Reader Design: Lindsey's Paint-Perfect Updates

I am particularly tickled over today’s #stylemuttspaces feature.  A while back, fellow CNU alum Lindsey asked me over for a re-upholstery consult by sending me this photo:

Obviously I knew I just HAD to share her home with you and boy-oh-boy are you all in for a retro treat!

From Lindsey:

Andrew and I bought our first home in June 2014. We got a great deal on a lovely 1970s townhouse because, well, it didn't look dramatically updated past then. Carpeted stairs, carpeted bathrooms, gold glitter seashell sinks--oh my! We have lots of down-the-road dreams for our new home, but for the time being, paint is the upgrade we can afford. And paint alone brought things a few decades into the future :)

The Before

The After

The Lounge [is] the small room adjacent to the kitchen is the dining room. The living room at the front of the house is spacious and sunny, and was a much better size our grandparents' dining table. We swapped out the wooden chandelier in the original dining room for the ceiling fan from the living room to better suit our sitting room. But as we compiled our hand-me-down lamps, chairs, and turntable, the room became an undeniable retro lounge. 

Before & After

 

Lindsey’s house is full of authentic-retro personality and she is constantly evolving it’s retro-liciousness.  Since setting up when the family (Lindsey, husband, and dog Hannah) moved in, she has cleverly swapped out her lack-hack coffee table for this awesome West Elm clover one and updated her IKEA end table and couch with custom tapered legs from tablelegs.com.  Brilliant!  She’s completed the room with unique family pieces: a brass record stand (Lindsey’s mom’s from childhood), her parent’s original Stiffel lamps (circa 1970s), Grandma Peggy’s mod green lounge chair, and Grammy’s orange and aqua succulent planters.

I love the high end look of the white eames-inspired chair and acrylic side table juxtaposed with the mod green lounge chair.

Both Lindsey and her husband Andrew are fans of Henri Matisse, so when they found “The big Parakeet and the Mermaid” Matisse print in antique store in Delaware it was a no brainer.  Plus it was framed in Belvedere Square, Towson, Maryland (just near where Lindsey and Andrew got hitched!) and it was only $20.  BOOM.

Lindsey’s other art is a combination of other Matisse prints from the Moma exhibit, prints from used art books, postcards from vacation and quirky prints that make her smile like this Etsy find, “The Houseguest” by Janet Hill.

A record collection to swoon for wouldn't you say?

That slate blue wall color really plays up the sunlight (and Hannah Girl’s intelligent icy blue eyes).

I love the combination of the Crate&Barrel Bucato Yellow Rug, warm wood tones, olive upholstered chair, and little pops of redsy oranges!

Every corner has a story: Lindsey bought this “Wild Thing Your Make My Heart Sing” wooden clock from a whimsical clockmaker in Kalispell, Montana when she was 15.  

I asked my parents to hang onto it for me for when I got married and had a house one day. Grateful my taste has not changed too much! Sure enough, they held onto it for me and Andrew and I adore it. It's such a fun pop of red in the lounge.

The iron plant stand in the corner is an antique find which Lindsey updated from a white worthy of “Grandma’s porch” to a sleek black.

And the transformation doesn’t stop there.  Lindsey deploys her secret weapon (a coat of paint) in the basement powder room for amazing impact.

The Before

 
 
You can see the before, carpeting on the floor, medicine cabinet protruding far into the room, full length towel bar (why??) and porcelain toilet paper holder. We pulled up the carpet (Which, it turns out, had not been glued down) to find simple tile in decent shape. 

The After

A little paint plus some Andy Warhol art of my childhood boyfriend (Elvis, I'm an old soul, what can I say?). The bathroom has a very low ceiling, which stumped me, since I dreamed of a bright red bathroom next to our basement movie room. I found a creative compromise by painting the low ceiling a soft white. Though we still have the same sparkly sink, the fun pop art is a nice distraction in the meantime ;)

 Paint Colors: Behr's  Ballet White & Allure || Andy Warhol's Double Elvis Poster || Double Han Solo Print || Poster Frames: Michaels

Rug: Target  ||  Freestanding Toilet Paper Holder: Target

Guys this doesn’t even cover half how awesome the rest of Lindsey’s house is.  Give her some extra love and maybe, just maybe, she’ll let us share some more ;)  Thank you Lindsey for opening up your home to us and showing us the amazing wonders a little paint can do! 

