Reader Design: Lejla's Light & Bright Atlanta Apartment

July 29, 2016 McKenna Begin

Hello, StyleMutt World! I'm McKenna, the newest addition to the team. I'll be sharing my humble abode with you all in a couple of days - just waiting on one tardy package to arrive. But FIRST, I'm going to introduce you to Lejla and her light & bright apartment in Atlanta, GA.

Lejla and I actually went to high school together in Richmond, VA - Go Rebels! - back in the day and have reconnected over Instagram. I'm continually both inspired and intimidated by the ability of everyone's favorite app to keep us connected.

Now, on to the good stuff...
From Lejla:

“This is the first apartment my husband and I moved into since moving down to the city. It has large windows and very high ceilings; in fact, at first I thought ‘how am I going to fill up those walls?’, but now I have learned to embrace them.”

Okay, I think we can all agree that Lejla nailed this year's pineapple trend - all while staying true to what she describes as her "rustic glam" style. It's a look that Restoration Hardware has perfected to a T. And in my opinion, so has Lejla!

“I love weathered wood and shimmery objects. Whites, grays, and hints of gold make for a great color palette without going out of style.”

And now this... this motto is something I can get behind. And I bet my local florist would agree!

“Fresh flowers are a weekly binge; they are my favorite grocery run and bring so much life to a room! My motto is, ‘splurge on great furniture and enhance it with chic accessories such as pillows, books, candles, or flowers!’”

“My favorite room to unwind and relax in is my bedroom. It’s bright, calm, and relaxing, and after a long day, there is nothing better than plopping down on that comfy bed!”

Lejla's husband Arnel is a photographer, so most of the art in the apartment is actually his work. If only we were all so lucky! I'll have to remember to tactfully recommend a new hobby to my boyfriend...

Lejla, we're so excited to celebrate your beautiful home! Thank you for inviting us along. Follow Lejla at @lejla_oh523 to see more!

And remember, StyleMutts: we'd love to celebrate your style too on our Spaces page. Just shoot me an email at mckenna@stylemutthome.com.

Till next time,

Modern Boho Summer Home Tour

June 9, 2016 Chelsea | StyleMutt Home

Welcome, friends! If you're makin' the rounds on the Blogger Stylin' Home Tours hosted by The White Buffalow Styling Co., I've got some tough tours to follow! If you're following the order of this little hop then welcome from Circa34! Love her down to earth style so much. There has been no shortage of beautifully fresh Summer homes, not the least of which is our very own Cate's! You can view her Summer home tour here if you missed it last week!

While Cate's gorgeous home tour was eclectic, indeed, I'd say my style leans heavy toward easy breezy bohemian. I've always had a pretty laid back personality by nature and my husband is much more so. The casualness of the bohemain style suits us really well and is how I'd describe the nature of our home. With a woodsy backyard and lots of natural light, there's a fine line between the outdoors and indoors here. We've got three little ones ages 6, 6, and 5, and they keep the pulse of our home thumping hard. It really is a house of wild things, both inside and out! While our laid back, natural style is mostly bohemian, we don't quite have that layered element of stuff upon stuff - it's something of a cross between bohemian and minimalist, which is funny because they're really on opposite sides of the style spectrum! But it's what feels natural and comfortable for us, as any home should be to it's owners. Shall we look around?!

Our basement is our family room and playroom. We didn't need to do much down here after acquiring a hand-me-down sectional from my folks and turned a vintage WWI cot, (previously a bench in our living room , as Cate has in hers), into a coffee table.

We've got a line up of Summer movies ready to go, for sure!

Around the corner from the comfy is the playful and line totally gets blurred. The toys may 'sleep' in this space but they come out to play all over the basement during the day. I just love it.

This wall is the newest addition in our home at the moment! I used a bit of teal paint that I had bought for a bathroom years ago to create a fun backdrop for the kids' favorite art work. I want all of it. Give me all the cut-out hand suns, finger painted stegasaurs' and handprint bouquets. These are the days!

Before we head back upstairs we'll pass by our little built-in desk that the kids will use from time to time to play reading and math games after school. Since it's enclosed on three sides its a nice uninterrupted spot to work!

