Reader Design: Amber's Fantastical Home

“It represents a world where Alice in Wonderland meets Beetlejuice.”

That's how a visitor once described Amber's family home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Surrounded by a bunch of boys, Amber has created a space that blends everyone's interests and loves.

“Since I reside in a home full of boys, I am drawn to pieces that coincide with my son’s and husband’s interests, but are inspired by my flair for the dramatic.”

“It took a few years, and a couple unsuccessful projects to really find the direction I wanted to strive for in really expressing the inner being of my style. I’m mostly drawn to white and black pallets with a few small bold accents in the form of light fixtures, art work, pillows, and other decor. ”

“I am not opposed to trends, and I believe that they can be incorporated to anyone’s preferences. However, I am very selective in my color palettes, decor pieces, and architecture. I tend to lean more towards modern and vintage furniture, artwork, and miscellaneous decor. When I first began, I knew I loved Art Deco Designs, but I did not exactly understand how I wanted to express it in my own home. It was definitely not just the ‘easy and convenient’ option to freshen up our living space and took years of thought.”

Through some trial and error, Amber has landed on a style that makes sense for her and her family. An important component of that style are family heirlooms, some of which Amber has refinished and some of which she's left in the original state. 

“There are too many of my favorite pieces to mention (I could, and should, write an entire book on that subject), but a lot of my decor comes from heirlooms my Grandparents have left to me in which I restored and customized. One heirloom of which I did nothing to and it means the world to me, is the portrait that graces my hallway wall labeled as “Lady Virginia”. My Grandfather purchased this portrait of an unknown lady in 1968 because it reminisced my Grandmother Virginia. On the backside of the portrait he inscribed that the picture would belong to my late Uncle Gerald, but sadly my Uncle passed away of cancer three years ago. Needless to say, I am proud to display this priceless piece of art in my home due to its’ background in our family history. ”

A home full of stories, some old and some new, is a beautiful thing. Amber, thank you for showing us around! 

Follow Amber along on Instagram at @the_beautiful_savages.

Reader Design: Laura's Homegrown Nest

Here is the first thing you need to know. Laura has SIX children, and they all live in this home. Keep that in your brain, because what you're about to see defies the odds. This is a family home that is both minimalist and eclectic, full of interesting pieces and clean lines to keep the clutter at bay.

From Laura:

“I would say my style is Minimalist with a mix of traditional, mid-century modern, and global influences. Anything with calm, clean lines and a bit of pattern thrown in. I don’t want to my house to be heavy, stuffy, or imposing. I want it to be open, airy, comfortable and casual. Also uncluttered. I really like my house to feel restful and calm. I’ve got six kids so anything I can do to tame the chaos is good!”

In this case, assuming that minimalist also means an absence of color would be flat-out wrong. It would also be wrong to assume that her penchant for minimalism is simply "on-trend." Nope, it's all authentically Laura.

“I’m drawn to color, but I also love the all-white spaces I see, so I have tried to do a balance of both styles with a mix of white and black plus color. I know that I do best in a minimalistic environment but once in a while I’ll see a well-done non-minimalist house and I will try to trick myself into thinking I could live like that. I also have to watch it that I don’t feel like I have to have or do all the new trends—-I get really pleased with myself when I realize I’m still using lots of the furniture and accessories I have had for more than ten years because the temptation is strong to keep up with what I see on Instagram. I try to use my basic more traditional things in new ways instead.”

Now let's play a round of finding the most meaningful items. In the piano room, the family uses art and maps they've collected from their many moves (to California, Florida, and Malaysia, to name a few) to decorate the space.

In the family room, there's another one:

“I found the church bench on Craigslist. It was 14 feet long, and we had to cut it into two pieces just to get it home. My husband re-attached the sides to make the bench for the family room and we use the other part of the bench without arms in the rec room.”

In the bedroom, Laura focuses on using mirrors and throw pillows to make the space. They know they'll only be in the home for 4 years, so they opted for small items that can really "make a space" instead of heavy-lift changes. 

Laura, thank you so much for letting us in! We love what you've done with the place and hope you and your family enjoy it as much as possible during the time you have left in it. 

Until next week,

Eclectic Winter Tour

Welcome friends! Thank you for stopping by on the Winter Eclectic Home Tour hosted annually by Jess Rey from Domicile 37!  Ok before we begin my holiday tour, I should probably tell you that I've recently realized something very important: Christmas décor stresses me out. 

