Pop of Color Custom Order

November 28, 2017 Cate | StyleMutt Home

It's a REAL treat to work with a client with similar design sensibilities. I mean, that’s gotta mean you’re doing something right, right? Your tribe is finding you. And you get to work with people that inspire your creativity.

This fall, I had the opportunity to develop a DIY nightstand tutorial for Apartment Therapy. Shortly after, a couple reached out to me hoping to get a customized a version of the tables that could work around two specific design elements:

The tables needed to be large enough to showcase a West Elm Pelle Table Lamp:

And they wanted a pop of color that played well with the West Elm Expressionist Printed Rug.

So with these specifications in mind, I rendered two options for them to consider - one with a teal accent color and one with an "inky" black.

And which color did they choose...?

Deep Breath by Behr Marque

Instead of painting the entire piece to match the rug, I proposed we just paint the inside to preserve their "airy" quality while giving the clients more versatility down the line if they ever got the itch to rearrange things.

I used the same materials as my original design for the rest of the build: blonde wood + camel leather straps but I did have to modify the proportions a little to accommodate their ideal dimensions.

To highlight the interior pop of color, I chose to style with warm earthy tones comprised of...

1) Terracotta touches (always)

2) A grouping of paintings

3) And a salvaged tree branch (ok, I pulled it off a sapling in the parking lot)

The happy clients picked up these custom orders this weekend and I'm happy to say they are already settled in their new home!

If you are interested in your own custom order, please contact me at cate@stylemutthome.com.

NY-Bound Custom Order

November 13, 2017 Cate | StyleMutt Home

There's a lot about this little business that has blown me and Chelsea away. We've accrued clients from across the US (and even Canada!), designed for a battery of dream spaces, and even shipped pieces out of state! That's crazy to think about - I mean, we're just two women working out of our homes! In our garages, at our dining room table, late at night or the wee small hours of the morning. And God is still growing us!

Recently I was commissioned for a custom order for delivery to New York. And I gotta say - it makes me feel swanky to have a piece in the Big Apple *sheepish grin.* The client wanted something similar to my brass finger pull tall boy but needed a lot more storage.

I did some hunting on my local craigslist and found the perfect low boy (from the same furniture line no less - how does that happen?!?).

Her design aesthetic was simple: she wanted a matte color that could go with anything and a touch of brass. After seeing some photos of her space and discussing her vision, I worked up 3 renderings for her to review:

She liked the idea of a warm gray or white in her space, but in the end she kept coming back to her first love: the moody dark finish from my finger pull tall boy. My client had a tight deadline so I immediately set about painting. But T-minus a few days until our scheduled for pick up, I ran into a bit of a problem...

Where was the brass hardware?

I had ordered these yummy brass finger pulls a week prior and had selected 2-day shipping. 7 days later, my tracking number was reporting that it was bouncing between distribution centers in the vicinity but never “out for delivery.”

What the?!?

Stupid hardware. Why you got to play me like that?!? I looped the client in on the conundrum and she gave me the green light to get creative in order to meet our deadline. She only wanted a “peek” of brass anyways so I combed through my local hardware store to see if there was something outside-the-box that would work. And I found...

Strike plates!

ould you tell?

Strike plates are those metal plates that you attached to a threshold to correspond to the bolt of the door. Much like the library pulls I reconfigured for my original tall boy, the strike plates had a subtle lip that could protrude off the drawer top like a true finger pull. I used the same brass tacks as my other piece for a low-profile attachment method that wouldn't interfere with the functionality of the drawers.

Recognize them now?

I showed my alternative idea to the client and she was all for it! So I attached the hardware right-quick and had the piece ready for pick-up in the NICK of time.

The piece arrived at my client’s NYC walk-up the next day and after the delivery guys fenagled it up the stairs (Pivot! Pivot!), it is safely in its new home with minimal wear and tear from the harrowing out-of-state journey.

And I can officially say I have big city clientele ;) *Eek!*

If you’re interested in a custom order like this piece or how we can work with you out-of-state, check out our helpful FAQ guide or email me at cate@stylemutthome.com.

Want to see what we can do? Check out what's in stock or view more of our past work on Instagram.

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Petite Parquet Cabinet Converted

January 19, 2017 Chelsea | StyleMutt Home

Hi friends! Back in today with another flip of a recently thrifted find! No yarn involved today. ;) When I saw this parquet and bamboo cabinet I was so excited to get my hands on it; the piece was in amazing condition, just needed a little TLC!

It looked a little sad sitting so low on the floor like that! So I took a cue from the beautiful parquet surface of this piece and ordered a set of hairpin legs. What I adore so much about hairpin legs is the balance between masculine and feminine - they're strong, sturdy, wrought iron legs but the lines look so graceful!

The one factor that hung me up on this flip for a solid week was what height to order the legs. Ultimately I came to two options; use the piece for its top surface and keep it at buffet height, or lift it even higher for easy access to it's cool interior storage. Since all signs pointed to this piece being a vintage piece, (albeit in fantastic shape), I wasn't sure how truly functional the top surface would be since the parquet creates a not totally smooth surface and I don't know how easy it is to clean. I concluded this piece would be best used as a storage piece so I found legs that would give it the height to make those cabinet pulls convenient to open without bending over. Once the piece was finished I immediately pictured it as a small space liquer cabinet/bar. The height and size would be perfect in a small dining room where square footage is precious, and you could even stash a stool or storage basket underneath!