Reader Design: Oscar's Luxe Dining Room

First of all, a very happy Valentines Day from our hearts to yours! Please consider yourselves loved and appreciated by us here at StyleMutt Home. If we could, we'd take each and every one of ya out on the town tonight to show you how much we care. But we think we've got something better, (which is a good thing because the night on the town was never going to happen).

Our V-Day gift to you is an absolutely stunning Reader Design by my pal Oscar! I met Oscar through Instagram, (at left are just a few of his amazing images), and was instantly inspired by the way he mixes luxury with comfort. This guy has the formula down pat. When he agreed to share his home with us here I just couldn't wait for you guys to see!

As you may recall, Reader Designs are an open invitation to  share your unique design and creativity! There are no requirements to be a professional decorator or even a fellow blogger. The purpose of Reader Designs is simply to share incredible rooms with fresh ideas and document these features in our SPACES section to use as a reference for inspiration. And can I just say to all the dudes here, we know you've got mad skills, we are all about sharing mad skills, so get on it! Guys and gals alike, tag your work with #stylemuttspaces on Instagram or share your pictures right to our Facebook page!

I mean, after Cate's sassy Work. It. Girl. cheer on our last Reader Design, I just had to:

In honor of our first male Reader Design...

Enough yacking, here's the good stuff!

From Oscar:

"These are pictures of my living area turned dining area. I've always wanted a huge dining area with a fireplace or opening up to a patio. I have a fireplace, I have a patio, but in the living room. I decided to swap the living room and dining room and love it!!"

What a genius use of space!

"Our family hosts a lot of dinner parties so ample space to get around the dining table is important."

Look at all that space! Mission definitely accomplished!

"Fortunately our floor plan is open concept so the change was fairly easy without compromising too much space in the living area." 

This is such an incredible example of not letting floor plan stand in the way of your hopes and desires for your home. Oscar saw the potential that his living room had to be an even better dining room, and knocked it out of the park! You can follow Oscar's stunning work on Instagram @oscarbravohome!

Thank you so much for sharing your gorgeous dining room with us, Oscar! Can we talk you into sharing more?! Who's with us!

Have yourselves a lovely Valentines Day and thank you for making StyleMutt Home a part of it! Carry on lovebirds!

XOXO

Starter Stories: Our First Home ||Before + Now||

Hi Friends! Whew - we made it to the weekend and we're kicking it off with a little trip down memory lane today! I was inspired to share this post by the up and coming NYC based company, Compass, who works to connect NYC apartment hunters with their ideal neighborhood based on personality. They're currently running an awesome campaign called Starter Stories! Starter Stories is an opportunity for bloggers to share how they turned their first place into a home, and Compass will share these stories on Twitter to help inspire new home owners and renters!  How cool is that?!

For my Starter Story I'm sharing our first, (and current), house! Here's an endearing picture of my daughter, Shire, and husband, Matt, on move-in day. On this day in September 2010, our twins were 10 months old and we were 2 months pregnant with our third. In my memory, our move-in day stands out as wonderful, exhausting, beautiful chaos.

I've always been a nester; I recall getting so excited to settle into my first dorm room in college and make it 'home' - all 8 sq feet that were my side of the room. Settling into a full house was overwhelming! We started out with a bunch of mismatched hand-me-downs which we are still so grateful that we had. Our furniture was comfortable and functional, just not very 'us'. Little by little we replaced used, handed down pieces with...more used pieces. I familiarized myself with the ways of Craigslist and all the local thrift stores and turned this house into our unique second-hand home! I'll do my best to include the links to the DIY projects for each room, but if you have any questions about anything you see, don't hesitate to ask!

LIVING ROOM BEFORE 

LIVING ROOM AFTER

The trial: This large, airy space is shared with our dining room and I wanted to keep the entire space as open, and sociable as possible. When we have large family gatherings and the company spills over to this side, I didn't want it to feel like everyone was in two separate spaces.
The triumph: By anchoring the sofa against the wall, that is a solid focal point for the living room. Floating the IKEA hacked armchairs between the two areas blurs the line from one side to the other, enabling guests and ourselves to interact between the two rooms.
DIY Links: IKEA hacked armchairs, Belted wall clock, Painted basket