Don't forget we are always looking for more readers to feature on Fridays.  You don’t have to be a world renowned designer to get some real estate on our SPACES page – you just have to love your home and want to show if off.  Post your proud pics to our Facebook wall or tag #stylemuttspaces on Instagram. 



Reader Design: Maggie's Sentimental Home Abroad

Hi friends and happy Independence Day, America! Ready to kick the weekend festivities off with us?

As is our customary Friday celebration, we have the pleasure of sharing a beautiful Reader Design home tour with you! But we're celebrating this particular 4th of July weekend with a really special Reader Design today - how's this: An American military family stationed in Germany, creating a home out of their 7th house in the last 14 years.

Self taught Maggie is a genius DIYer, skilled sewer, and sharp thrifter. After going through Maggie's beautiful home photos on her blog, Maggie Overby Studios,  I'm a big, big fan and think you will be too!

From Maggie:

Being married to the military has meant lots of houses to put my stamp on. I am now an expert at setting up house quickly and making a house a home without a high end budget. I have learned that there are so many beautiful things out there for a steal if you know where to look and what to do with them. Our home is full of items collected over time and things bought out of necessity for this particular space. As a military family  home is a place that is always familiar. In a life of constant change my home is a  retreat. Even if the shell is different the contents are items that I have collected and carried with me from place to place.

MAN CAVE

This room  began as a cold, unfinished basement and slowly transformed into a cozy second living space and office for my husband. 
The only new purchases I made where the Ikea FRIHETEN sofa and the Ikea LAPPLJUNG RUTA rug. The rest of the room is furnished entirely from thrift store finds totaling around $200. Some of the pieces required a little TLC, but the credenza and coffee table looked great as is.

LIVING ROOM

The living room started with a coat of yellow paint since this room is a little darker and needed some brightening up. The layout of the living room/office was probably the most difficult in the house; it is long and narrow and also has several window and door openings along with two wall mounted radiators. A lot to work around!
The mid-century sofa and chair were from the Clare collection at Macy’s and are a great bargain. The chair on the right is a Pottery Barn Brooks chair which I got for a steal, along with the coffee table, as  floor samples. I was using this chair in another room at our old house but I made a new slipcover for it and now it fits perfectly into this room. The rug is a Dash and Albert, Field of Flowers hooked rug which was the inspiration for the whole room.

KITCHEN

 I picked a yellow paint for the walls since the German winters would be cold and dreary. I had some great tablecloths from World Market in my fabric stash that worked great with the yellow as curtains and had a retro pattern that would work with the cabinets.
The Stenstorp island, (IKEA), adds a ton of counter space as well as additional seating, and a few baskets add much needed storage. I also bought a Hemnes shoe cabinet, (IKEA), for a bit little creative storage.

This beautiful nook was built in after Maggie realized there was enough space for a banquet - rather than building from scratch, she used two nightstands as the base to build the entire piece around! Genius!! You can check out the deets of this DIY here.

MASTER BEDROOM

Loving the mix with my new, (old), rug, but what I am really loving are my new curtains. I ended up making a cream-colored valance with navy trim and curtain panels from Duralee JoAnn Blend Coral. The standard treatment for curtains here in Germany is a ceiling mounted track with a thin wooden or plastic valance. I decided to create a larger fabric valance that I attached to the top of the original wood valance using a staple gun before attaching it to the ceiling. 

You can read more about how Maggie made these stunning curtains here!

