Reader Design: An Artists Bungalow

Well alert the papers and toss the confetti!

This isn't just our first reader design of 2016, it's our 50th tour on our Spaces page! We are incredibly humbled by the talent and inspiration spilling over that page and it doesn't slip by us that it's our most viewed page and generates the most traffic to our site. You are amazing and we are so very grateful for what StyleMutt Home is because of your generosity in sharing here. We wanted all our eclectic pals to feel at home and have a sense of ownership here at StyleMutt Home and sharing through the Reader Design home tours, (collected on our SPACES page), has turned out to be an amazing way to get involved. If you're a new friend here and interested in a home tour feature, all you've got to do is contact us at admin@stylemutthome.com! We'll be happy to chat with you!

We are celebrating our big 5-0 today with a true style mutt's home. Holly not only knows how to blend style and functionality, but her home also serves as a gallery for her brilliant art pieces. Let's take a look around!

Holly:

My husband and I moved back to Peterborough (my hometown), in Ontario, Canada two years ago. This 1300 sq ft bungalow was the only house we looked at and I knew this was where we should raise our family. We have two daughters age 4 & 6, our dog Dublin is our first child age 9.

In our foyer there was no room to hang coats or bags. My Uncle helped me hang salvaged pieces of wood on the wall and then we added hooks. I was on the hunt for the perfect hardware online and my mom mentioned that she had a bag in her basement I might be interested in. She had saved these hooks from her childhood home, I think they add character with the bits of pink paint chipping off. 

My favourite spot to relax and enjoy a cup of tea is on our sofa in the living room. This room also gets incredible light and I’m able to look around and see so many of our collectibles and artwork. We love midcentury design and architecture, and bungalows are what I’m personally drawn to.

Well, hello there, Dublin!

The kitchen has a full wall of windows that opens up to a very private yard. In the warmer months it is filled  shade, something our last backyard was lacking. Our girls are able to play and we can watch them from inside if we are preparing a meal or lounging in the living room. The previous homeowners did a great job on the renovation in this space and it is filled with high end appliances. While the finishes may not have been my first choice, I’m learning to like them. My studio is in the basement so if I feel like painting upstairs I set up at the table & get messy with our girls. 

Our taste is definitely an eclectic mix of styles. I love thrifting and mixing vintage furniture and accessories with my artwork. I love colour, texture and pattern and I’m not afraid to mix things together. I think when friends enter our home they see our personalities in our décor choices and artwork. 

Thank you so much, Holly, for this amazing tour! What brilliant style; so inspiring. You can follow Holly and her work on Instagram @hollyyoung77 and on her site, www.hollyyoungart.ca.

Thank you so much for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!

My 2016 Flippin' Bucket List

Well 2015 has come and gone and I was one shy of a completed Furniture Flip Bucket List.  When I laid out my aspiring projects this time last year, I vowed to do my best but also give myself grace if I couldn't finish all the items on my list so...

Grace.

 Yeah I only got through 6 of the 7.  And that's ok.  Here's a look back on what I set out to do last year [with links to the ones I did actually complete]:

No.1: Build my own baker's rack
No.2: Wood shim surface treatment
No.3: Rivet something
No.4: Navy and gold dresser
No.5: Best vintage pull-down chart hack
No.6: White chippy dresser
No.7: Turn a swivel chair into an accent chair

Now even though I didn't get to finish every item on my list, I did decide I to lay out my intentions for another year of new challenges for myself.  First up, surprise surprise, I'm rolling over the DIY baker's rack from last year - but with a new stipulation.

Source: Timberwolf Bay

I think what kept me from starting this project last year was the cost.  Wood is straight up expensive yo when you're building from scratch.  Plus the best part of a vintage baker's rack is just that: it's VINTAGE.  So my spin for this flip list item for 2016 is to try to DIY a baker's rack with salvaged wood.  It might take me a while to collect all the wood I need so here's hopin' I can tackle it by the end of the year.

Source: Better Homes and Gardens

I have ALWAYS wanted to have the guts to reupholster a chair.  Yes I've done benches like this one, this one, and more recently this one.  But a whole chair is a whole nother animal.  I think what intimidates me most is the piping.  And the cushions.  And sewing in general.  So I'm finally pushing myself to give it a stab this year and document my successes or failures right here for your entertainment.

Source: Lambert & Fils

Now this one I'm rather excited about.  I've seen a couple folks build their own hanging light fixtures on pinterest lately and I want in.  I have an idea for how to do it but I have no idea if it will actually work.  So hopefully that will entice you to stay tuned ;)

Source: Ellen Dodd

Now my original artwork isn't going anywhere but lately I've been thinking that there's something... juvenile about it.  Maybe it's the scale or the placement, but this year I'm going to find out.  

Yes I know I've done teal & navy dressers before but I am ITCHING to do another one.  I just LOVE me some jewel tones.  And I may be turning into a bit of a jewel-tone-obsessed addict bent on feeding her habit one dresser at a time.

Source: West Elm

I've done a whole lot of wooden tapered legs but not metal legs.  So I'm hoping that this year, I'll find the right project to try this style out on.

Source: Knock Off Decor

And finally, the last item on this year's list is to experiment with some unconventional hardware.  And by unconventional I mean anything but your standard knobs and pulls.  I'm not sure if I'll try rope pulls like this one of Chelsea's or if I'll do something with agate slices but I just want to think outside the box.

Thanks friends for dropping by and I hope you check below on how these projects are coming along.

StyleMutt Hits the Stock[image] Market!

Psst! There's a new Etsy shop on the block!

BohoStock is a little dream I've had for about a year, when I started saving up for a legit camera. Last Winter I began taking a little bit out of every payment I received through StyleMutt Home opportunities and after spotting a mega deal on Ebay right before Christmas, bought a Nikon D3200! It's a whole new world, for sure.

But back to the dream - One of the strongest desires Cate and I have had for StyleMutt Home is to join in with others in this industry and be a part of something greater than our cozy corner of the web. We've been so blown away by how open and welcoming the design community has been, both local and global. Creatives supporting creatives isn't just beautiful, it's powerful!

For this reason, I've been wanting to find a way to support my fellow small business owners. I don't know a lot about designing and building an entire website, but I understand branding. A strong brand is vital to clenching that first impression and building a relationship with your supportive community, whether it's clients, sponsors, followers or readers. And if you're workin' with a phone camera, as many out there are, (until now our entire existence here at StyleMutt Home has been through the little eye of our iPhone cameras),  it's even more difficult to fill your site and social media with images that give the professional, clean look you desire.

I created BohoStock to offer images for other creative small business owners to use to strengthen their brand. Our ready-to-use images are clean, fresh and inspired by nature. Stock images have been growing wildly popular as the need for them continues to grow, but there are very few that appeal to the modern bohemian. If you prefer wood tones and fresh greens to black desk supplies or romantic blooms, these stock images are for you, my dears. Use them to refresh your logo, clean your home page, or send messages regarding upcoming events, giveaways, winners, etc to your business' following community. Many of these images are also designed with enough space for a print if you're in the art industry and would like a fresh, consistent way of displaying your prints for your own shop, (here is a fantastic tutorial on layering images in Pixlr if you need some help)!

The BohoStock Etsy shop is filled with 30 some images ready for immediate download, (free from text and watermark). Now, go and have your business your way!

Thank you all so much for stopping by!