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DINING ROOM BEFORE

DINING ROOM AFTER

The Trial: As we are not very formal people, it didn't make sense for us to have a formal dining room. However, our family is too large to do without a sufficient dining table. We needed a place to eat meals together that was still comfortable and casual enough to hang out in, play games, and pull out school activities and crafts.
The Triumph: A very mixed dining set consisting of a heavy dark stained table, (World Market), metal cafe chairs, (Restoration Hardware), thrifted and painted corner chairs, a thrifted and re-designed chandelier, and custom built industrial shelves, definitely takes our dining room into the comfortable, laid back territory we desired for this space. While function takes center stage through the large presence of our industrial shelves, (the lower shelf serves as a command center and desk area for the children), I threw in a snap of glam with a gold matted botanical print wall. And no, they are never all completely straight. As it appears here, someone must have run through the room and upset the lower left corner. The beauty of hanging by tacks is they're easy to straighten, (if you notice...). :)
DIY Links: Gallery wall, Industrial Shelves

MASTER BEDROOM BEFORE

MASTER BEDROOM AFTER

The Trial: My biggest challenge with this room was actually that bed! It's an antique family heirloom piece, along with our dressers, and while we are so honored to keep these pieces in our home, they are quite unique in their style and I found them difficult to decorate around.
The Triumph: Who would have thought that adding a patterned accent wall behind such an ornate headboard would do the trick?! I stenciled the entire wall behind our bed as a way of modernizing the old character of the piece. Once that was done I felt free to introduce my bohemian tendencies with the addition of some macrame planters, a flea marketed mexican blanket, a large antique mirror from my husbands side, and the small runners on either side of the bed, (they're actually just 2'x3' rugs but suite the floor space flanking the bed perfectly).
DIY Links: Stenciled wall, Corner chair, Ceiling fan drum shade, (coming soon)

Whatever you call home, whether it's a large house or half of a dorm room, it's your space. Make it unique to you! Everyone deserves to love where they live. One of my favorite quotes is by the infamous tennis pro Arthur Ashe, who once said, "Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can." Your starting point and resources may be different from others you know. Your current situation might not be your ultimate dream. But you, my friend, deserve to love your home! What can you do? Give it some thought and then do it!

If you're not sure where to start or need help with some ideas, Cate and I love this sort of thing and are always available as fresh eyes to help you get rolling. Feel free to email photos of your space to admin@stylemutthome.com and spill your heart out with your hopes and dreams for your space. We'll be happy to share our ideas!

A huge thank you to Compass for inspiring this Starter Stories project! You can find more Starter Stories posted on their Twitter!

We've got a divine Reader Design for you tomorrow on Valentines Day so be sure to drop in at some point!

Thank you so much for stopping by!

DIY Belted Wall Clock

Hi guys! Just stopping by today with a really fun DIY that would fit into just about any decor style! This hanging belted clock got a really fun response on Instagram a couple weeks ago and I've been excited to share the deets here on our blog!

We may be on the brink of Spring, but there's never a time that I turn my nose to a touch of leather. It's one of those materials that charms a space with it's sexy edginess! It doesn't follow rules; it pairs well with hard industrial elements as well as softer bohemian touches. It's never inappropriate at a party. :)

The hanging belted clock is just a subtle way to add a little leather into your home without breaking the bank or making a huge commitment. 

Supplies:
Clock - I used an 8" wall clock from Home Depot, (less than $10)
Belt - Find one with a width less than the clock's frame - if the belt is wider, the clock won't hang flush against the wall. Check your local thrift store for a plethora of cheap belts! (less than $4)
Hot glue gun (around $10)
Metallic paint marker, *optional - I used one from AC Moore to cover my face numbers in gold (less than $2)

Step one: Remove the frame of your clock by unscrewing it from the back. Color over the face numbers in the metallic marker, then replace clock frame.

Step two: Trace hot glue around the bottom two thirds of your clock and pull the belt around. Do this with the clock lying flat on a protected surface so that you can make sure the clock and belt are both flush. 

Step three: Thread the belt through the buckle. Remember, you want the buckle to be seen from the side as it hangs, so take that into account when deciding how much hang room you want between the belt and the top of the clock..

Step four: Find a winning spot and hang this gem up!

Step five (IMPORTANT): Invite some friends over and ask them if they know the time so they're sure to notice your kickin' clock.

See, nothing major! It's just a fun little touch that makes a space that much more unique!

Thank you so much for stopping by today! 

Do you have any fun leather projects to share? We'd love to see! You can either post your handiwork directly to our Facebook page or tag #stylemutthomeprojects to Instagram!