Heywood-Wakefield Coffee Table

This spring, I had the privilege of picking over my first ever estate sale with my very best pickin' buddy Chelsea.  And boy did we strike gold!  Just check out some of the smaller goodies that Chelsea scooped up:

 
 

Thanks to Chelsea's research, we stumbled into an eclectic gold-mine-of-a-house that was brimming with unusual finds.  One of which was an original Heywood-Wakefield coffee table with a missing leg.  But pieces with missing legs don't stop us - especially if it comes with a missing-leg price.

Known for their curved lines and lighter finishes, Heywood-Wakefield pieces are American made and date back to 1897.  Based on some of the clues outlined on their website (yes they are still making furniture) our gimpy little find was more likely circa the mid-century.  Without the fourth leg, I knew I couldn't restore it to it's original glory.  But as Chelsea pointed out - it still had 3 perfectly good legs.  They just need to be repositioned for some stability.

By centering the remaining good leg on the left side, the table could get back on it's feet again!

In my opinion, it looks like it could have always been a tri-base!  

I ended up leaving the patina as-is instead of restoring it to the typical Heywood-Wakefield satin finish.  I couldn't help it - I just love the story it tells!  The rustic wood plus the curved lip on the table reminds me of an antique dough bowl.

For funsies, I styled the wall around the table with some digitally-altered blank canvases. (Could you tell? As much as I'd like to, no I don't own an original Matisse sketch.)  That blue-green balcony view print was also an estate sale steal.

If you're in the DC Metro area and want to bring home this vintage score - email me at cate@stylemutthome.com.

Tri-Base Heywood-Wakefield Coffee Table
Now Available for Sale
$525

Reupholster a Chair ||Wrapping Up the 2016 Flip List||

Happy New Year StyleMutts!  Well, this may be a day (or two) late and an item short, but I'm wrapping up my 2016 Furniture Flip Bucket List!  Huzzah!  I don't know about you, but that's still a win in my book ;)

You may recall that I've been tackling these 7 items in no particular order:

 
 

Well my friends, I still have No.1 and No.2 to go and may-or-may-not-have completed one and a half of them.  Much like in 2015, the Baker's Rack has proved... problematic...  But fear not!  I still have some proof that I at least attempted it this year (that counts right?!?).  You'll have to decided whether or not a good ole' college try is admissible in New Year Resolutions court, but in the mean time there's still a fresh-faced new chair on the docket!

I have ALWAYS been interested in upholstery.  Primarily because I can't tell you how many times I see pieces with "good bones" but terrifying tapestry.  It seems so simple "just switch out the fabric and viola!" but there's nothing simple about reupholstery let me tell you.  To get it done right, you either need to pay an arm and a leg plus a foot and a toe or have a fairy fabric-mother.  And seeing as I have neither, I decided to challenge myself to try something a little more complicated than my Serape accent chair.  And it's no surprise that a project as intimidating as this one has been marinating on my Flip List for 12 months. 

I was very selective when choosing my test subject.  I wasn't ready for a "whale" of a project like a sofa or a chaise and a wingback armchair with it's flourishing angles would surely be a hot mess with my sewing skills.  So I cherry-picked a forgotten chair with clean lines (that's Cate for relatively fool proof) complete with frumpy maroon fabric straight out a dorm room.

 
 

Ok so this reveal is gonna go down a little like Project Runway: the opening silhouette may be simple but it's a classic color pallet. 

Now strike a pose...

And then turn on the runway so we can see the back...

Boom.  There it is!

The leather strap was actually was a Target belt in a former life.  For such a simple chair, I wanted it to have a little somethin' somethin'.

The chair disassembled into easy-to-recover panels.  I even left the two side pieces off so the chair could "breathe" (and also, let's be real, not trap as many crumbs). 

The fabric I chose was a heavy textured linen.  Also it's from a painter's dropcloth.

I simply wrapped each panel like a Christmas present complete with snuggly tucked in corners.

Now that I have a more complex reupholstery under my belt (pun so intended), maybe I'll have the courage to try (dare I say it)... piping.

Linen & Leather Chair
Now Available for Sale
Price $95

If you are interested in this piece, or a custom refinish like it, please email mcate@stylemutthome.com

Now, I know what you're thinking: Wait Cate!  What about the last item on your 2016 list?

 
 

Ahh yes, the very same delinquent baker's rack from 2015 that rolled over to 2016 with the caveat that I would attempted to build it out of reclaimed wood.  Well... let's just say I saved the best for last...

Or should I say the operative word was attempted...