A gorgeous mid-century modern blush chair that Maggie previously used in the hallway is the perfect piece to tie this blush and aqua room together. She proves that shopping your own home can reap huge rewards! I wouldn't mind shopping Maggie's home... :)

KATIE'S AND WILL'S ROOMS

Most bedding is from TJMaxx with the addition of decorative pillows that Maggie sewed herself. Many of the furniture pieces, like the children's beds, are upcycled redos, as well as other key furniture pieces that were needed. You can read more about the specific DIYs of each room here and here!

SEWING ROOM

When I first started sewing I did the whole pull all the supplies out at the kitchen table and put them away when I was done. At our 4th house I upgraded to a converted closet in the guest room. Then as the sewing projects increased at our 6th I set up in an alcove in our large den and then finally decided to take over the dining room. Now at this house in Germany we have a 4th bedroom and not many guests so I actually scored a room with a door that I can close when the mess gets really bad (Big mess means lots of “magic.”)

Fabric anyone? I think I'll take the remainder of the summer off to intern under Maggie's genius. What a magnificent space to get those creative juices flowin'!

For more fabric and craft storage I use a mid-century china cabinet that also has cabinet space large enough to hold my spare sewing machine as well as my huge scrapbook bag. The red chair I got for 20€ at our local thrift store once we got to Germany. I bought it thinking I would slipcover it but when I went through my fabric stash I found I had a fabric that matched it perfectly, and luckily I had just enough to make curtains. Now if anyone wants to come chat while I work they have a nice place to sit.

I'll be right over, Maggie!

Well that's a wrap! Maggie, you've been a lovely host, my dear. Thank you for opening your doors to us and sharing your beautiful, curated home. You can follow Maggie's decorating adventures around the world on her blog, Maggie Overby Studios, or on her Instagram, @maggieoverbystudios.

Thank you all for stopping by and enjoy the weekend!

Friday Reader Designs are all about getting YOUR work seen! Have a room, (or your whole home), you're up for sharing? Just share photos to our Facebook page or tag #stylemuttspaces on Instagram! We'll contact you for further details!


Reader Design: Janet's Smart Sophisticated Style

Answer me this: what is better than a Friday? 

How ‘bout a Friday Feature Reader Design!  

Today’s #stylemuttspaces feature is Janet from Style to Move Blog and she is one savvy sophisticated homemaker.  Based just north of Toronto, Janet has managed to pull off a restoration hardware look without restoration hardware prices.  I mean just look at the perfect shades of flint gray, organic accents, and monochromatic genius!

From Janet:

I moved into this new home about five years ago with my husband and two kids (now teenagers).  This was a bit of a shock to us because we had only lived in century homes full of character and charm.  The real challenge has been how to give it some character and put our mark on it.
This is our family room which is off the kitchen so it gets lots of use.  We had a lot of stress prior to moving here, so it was important that this home was calm.  Therefore, we wanted a calm color scheme and no clutter.  The book shelves (previously in our office) and the coffee table (previously a table) were painted a soft grey.  I also turned the books paper side out to fit the color scheme and to add to the calm in the room. 
I always like to mix ferns and woven baskets in my spaces because they add a relaxed sophistication.  I'm also eclectic, so I like all styles.

You’ve certainly found your kinfolk here Janet – eclectic is just a synonym for StyleMutt ;)

The side bar was actually an island in my previous house. Here, I added some baskets underneath and painted it an almost black, giving it a farmhouse feel.  Nothing in this room was overly expensive.  Most things came from either a big box store, HomeSense or Ikea.  Even the rug is two small inexpensive rugs put together.

So smart painting it a "almost black."  Painting pieces a matte black or a charcoal gray softens the harshness the a black piece can give to a room, making it feel more rustic while still providing a rich tone.  I told ya she was a savvy lady...

Thank you Janet for sharing such a smartly put-together living room with us on StyleMutt Home.  You can follow Janet @styletomoveblog on Instagram for more of her savvy finds!

And hey, we are always looking for more readers to feature on Fridays.  You don’t have to be a world renowned designer to get some real estate on our SPACES page – you just have to love your home and want to show if off.  Post your proud pics to our Facebook wall or tag #stylemuttspaces on Instagram.