thrifted mirror that cost me $5!  I love the natural elements, again on my mantel and the hide rug (a birthday gift from my hubby). Our floors are original to the home (1937) fir, they get "scars" easily as my husband would say...but we both like that well-worn effect, so shoes are welcome on them. 
image.jpg

I wish my hubby would get me a cowhide rug for my birthday *hint hint Caleb*

image.jpg
image.jpg
image.jpg
I hang branches everywhere in my home, I love the graphic quality and the expense!!!  And they are always available on our property, I spray them or paint them with white to freshen them up a bit...after I "de-bug" them of course!!!
image.jpg
For my kitchen island I chose to have in a dark wood finish to make it feel like a focal piece of furniture. I love the book shelves on one end and wine storage on the other. I also have this "thing" for butherblock tops...I LOVE WOOD. I love to polish this island with natural wood oil. My grandfather had an amazing woodworking studio in his basement and I loved to sweep up the saw dust when I was a little girl visiting my grandparents home. Even the smell of wood gets me! I think that's why all my candles are pine or wood scented!  Haha
image.jpg
image.jpg
I made the entry leaning mirror from our last home's bathroom re-model. I salvaged the mirror because it had a beautiful beveled edge and was HUGE....bought a hand saw and miter box, a sheet of plywood for the backing and cut and painted frame by myself. I own all the power tools in our home!!! Haha...

Welcome to the club Lisa ;)

image.jpg

That pheasant feather wall art was based off an actual feather Lisa's husband found at a friend's Montana ranch.  She cleverly printed a photo on architectural vellum and then paints over in acrylic and mounted it on wood to create our favorite faux pull-down chart art.

image.jpg

Thank you so much for inviting us into your home Lisa!  If you are as inspired by Lisa's fashion-forward touches to her home, be sure to follow her on instagram @ellegeestudio for more!

And remember my decor-loving friends, you don't have to be a well-traveled savant or even plumb trend-inclined to have your space featured here and on our Spaces page - just a home you love and your unique point of view.  Tag your pics with #stylemuttspaces on instagram or facebook and we'll contact you for more info.

Paper Feather Wreath {Holiday DIY No. 2}

Mmmmmm. The weekend is here and it's already tastin' sweet, friends. If you're up for a little holiday DIY project, I've got a goodie for ya! What I love about today's DIY is that it's not screaming 'Christmas!!!' It's a piece you could easily leave out year round! But since it's a wreath, we're tossin' it into the Holiday bucket.

 
 

First things first - I absolutely cannot take credit for this project. I saw it months ago when the ever clever Melaine shared it on her My Sweet Savannah blog! The moment I saw this project I knew it would be one of the first things I made for this year's holiday season.

Let's get started! First, you need to print about 7 copies of this page on cardstock. I did this from home on FedEx online - placed my order for 8 x 11 size prints, and then picked it up, (I only used 7 sheets, but I would advise getting 10 just in case). This will cost less than $10.

 
 

Now for the fun part! You're going to cut out each feather. After cutting the feathers from the page, you'll add small cuts to each feather to give them a bit more dimension and authenticity. 

feather wreath before2.jpg

Okay, bare with me here. This next part I did not take a picture of. As per usual, I worked on this little ditty while racing cars with one child, braiding Ana and Elsa's hair with another, and coaxing my third to keep his socks on and stop hiding them under the couch cushions...it's a beautiful kind of chaos, indeed. Back to our project! You're going to need a wreath frame at this point! Cardboard will do the trick. I just used a mixing bowl turned upside down to trace a large circle on a piece of cardboard, cut it out with a box cutter, then traced a smaller circle on the inside, and carved that one out.

Once you've got your wreath frame, just grab a glue stick and go to town! There's really no rhyme or reason to sticking your feathers on. I found it easier to start with the big blue guy first, then surrounding him with the smaller plumes, working my way around the frame one section at a time.

 
 

That's it! Not too difficult, eh?!

Rather BUY than DIY? We've got you covered.
This wreath from Anthropologie hits all the right notes of festive, elegant, and whimsical. (And if you follow the link, you'll see they staged it in one picture with white pom-pom garland, which I shared a tutorial for last week! Anthropologie and I are so in sync with each other....)

Don't forget to share your holiday decorating ideas and projects by posting your photos to our Facebook wall or tag #stylemuttholiday on Instagram!

Thank you all for stopping by and have a beautiful weekend!

This project is linked to RemodelAholic, where you can find dozens more Holiday DIYs!