Head up six stairs and you're in our (mostly) open main floor! The kitchen is closed off behind that wall to the right, but we hope to do something about that in the distant future. Don't come back for an update anytime soon!

I pulled some small shelves off the wall straight ahead and replaced them with an oversized tassel weaving, (tutorial here)! It's perfect for this season - light and airy, no fuss, no muss. (WHAT does muss mean, anyways?)

Our dining room was one of the first rooms we tackled. We use it for everything - family meals, homework, crafts, styled photos shoots, poker nights, dominoes, and other favorite games.

The industrial shelves, (tutorial here), were the game-changer for this area as they provide space to keep all craft supplies as well as a command center for me to attempt organization. Doesn't that over-sized calendar make me look like serious business? Hah! :)

And if you happened to check out the industrial shelves tutorial you'll notice how dark our World Market Garner Extension table was originally. I sanded it down for a lighter, more natural finish. Word to the wise, don't use an electric sander indoors.

Summer may be quickly approaching but Shire's and my tea game is going strong! We enjoy all the berry-licious teas this time of year. The china tea cups on the left are my grandmother's and the two on the right are my Momma's.

Drying paint brushes are a given on this windowsill and I finally found a container, (thrifted aged brass for the win), to keep them in so they don't drip on the sill!

Moving upstairs our first stop is Shire's bright and happy room. She's 6 and is just all the good things bottled up in one petite package.

Goodness, I hope she still likes bringing art into our home when she's older! (Speaking of art, the painted cow was done by my Grandmother!)

And this is Colin's and Mason's shared room. They're 6 and 5 and every bit worth the amount of work - brilliantly fun, smart, expressive and with super sharp interests du jour.

By using their closet for all their clothes we were able to maximize floor space with narrow toy and book storage pieces, (both thrifted).

So it's blue painters tape and computer paper. You won't find this on Pinterest, that's for sure! Their room is wall-to-wall drawings of whatever's on their mind, (garbage trucks, excavators, dinosaurs). And sometimes Daddy adds a piece of his own here and there, too. :)

Last stop is around the corner to our room!

The wal is the 'Fuji' stencil from Cutting Edge Stencils using Americas Cup Navy by Behr. It adds a fun twist to the traditional antique bed that's been in my family for generations upon generations, (my great-great grandmother and great uncle were born in this bed - nice visual, eh?)!

I pinky swear I will have this hanging at my bedside for the rest of my life. Happy Mother's bay, forever.

That's it folks! Thank you all so much for taking the time to come by! I encourage you to head straight over to my girl Shavonda's tour at SG Style - I adore her style and her home never disappoints!

Here are the rest of the tours in order:

Monday:
The White Buffalo Styling Co.
Cuckoo for Design
Bliss at Home
Eclectically Vintage
Dimples and Tangles
A Designer at Home
Claire Brody
Julie Blanner
Tuesday:
Nesting with Grace
Place of My Taste
Our Storied Home
The Chronicles of Home
Life on Virginia Street
Simple Stylings
Restless Arrow
Wednesday:
Inspired by Charm
Hunted Interior
Sarah M. Dorsey
Primitive & Proper
Swoon Worthy
HI Sugarplum
Brittany Makes
Burlap & lac
Thursday:
My Sweet Savannah
Jennifer Rizzo
Circa ‘34
StyleMutt Home
SG Style
Bright Green Door
A Creative Day Blog
Friday:
Craftberry Bush
The House of Silver Lining
The Makerista
withHEART
The Wicker House
My Fabuless Life
Iron & Twine
House of Hipsters

Eclectic Summer Home Tour

May 31, 2016 Cate | StyleMutt Home

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]

Small apartment #diningroom + new #midcenturymodern round table + great deal = happy dance!!! 💃🏼💃🏼💃🏼 #thriftscorethursday #stylemutthome #eclectic #eclecticdecor #eclecticstyle #myplantlovinghome #diy #decor #design #foundforaged #salvageswagger #imaremodelaholic #hipster #tablescape #campaignfurniture #hickoryhearth

A photo posted by StyleMutt Cate (@cate_stylemutthome) on Apr 13, 2016 at 7:06am PDT

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: