StyleMutt Home 2019 Designs: Which One is Your Fave?!

We are only 12 days into 2020 but I feel like I’ve taken a big bite out of it already! It’s exciting being knee deep in new projects this early in the year, but before we venture any further I wanted to share some of 2019s most dramatic transformations! Each of these client homes represent the type of work that just makes my heart soar. And the worse our starting point, the better! So I thought it would be interesting to see which transformation you enjoyed the most. No wrong answers here! We’re not pitting home-against-home, but rather which Before & After gives you the strongest reaction.

Before

Frederick: Master Bedroom

I gotta say, starting with gold walls makes me look really good when all is said and done. Paint is just an amazing tool, isn’t it!

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Before

Brooklyn Debut: Foyer

Not bad but kind of sad.

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Before

Brooklyn Debut: Living & Dining

“Very nice, very nice. We change it all!”

-Martin Short, Father of the Bride

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Before

Brooklyn Debut: Master Bedroom

Nice blank slate! This bed by Floyd sure was a fun discovery. Very cool company and we used several more of their pieces throughout.

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Before

Brooklyn Debut: Office

A 6’x10’ pass-through between the bedroom and the rest of the home - a perfect spot for a home office.

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Before

Brooklyn Encore: Master Bedroom

My favorite thing is to come in after a client has given it their best shot, because you can take your cues from what they’ve done! While this client no longer loved the lime green accent wall, I love that she thought of adding an accent wall in the first place! That speaks to her vibrant personality.So we just improved on that concept with a more sophisticated, (and subtle), wallpaper. (‘After’ photos courtesy of awesome client)

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Before

Alexandria: Living Room

Ah yes. The reluctant unpacker. This is not the first time to be brought on a job so fresh from a move that much of what could tell me about the client’s style is hidden away in boxes. But if there’s one thing that speaks to someones style, it’s their rug choice. And this was surely a rug to build a room around.

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Oops…no before picture

Frederick: Family Room

Not actually a big transformation because the client already had the sofa, coffee table, rug and lamp. Practically there, right?! We asked the client to paint the room and had them rearrange for a more functional and comfortable flow, added the coolest rust velvet chair ever, and styled with pillows, plants and such. This was more about waking the space up than completely transforming it.

So, any gut reactions here? Which transformation caught your eye the most in 2019? Digging these photos up to put this post together really just made my heart so full and grateful for what a gift each of these jobs was. I never know if I’ll be able to, (or want to), get final photos of a project when we first begin. I actually have the opportunity to take pictures of less than a quarter of the projects I work on, so it’s truly a unique gift for me to be able to see these projects in person, to share them with you, and to grow my portfolio. Because for every one of these projects I shared with you today, I was likely working on two or three others at the same time that will never see the light of day.

Thank you all so much for coming by today!

New Decade, New Dreams!

But one day at a time! I feel like I’ve lived two drastically different lives in this past decade! At the beginning I was a young first-time Mom with twins and one on the way and I dreamed of making more out of my days at home raising wildlings, (nod to the show of the decade). And the second half as a self-taught interior designer learning how to navigate life with a growing business and three unique kids at their own critical stage that I want to be every bit as present and available for. I had no idea what God had up his sleeve in 2010 and there is something so thrilling when I think about what He’s cooking up now. Not because the last 10 years have been without deep, personal, and intense challenge, but because God moved and lead me towards things I never, ever would have thought to try for. It’s a vulnerable place to put so much effort into something you aren’t sure will pan out or not! But I’m getting more and more comfortable each year with setting goals and having personal aspirations, because I know from the experience of these last 10 years that the Lord will carve the path ahead. I don’t have to worry about what will be or not be; I just want to commit and give my absolute best in whichever doors He opens.

One of the things I’ve found to be true in this season with school-age kiddos is that when they’re home, I really need to be ‘on’. This is one door that God has swung wide open in front of me and made clear I’m needed. The twins are in 4th grade, and Mason is in 3rd. Between the three of them there is always someone that needs help with homework, help studying, a little push of motivation, guidance towards responsibility, a ride to an activity, etc. It’s just the stage we are in and like it’s always been with multiples, each stage is intense because we are in it times three. So when the holidays were approaching and I was hanging by a thread, I told Matt that I thought I’d need to re-calibrate my schedule a bit in the new year in order to manage the various balls in the air, (this is probably a good time to mention the new puppy we brought home last week)!. One very intentional decision has been to be more selective in the jobs I work. Over the last few years as my skills have grown, so have the opportunities for work. And while I’m very proud of that, I’ve done a great deal of jobs that have been discouraging and creatively limiting, (like the combination office/playroom/laundry/workout room with the stationary bike I had to find a place for). Looking ahead, I have a better sense of what type of business I want StyleMutt Home Design to be and what type of work I would like to spend time on.

On that note, I have some long term dreams for SMH that I’ll get into later, but in the immediate future there are three mega-fun jobs that I think you guys will be excited to hear about and follow:

1. My first new-build! I’ve been in kahoots with THE sweetest family, the Masons, and they are building their forever home practically right down the road! I’ve never been so involved in building a house before so it’s been quite a fun learning experience and one that I am already loving! Their style is contemporary, which is also new territory for me, but since they want this to be a family home to grow into and, eventually, host all their kids’ friends, I am helping them find that warm and relaxed balance where modern contemporary meets family home. So far our direction feels so very Scandinavian which is just ridiculously fun!

