Reader Design: Brooke's Tranquil Tree House

The owner of this self-proclaimed "tree house" has it going on. Brooke is busy mothering, renovating her St. Louis home, operating her business, Sucre Shop, and managing the social media for West Elm St. Louis. WOAH! Color me impressed.

And, Brooke is a serious, self-diagnosed style mutt. From Brooke: 

The house is mid-century modern, and that kind of simple, inside / outside aesthetic is what we wanted to stick with. But I’m no mid-century expert, and at the end of the day, I like what I like. It ends up being eclectic, and that doesn’t bother me at all.
I call our house the tree house because it is so open inside and open to the outside, with its huge sliding doors, floating stairs, and tall windows. I fell in love with the backyard that you could see from almost anywhere on the ground floor, but the house needed a ton of updating!

Every surface you see has been touched in some way or another - the tiger stripe bamboo floors which replaced a mix-match of carpet and hardwoods; the amazing orange that looks vintage but was a splurge Brooke and her husband agreed on early in the renovation process; the raw, uneven, and totally unique kitchen backsplash; and the bright walls that went in to cover up the stained woven wallpaper.

We have so many windows on our ground floor that there isn’t actually much space for pictures or art. To fit in all the pieces that are special to us, we did a gallery wall around our TV in the living room. A smart friend recommended I use Command hooks to test things out and make sure I liked everything before I committed. It may be the best advice I’ve ever gotten!
The ‘I carried a watermelon’ poster on the wall is from Etsy and is a tribute to my childhood. Fun fact: I was an extra in the movie Dirty Dancing when I was 7 years old! I was doing the merengue in the gazebo in my Kellerman’s t-shirt! People get such a kick out of seeing that on my wall.
 
 

Now, you can tell why Brooke calls her home a "tree house" - it's light, bright, and airy. The only problem? No privacy! Luckily, Brooke had a solution. 

Our a master suite is a loft area above the living room. It used to be a sunken living room, which we converted into a closet, because there was so little closet space. The master bedroom has to be closed off with a cardboard accordion door. The huge sliders we put in give us privacy, but we can open them all the way and still have the open feel and views original to the house.

We commend you, Brooke, for achieving beautiful design with some serious practicality! 
Follow Brooke along on Instagram and check out her shop! 

See you next week, Mutts! 

Kesslyr's Artistic Flat

Mutts: Allow me to introduce you to Kesslyr. She not only has an incredibly unique name (as a 'McKenna,' which went from unique to fairly mainstream in the world for 4-year-old girls, I'm very jealous) but is also a wonderfully unique and inspiring artist - check out her website which has its soft launch TODAY! 

        Images source: Kesslyr's Pinterest

        Images source: Kesslyr's Pinterest

And her home in Brooklyn, New York is the perfect backdrop to showcase her work! 

Here's an important piece of information for you all to keep in mind as you read this post. Kesslyr and her husband moved in to this space in June. Of this year. I'm not telling you that to make you feel bad - but WOW! 

Now, over to the artist herself: 

For us, we start firstly with bringing life into a room; in our case, this means plant life. Then we add a few pieces of necessary furniture, then sit back and let that soak in. Its easy for a space to get cluttered, so we take our time in choosing the mood of the room. The older we get, the fewer things we like to share in our spaces. So simplicity is key.

I know most of our Mutts have cultivated impressive green thumbs recently, but ladies & gentleman, Kesslyr's skills in this area should be taken seriously. Very seriously. 

Our Brooklyn home is pretty small, and [I would describe our style as] simple & modern with an eclectic touch.

Throughout our home, we have tons of locally crafted pieces from our own art to pottery. One of our favorite spots is our office nook. Super cosy little nook with frosted windows that give off warm light throughout the day. The clash of stainless steel from the mirror and brass from the sconce is a unique contrast.

Green Thumb Badge EARNED, Kesslyr. 

Now, if I had you all guess where Kesslyr and her husband got married, do you think you could do it? I'll give you some hints: the natural plant life, the mid-century influences, the welcoming 'stay a while' vibe. Anyone guessing Palm Springs? GOOD! 

