Little Brother Bookcase

Earlier this year, I scored two vintage West Michigan Furniture Co. bookcases off craigslist.

I shared what became of the bigger one in my last post but what became of his little legless brother?

Meet Little Brother:

He may be more petite than his big bro, but he is certainly just as stately.

I wanted the option for these bookcases to get adopted together so I used the same color to do a similar finish with some small changes - can you spot them?

This time, I painted only the sides and top and left the front trim in the original wood finish. This waterfall paint treatment has honestly become one of my favorite refinishing techniques. It allows me to maintain what I can of the original wood finish while still providing a pop of contrast in an unexpected way.

Little bro also go a new pair of legs.

They are a matte black powder-coated steel that matches the matte black paint finish.

Like his brother, he still has his original glass sliding doors to prevent the accumulation of dust on your collectables (provided you dust the inside before you put anything in there… unlike me).

For styling, I really had fun with this one. I liked the idea of incorporating some moody mother nature - considering she’s been quite moody here in VA lately.

And what’s more moody than a dramatic oversized tree branch?

Or some scraggly scavenged moss?

To class it up, I added a few porcelain mushroom figurines (thank you Target for yet another random purchase I don’t really need be somehow really want).

On our staging hunt, Thor even found some tennis balls that have grown a more mature shade of green moss. Leave it to the dog to sniff out old tennis balls like a truffle pig.

And yes, Thor tried to play with each piece of our haul on the walk home from the walk in the woods. Let’s hope baby girl Henderson will have a better appreciation for décor than my men do.

Hit me up if you’re in the market for this little guy (and/or his big bro)!

Little Brother Bookcase
Now Available for Sale
36”W x 12”D x 30”H
$395

If you are interested in this piece or a custom order like it, email me at cate@stylemutthome.com

Gray + Wood Dresser

I know. I know.  It’s been ages since I had a new piece to share.  But the dry spell is over mis amigos - I’ve got a fresh flip to reveal.

It started with a cute dresser score on facebook marketplace.  It was further out then I usually drive for a potential piece but it was a beautiful commute through some fall countryside so I didn’t mind all that much. Once I saw it in person, I was pleased to find that it really only needed some minimal repair work and an easy-to-execute fresh look:

The wood was mostly in great condition and I really didn’t want to paint it at all if I could help it.  But the sides and top needed a little wood filler so it was going to need at least a little paint. 

In my true-to-form fashion, I decided on a two-tone look to mask the repairs I had to make but still celebrate the wood.  I wrapped three sides in True Taupewood - my new favorite greige used here and here.

If you’ve been following along with our past projects, you’ll notice I’ve been favoring this style of two-tone (wrapping just the outer edges).  But in an effort to not seem like a one-trick pony, this time I decided for a lighter paint to contrast my go-to dark inky color.

Instead of carrying the paint down the sides of the legs (like I did here), I kept the base and my beloved tapered legs in the original wood finish.

The original piece also has dull metal handles which I promptly refinished in  gold to bring a little sparkle back to her front.

Finally, I have a piece to style with my moody Mr. Grocery Bag Man thrift score.

Plus the wooden fruit collection my aunt won for me at an auction. 

If you’re interested in a smart new little piece, hit me up for pick up or shipping options.

Gray + Wood Dresser
Now Available for Sale
32”W x 19”D x 37”H
$495


If you are interested in this piece or a custom order like it, email me at cate@stylemutthome.com

Wood Pulls Dresser

Meet the new workshop.  It’s pretty much the same as the whole workshop - but it's the main reason for my blog radio silence for the last 2 months.  Since April, Caleb and I have been in the throes of moving into a new rental townhouse (pics of that to come I promise!).  Besides the usual packing/ unpacking, we've been putting a lot of sweat equity into the new place (huge shout-out to my paint crew AKA Chelsea and fam!) which has also entailed aking a crash course in drywall to transform the unfinished garage into a suitable new workspace.  

Finally, we’ve got most of the major projects done and I can start accumulating inventory again - starting with this one!

I asked you on Instagram if I should paint or restore and got mixed results so the people pleaser that I am, I decided to do both ;)

Sometimes I can’t bring myself to paint beautiful wood that’s still in good condition.

So instead I re-oiled the drawer fronts and did my new favorite take on two-tone and painted the outer surfaces.

Yes you called it - I used my favorite “Black Boudoir” by Behr yet again.  I mean just look at how moody and inky these other pieces turned out?!? It’s hard not to like.

Pieces featuring "Black Boudoir" by Behr Marquee


 

This extra-long beast has sx drawers and a cabinet in the center with three shelves.

The interior shelving make it an ideal media center or TV stand because you can simply close the cabinet door when you want to hide your electronics.

I had a hard time deciding what to do with the knob on the center cabinet door.  The original pull was a fancy floret and read a little too traditional.  After a quick poll on social media, I decided to go with the clear winner - an antique brass knob that has similar contemporary lines to the unique wood pulls on the drawers.  

I'm in love with the organic lines of the pulls and the Mid Century Modern tapered legs!

This piece’s styling is brought to you by my dad’s vintage record collection (which heavily favors Bruce Springsteen I might add).

And for a touch of brass - my favorite little “pocket change” tray.

More pics to follow of the rest of our new place (but please let me get back into a cleaning routine first!) - ha!  #letsbereal

Dark Wood-Pulls Dresser
Now Available for Sale
74” W x 19” D x 30.5” H
$745


If you are interested in this piece or a custom order like it, email me at cate@stylemutthome.com