Ha!  Ok so what I may have in amateur upholstery skills I certainly LACK in carpentry skills.  (Insert shameful grin emoji here) But at least this way we can go out with a bang (up job) and a laugh ;)

Here's to a complete(ish) 2016 and to posting a new 2017 Flip List in the coming weeks.  Stay classy friends.

Let's Recap The Year:

Chelsea's Updated Main Floor

Back again! Since I've got about 10 minutes to whip this last minute post up I'll spare you all the dialogue that turned my bedroom update into a novel. At least that's the plan, but sometimes I find a lot more to talk about than you care to hear, (just ask my husband and kids). I apologize in advance!

I mentioned in the last post that through a lot of little changes here and there, there is a different vibe in our main living areas. No 'one thing' by itself seemed interesting enough to share here, but after a long period of time with lots of 'one thing's, it seems time for an updated tour. As a reader I love other people's home tours. As a home owner with a blog, I enjoy having a way to document how my style has evolved. We've lived in this house for almost 6 years and I finally feel like it's 100% us.

I know Mandi from Vintage Revivals has coined the term 'fearless style', but I can really identify with that. For better and worse, (and much, much worse), I can tell you I absolutely love trying new things and heading into uncharted territory. Trends make me weary and always have. Even when I was young, I wanted to do the opposite of what was popular, (which explains the Doc Martins, fishnet tights, the original 'emo' music from the Cranberries, and self-cut hair styles). And I was an all-state athlete! Sure, I was an absolute mess. But there wasn't a box that I fit in completely, so I was as pleased with myself as any confused 16 year old could be.

These days I am more able to appreciate trends, but still have that urge to be a little weird, if that makes any sense.

One of the little updates in this space is the long body pillow on the couch. I wanted a more streamline look on our frumpy but oh-so-cozy sofa, (Ektorp from Ikea, bought used and still in great shape). Plus, I was tired of changing out pillows every season - pillows that were always thrown on the floor anyways because a couch with so many pillows just isn't that comfortable when you need to fit 4 bodies on for bedtime stories. So I bought some gray denim fabric, stuffing, and took it to my girl Katie who has made pillows for us before. She's the preteen daughter of a friend and has mega sewing skills. How lucky for me! (Oh! And the blue waves print is Urban Outfitters)

These unaligned white shelves here used to be my weathered wood bakers rack - we took it to the garage to make room for Paul Pfeiffer, our Christmas tree this past year. I hesitated to bring it back in, almost donating it to a local thrift store because it just wasn't the right proportion for our space. Rather than a taller, skinny shelf, I imagined something lower and longer for that large wall. On a whim, I sawed that bakers rack right in half, expecting to have to dump it afterwards, but it worked out great! After a coat of paint and some styling play, it's been a fun piece for our living room once again.

Moving on, here's a peek around the dining room!

I wanted to freshen things up in here after the holidays and hung these airy indigo dyed curtains from Urban Outfitters, (currently 25% off a pair). I love the contrast of something breezy-bohemian with the 'hard' industrial shelves. Maybe an unlikely pair, I don't know, but here they are, working together!

**Oh yes! And here's a fun hanging tip for curtains: If you paint the curtain rod the same color as the wall, it almost disappears! I wanted a really fresh, clean feel here and didn't like the distraction of the metallic rod, so I just painted it with some leftover wall paint.

Oh Ross, you're trouble. I went in there to look for a child's birthday gift and came out with a child's birthday gift and this mirror. I just found out Ross and TJ Maxx have home sections. Why didn't you guys tell me?! They're tiny and will never have what you're actually looking for, but if you breeze through you may stumble upon a cheap pleasant surprise!

I'm so sorry, I've run WAY longer than I said so I'll just breeze through the kitchen quick! Nothing new here since we made it over, (again), last Spring, except a blue dishtowel since I added blue throughout the rest of the floor. Funny though how a new dish towel can be exciting, (obviously I use that word loosely). This was from Target. Or Walmart. I can't remember.

I outsource the artwork cheap and have a fast rotation of new original pieces coming in at least a hundred times a week. Don't worry, I can afford it.

The one spot that hasn't changed is our trusty makeshift entry. The old thrifted spoon coatrack was one of our first DIYs in our home 6 years ago and has seen tiny 3 month old fuzzy jackets with bear ears, to now 6 year old coats with pockets full of 'special' rocks and other odd finds.

Well there I went and talked your ear off just like I said I wouldn't. But it's Friday, so it's not like you're actually being productive today, right?

Thank you guys so much for coming by and have a wonderful weekend!