Reader Design: Tamara's Teeming House of Hippies

Awwwwwwwww yeah, it's Friday! And we have another reader design to dish out hot!  What's a #stylemuttspaces reader design you ask?!  It's our chance to celebrate what you love most about your home on our SPACES page and a way to serve up fresh (and even global) inspiration!

So let's hear from today's featured designer: Tamara in Monterey, CA:

"Welcome to house of hippies.  We are a fun family of 5... three girls 15, 13, & 6... and 2 dogs.  5 years ago we moved to Monterey from the Bay Area to be closer to my husband's work.  Family time means so much to us so moving to the beach was a no brainer."

"I saw a sign once that said "Color me Happy" I wrote that down and kept it on my fridge.  2 years later I'm using my color to make me happy.  When first moving in I was all about the beige walls and accent colors until I realized the power of white.  White walls that is.  Color is the key to life, the key to happiness, and the key to design if you use it right.  White walls make everything pop!  I love that!"

"My gallery wall came from over time.  It's my entry way.  It's a mix of my family portraits, inspirational quotes, canvas painting, and what I want my girls to read as the walk by each day to head out the door.  Positive quotes like 'a smile is the prettiest thing you can wear.'"

I LOVE this idea of subtly instilling such important values in young girls by surrounding them with some positive truth.

"Then there's my things, my treasures I've collected from all over the place.  Not that I travel.  That sounds fancy.  I'm a road tripper and love to venture all around California.  Weekend trips with my girlfriends or mama and sisters.  Venice beach, Big Sur, and San Francisco are my faves.  Sometimes it's a succulent or vase, but I always bring back a little something for the house to showcase where I've been!  It's another little thing that makes me happy."

That skull pillow is cracking me up.  If I were to be x-rayed right now, I'm sure the doctor would find I too have beach on the brain.

What a great orb light!  It reminds my of my DIY plug-in version.  And I love that mantle vignette!

"I'm eclectic so I gather from everywhere.  My leather chair I found on the sidewalk by a liquor store.  You don't know how strong you are until you can't leave it behind.  It was like leaving a kid behind, no way.  So my inner strong lady came out to help me load her up in the Chevy!  I tend to adopt furniture.  They don't always get names so don't worry."

I, on the other hand, make no such promises - I name almost everything ;)  And is this some curbside secret I've not been privy to?!  Do I need to start loitering outside of ABC to score a leather chair like that?

"Other pieces like my bench I'm using as a coffee table and 2 side chairs (at my dining table) were mine growing up, my family ate dinner using them every night... and now my family uses it."

"Then I stepped up my fame from free to Pottery Barn.  My sofa and console table are a perfect staple for any design direction I want to change up next.  My tan sofa goes with my huge selection of pillow and throws, those suckers are ever changing, like weekly, it's crazy but that's how I like it."

Can you spot how many pillow/ wall art/ decor changes we've already seen in this post? 

I am constantly playing that same decor switcheroo game.  Now check out her patio:

And the bedrooms:

I can't decide which pop of yellow I love more.  And how about that string of feathers as the headboard art?!?  Getting some major decor ideas of my own... 

"Our house is tiny 1,050 sq.ft. of pure love.  I have a few more hallway projects and my master is going grey.  It's ever changing happiness here, I guess it's just the little things that make this hippie mama happy!"

Thank you Tamara for sharing your space with us!  Follow Tamara (and her buisness counterpart Joan) at @2ladiesandachair or visit their website for more inspiration!

And don't hold out on us!  Share your unique spaces with us and tag #stylemuttspaces on Instagram or post to our Facebook page!

And of course this dog momma couldn't help but end on a pup pic :)  Happy Friday!

Reader Design: Karen's Chippy Charm in Chile

Ok guys here's a fun fact about me: I grew up as a diplobrat.  Meaning my State Department family would up and haul our homebase to a new country in a constant three-to-four-year rotation.  We moved all over the world and I have had the pleasure NAY the honor of meeting so many wonderful internationals - many of whom, like me, had been uprooted and replanted in a foreign country as well.  It was often difficult for our grents and aunties and uncles and cousins, etc... to trek all the way across the globe to visit so our local friends became our surrogate extended family by distance default.  I spent many a Christmas celebrating with blood brothers instead of blood relatives :)

So it has been especially tickling to have StyleMutt Spaces submissions coming in from all over the globe!  You all are such a sweet reminder of my childhood and the amazing people I now count as family.  And whether you know it or not, you are such a vibrant and important installation to StyleMutt Home.  Thank you for sharing your slice of globe with us and we are so honored to all of you (natives and internationals alike) who have found our site.