Now, I'm not saying I'm a Grinch - just that I'm stressed!  I know this is foolish.  (My husband who's middle name is Christmas tells me this often.)  Christmas is a joyous time of year!  A time for family, generosity, and humility.  And yet, I can't get past the feeling that our little apartment gets turned upside-down when the holiday décor comes out!  So this year, I challenged myself to find a way to have my fruit cake and eat it too.

If you're popping by from A Designer at Home - welcome! We are StyleMutt Home, a sister-in-law duo  (Chelsea & Cate) who love to mix and match a myriad of styles in the pieces we refinish and the spaces we design...

We have a small apartment - a modest 800 sq.ft.  The addition of a grand Christmas tree can easily overwhelm our little living space.  For that reason, I tried to keep my usual décor intact and with only a few low-impact, holiday additions.

I started by choosing a smaller tree this year than those we've used in the past.  It's all dressed up in our hodge-podge of ornaments - many of them handmade (not because we have kids, but because my husband and I were straight poor our first Christmas).  I spent hours cutting up everything from pizza boxes, old sweaters, and Christmas cards from the first year we were married. 

Every year, I like to read the sweet sentiments on the folds of the ornaments and remember a time that we may have been broke but we had everything we needed: each other and our then recently-adopted best dog in the world.

In addition to the usual red-beaded garland, I finished our little tree with some ribbons of leather in my beloved Camel color.

The smaller tree meant less furniture re-arranging and the rest of the living room could stay pretty close to normal:

The cot under the window where our dog loves to perch

Our tufted velvet sofa (scored for FREE on craigslist believe it or not!)

Our thrifted rock-star-of-a-lounge-chair we call John Bon Jovi

Behind the sofa is our little dining nook. 

We don't have a mantle so I hung our stockings on our chairs.

Across from the living room, next to the kitchen, is some built-in shelving which is currently sporting our little record collection.  This is the time of year we consistently like to have an old record on the turntable - preferably holiday classics circa the mid-century.

I hardly ever show our kitchen on these tours because well… there’s not much to show. 

But the highlight of the space is this Moroccan boucherouite runner purchased from The Gardener's House.

Each boucherouite rug is a riot of color and pattern, handwoven from recycled scraps and beautifully unique.  This one is titled "Farwell from the Farm" which lends itself to more of a work of art than a rug.  Perhaps one day, we'll have a bigger place and I'll hang it on the wall in the place of honor it deserves.

Two staples at the end of our kitchen counter is our mail-and-key bowl (a beloved wedding gift) and the porcelain lunch bag with Thor's doggy treats.

Past the whimsical grid of Matisse portraits, a few steps down the hall (like 3 to be exact), is our one-and-only bedroom. 

Right when you walk into the bedroom is my perpetually cluttered dresser. 

Pasted down from (and refinished by) my mom, it is always adorned in a tangle of jewelry and usually buried under a pile of clothes (let's be honest).

My husband's dresser, on the other hand, is usually clothes-free (apparently that's what the floor is for).  *Insert eye-roll emoji

I really didn't do much to spruce up this space except add a "Merry Christmas" banner above the bed.

Currently, a lot of my plants are bunking-up to make room for the visit from cousin Christmas tree.

This might be another reason I get stressed - I'm never sure how my plant babies will react to the displacement.  Last year, my fiddle-leaf fig tree (may she rest in peace) did NOT like getting upstaged from her usual corner and promptly let herself go just to spite me.  Figadora Tonks now lives in exile - I mean on the balcony - in a corner where no one can see the incriminating evidence of my black thumb.

I am pleased to report that so far, minimizing our holiday décor seems to be treating my holiday anxiety effectively...  Of course I haven't started holiday shopping yet so that could easily change lol.

Next stop on the tour is Jessica Brigham!  Pop over to her home for more eclectic inspiration and more directions to the last stop on today's tour circuit!  Thank you again for stopping by!

Here's a recap of all of  holiday hostesses:

Monday
Domicile 37 
Desert Domicile 
Kobel & Co.
Whimsical Blue Living

Tuesday
The Gathered Home
Casa Watkins
Up To Date Interiors

Wednesday
Monica Wants It
Designing Vibes
Maker of Home
Michelle Matangi

Thursday
A Designer at Home
StyleMutt Home    > Oh wait, you're already here!
Jessica Brigham
The Rath Project

Friday
House Home Made
House Haus Home
Jeweled Interiors 
Domicile 37