2. If you’ve been following this blog over the last 3 years you are likely familiar with Dani Barbe’s home, (here and here). Well, our dear friend and her family are getting ready to move on for a more convenient location to her husband’s work. We were delighted when she reached out and asked if we would help with their next home and her jewelry studio! Absolutely thrilled to work alongside this creative to design a home that feels personal and unique to this special family!

3. My first commercial space! Our church is completely ravamping its cavernous lobby with unfinished ceilings and loads of natural light! I started the design back in October and it was finalized in November, (it was a fast process!). Items have already been ordered and plans for some of the DIY projects within the space are underway! I will keep you guys posted on the progress as I am able, but this is going to be one amazing transformation that we pray will be a warm and inviting atmosphere to the community. Here are some before and afters followed by the design plan!

Ignore the giant red slashes, I used these shots to indicate to our contractor the exact walls we want to have painted. Also, I happened to come and take pictures of the space on the designated day of the week they organize a giant food collection for the community. Did you know grocery stores, restaurants and even Starbucks donate all their unused food at the end of the week to give away to those in need?

As you can see it’s a GIANT space to work with.The main focus here is to create cohesion and to use design elements that are the appropriate scale to the space. Here’s the plan we are working towards right this very moment:

One thing I noticed is how low and squatty our windows are. There is 9 feet of ceiling above the windows! So to create some subtle visual interest, we’ll be incorporating a trim treatment of simple boxes along the upper portion of the walls. Again, the emphasis is on subtle, this trick will bring a finishing touch to the space as a whole. We’ll have a cozy seating area right by the doors, and then further in - and this may be my favorite part - a camel leather booth that is 25ft long, paired with white metal cafe tables and natural wood chairs. I cannot get over this combo! Durability and versatility were two of the most important factors when discussing this space with the team, so I sourced all our dining furniture from restaurant furniture sources. The booth is on it’s way right now and I am just itchin’ to see it!

There is a much bigger plan for this kitchen space down the road, so I didn’t want to make any updates that were too costly or time consuming for the time being. I decided to add a graphic allover pattern using a stencil to the kitchen peninsula, pendant lights to create a cozier, more intimate space, and a large scale letterboard where we can incorporate encouraging messages. To the left of the picture I’d like to paint all doors a saturated beige, and update the coffee station with a vintage mid-century piece.

There is a very talented local muralist who has offered to lend her amazing skills to this space, and I thought what better place to incorporate her vision of a large scale botanical wall than the entrance to the youth wing. There’s something so wild and fitting about this idea, I absolutely can’t wait to see it in real life!

We have this one giant wall that we wanted to do something with that wasn’t too loud or busy - the most perfect opportunity for a planked wall I ever did see! Did I mention these are 16ft walls?! We also needed an obvious, but simple, information center, so I’ve added my favorite go-to Ikea IVAR cabinets because they’re easy to mount, easy to paint, and are only 11” deep. Simple, functional, and only $70/set.

So that’s the plan for this very unique project! I’ll be sharing updates here as things happen so please stay in touch if you’re interested in following! My heart already feels so full to look ahead at the projects lined up for this year. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this work is a privilege to get to do.

Thank you for stopping by!

Matt + Chelsea's Christmas Home Part 2: Main Living Spaces

Back as promised with the second part of our holiday home tour! We sure do have fun decorating our home to celebrate this most special birthday, just as we do for one of our own family birthdays. This season, despite all it’s busy-ness, is covered in so much joy. I pray that you’re feeling it in some way.

On Wednesday I shared our bedrooms, so today please come on in and explore our main living spaces!

A few subtle and not so subtle additions in here this year - garland is easy but with such an open main living space now, I didn’t want to just drape it everywhere and overwhelm the space. I love it over our sliding glass doors and decided this would be it for garland this year. Just enough.

In such a shared space as this I am more aware than ever of any ‘excess’. For Christmas decorating this year we unpacked a lot from our Christmas boxes, but less than usual. I more just wanted the space to feel comfy and cozy for the family and guests over the holidays, so adding plush pillows on the dining chairs where we don’t usually have pillows and twinkly lights where we don’t usually have twinkly lights, have been subtle additions that add a lot of impact.

Our tree this year is small but mighty! For such a stout little thing it is happy, healthy and strong as an ox! Not a single dropped ornament and completely self sufficient. Last years tree, which we named Mariah Carey, was a regular diva, requiring us to anchor her to the wall because she couldn’t stand straight on her own, and her flimsy branches wouldn’t even support our homemade paper ornaments. In honor of our Mason’s favorite Eagles player, we’ll call this years tree Darren Sproles; a 5’6” pack of dynamo.

Our one of a kind Christmas tree skirt was a fun DIY a few years ago when I scored a 9x12 vintage rug for $20. It was a steel because the entire thing had been severed in half and then duct taped back together. (!!!) I used my old tree skirt as a template and cut out 6 tree skirts from the rug, (and a few coasters)!

Our kitchen is seeing a whole lot of action this season, wth weekly batches of pumpkin bread and hundreds of Christmas cookies, (I mean, you can’t just have 2 sandtarts in a sitting, people). I need to keep my counters somewhat open but a couple pretty plants and a wintry windowsill make it a very happy place to work and play, indeed!

Well there you have it! I hope you’ve enjoyed coming through; it’s so fun inviting you in every holiday season! This time of year comes with a lot of expectations that are hard to meet; but there is One we can count on each and every day, who came to triumph our despair and give us hope. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Thank you so much for coming by today and Merry Christmas to you and yours!