Today's reader designer is a Chilean who has filled her living room with vintage European touches.  Karen's home is full of chippy charm and re-found, re-purposed, and re-loved pieces. 

From Karen:

I've always loved when a space has pieces that nobody else has that makes it unique. I know it can be difficult, but you can accomplish this by giving a new life to maybe an old piece of furniture, like I did here: the bookshelf it was made by my father twenty years ago... I took off the back side and the two glass doors from the front.  Then I sanded, painted, and distressed it.  Later I did the same with the chair. 

The brown side table is a second hand piece that I got to restore... for the moment, I love how it looks with the white details.

And finally, my gallery wall which I am absolutely in love with!!  It took me some time to gather all the right pieces, but I am so so happy with the result.

That accent wall is my favorite!  The french-inspired graphics, the black and white, and don't get me started on those gold and mirrored frames!!!  

Karen, this is exactly what we want to hear from our readers: that you love and are proud of your space!  You were one of the first readers to tag your #stylemuttspaces and we are so delighted that you did!  

Don't forget that StyleMutt Home is open to all you fellow mutts out there.  You don't have to be an international, a local, a professional decorator, or even a fellow blogger to share your favorite room with us!  The purpose of Reader Designs is simply to share beautiful rooms with fresh ideas and document these features in our SPACES page as a source of inspiration.  So tag #stylemuttspaces on your IG or FB pics people - we wanna see what your rooms have to say for themselves!

Reader Design: Jen's Fresh Crush Camper

It's finally Friday!  Can I get a Fri-Yay?!  We've been so pumped about the flood of Reader Design submissions that we can hardly contain ourselves.  But we've decided we want to give everyone their full moment in the spotlight and save these juicy reveals for the end of each week.  Lucky for you, it's the weekend and we've got an alternative space for your viewing pleasure.  

Ok like me, you may have noticed that decking out an itty-bitty-living space is all the rage these days.  But tiny cabins and converted school buses are just the hipsters of the movement: catching on to the trend after it's been around for a good long while.  Let's not forget the origins of tiny living dates back to the 1920's with this little number:

The Camper

Ok.  It's not much to look at.  But that's because this was before Jen from Fresh Crush got her magical hands on this diamond in the rough.  

You remember Jen right?  I mean how could you forget her master bedroom & foyer Reader Design.

WHAT?!?  You don't know what Reader Designs are?  Shun the non-believer!  I bet you even have an entry of your own to share.  Why would you deprive us of your unique point of view?!?!  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 of inspiration.

Oh, I see!  That's not the issue.  The issue is you don't know how to enter your space.  Well that's an easy fix.  Just tag #stylemuttspaces on Instagram or post your pics right onto our Facebook wall! 

Ok, now that you're in the loop - back to today's sensational space:

The Glamper

BAM!  Betcha didn't see that coming!

It used to be that when I thought "camper," I pretty much pictured what Jen initially found when she acquired hers: 

A big, smelly, mysterious pile of YIKES.

Jen, how you could see this jewel somewhere in of all that I shall never know.

From Jen:

"This project was around for a few Summer seasons! But it was so much fun. The goal was to keep a vintage retro look, but modernize it a little... and keep it cheery! My husband and I had a blast figuring out every little detail from new exterior paint, to new upholstery and lighting. There isn't a square inch we haven't touched and updated, and we love every minute we spent in this beauty, all Summer long with our family. A big step up from tenting!"

I'll say!  I'd like to check into my room please.

I can't imagine what kind of spring cleaning it took to strip it down to the bare bones.  Unrecognizable!

And Jen didn't bottle up her personal touches on the inside:

  She gave it some glam on the outside too.

How inviting!

And polite too!

Yup, Jen's got herself a keeper with this camper.  Thank you so much darling for sharing such an epic space!  Don't forget to pop over to Fresh Crush to see the complete camper reno and to what else she's cooked up.  

We hope you have an inspired weekend my friends!  Ok maybe not to go camping in this weather we're having.  But if I had myself a glamper... 

Jen, if it's not still parked outside tomorrow...