We are constantly evolving as people and with that, so does our taste level. We are loving the feeling of modernity but not overtly sterile. We want our home to feel warm and still have character. Some modern homes can feel like museums and make you feel like you cant disturb anything or even sit on the couch. Which is the opposite of what we are going for.

After only three months in this home, it feels so loved - and that is no small feat. 

Its about collecting those quality in pieces that are timeless; lamps, mirrors and art seem to be what draw us in. Its a small collection that builds slowly and methodically and will be enjoyed for years to come.

Kesslyr, thank you for letting us in! And Mutts, show Kesslyr some love and follow her along on Instagram for more design and art inspiration! Now, everyone, go enjoy your weekends!  

Lindsey's Neutral Family Home

Happy Friday, Mutts! I don't know about you all, but this four-day week felt like a six-day week. Holy cow, am I glad that's almost over!

Today, we have a serious treat for all of your neutral lovers. If you haven't seen this neutral obsession splattered all over social media, you must have been living under a rock. Some of it goes too neutral, towards cold or impersonal. But Lindsey gets it right, creating a family home that feels casually curated but also actually feels lived in. What a concept! 

You can see right away that we're dealing with a historic home here. There's something about that history that really gets to me - thinking about all the families that have built their lives here. I love that Lindsey's design honors that past while making it her family's own.
From Lindsey:

Our home was built in 1900, and it sits on an acre lot in the country. Because of the original wood work, including beautiful pocket doors, and my old soul, I think the style of our home would equate to the Midwest. When I look around, I think, ‘yeah, this house just belongs here.’

A fun fact for all of you, and a shameless plug for a company I adore: I found Lindsey and her awesome space via the Letterfolk Co Instagram account. Their letterboards are seriously amazing, and I do not blame Lindsey at all for owning more than one! And, they plan right in to Lindsey's style. 

I think I would best describe my style as midcentury meets farmhouse, with a side of simplicity. I love visually clean spaces and have an obsession over antique pieces. At the end of the day, I want our home to house only meaningful items, to be inviting and free of clutter. I love this quote by William Morris: ‘Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.’

Now, Lindsey is raising two beautiful babies in the Northwestern Ohio country. So next, let's look at the bedroom these kiddos get to grow up in. I wish I could use the written word to adequately describe my envy. Not that my mom didn't do a great job decorating my childhood bedroom (in case you're reading this, Rosemary...) BUT this room screams 'Be a kid! Explore! Play!' Color me jealous... 

In the boys’ (Hayden’s) room, my favorite piece, hands down, is his bed. My husband and my father built it together with their own hands, just for our sweet Hayden. There’s actually many hand made pieces in his room and I think that’s why it’s my favorite room in our house.
I think our styles are always evolving. Since having our two boys, I have had the biggest urge to purge and to simplify. I found myself thinking, why spend time cleaning up after all of these ‘things’ when I could be soaking up this precious time that I won’t get back with our children. It’s played a huge part in finding my style.

I think you'll all agree with me that Lindsey has found her style and is sticking to it. Finally, let's take a look at her master bedroom. 

Now, everyone has their own opinions of color. I almost think about it in the same way that I consider extroverts vs. introverts. People just recharge in different ways - by being alone or with others OR, in this case, by being surrounded with colors or calm neutrals. 

I really wrestled with the decision of leaving the walls white, or giving them a pop of color. Something about the white walls gives me a sense of calm, and as a stay at home mama, this is something that is so important for my overall mentality. The extra sunlight shining through our home and reflecting off the walls is sure to give us all something to smile about throughout our day. Finding what makes you happy is key.

Lindsey, I applaud you. You're an awesome mama, and you've made a home to serve some seriously important purposes - inspiring your babies, encouraging your family's peace, and giving yourself a place to recharge. We tip our hats! 

Follow Lindsey along on her blog, Being Badenhop, or on Instagram for more decor and life inspo. And Mutts, remember, you too can have your home featured - just drop me a line at mckenna@stylemutthome.com