Reader Design: Laura's Minimalist Boho Home

Today, we're off to a place that has recently felt like my second home: California. Fun fact: I worked so many hours for my day job in California in 2017 that I'm fortunate enough to get to file taxes there - yay! 

Specifically, we're headed to Dana Point, CA to Laura's family home, which is both perfect for a family and full of personality at the same time. 

“Making our home feel comfortable is something that’s always been very important to me. I never want to evoke the feeling of a museum-home, where “don’t touch that” is the motto. We have little kiddos that love to make messes and I want to embrace, enjoy, and live in those messy moments with them. I want our family and our friends to always feel relaxed when they’re here.”

That doesn't mean she just lets to house go though. In fact, Laura has a self-proclaimed aversion to clutter. That's why keeping it simple with her minimalist bohemian decor is the way to go.  

One of the keys of minimal decor is ensuring purpose of the pieces in your home. Now, the purpose doesn't have to just be functional; it can be sentimental, too! Often, those become the most important pieces of all, and even if they're small in size, they can make the space feel perfect and complete.

Take the item in Laura's kitchen for instance, which at a distance may be hard to find. 

“The small cactus figurine was given to me by my husband when we were engaged. He’d been gone on a trip and came home with it for me and it’s just been a cute “I missed you” momento that I’ve always loved.”

“In the Living Room there are two things: One is a vintage record player that belonged to my late grandparents. Though I never knew my grandpa, my grandmother and I had an extremely close relationship and this hand-me-down is one of the most meaningful things that I own. The other sentimental piece is the longboard on the wall. It’s a vintage board that was shaped by my husband’s favorite surfer, Phil Edwards. It was one of the last boards he shaped before he stopped shaping.””

“We definitely are true to our coastal southern CA roots. My husband, Jason, grew up surfing and there are hints of beach culture throughout our home. ”

All those special elements make this house a home, and it's an honor to get a peek inside. Thank you for showing us around, Laura! You can follow along with Laura on Instagram at @helmick_hacienda. See you next week, Mutts.

Reader Design: Elizabeth's Intuitive & Natural Home

We at StyleMutt love supporting others in our design community, so today, we have quite the treat! We're touring the home of Elizabeth Bear, a designer based in Colorado.

Elizabeth started her business with the encouragement of her friends; as they watched what she did with her own home, they encouraged her to bring her services to others. It's a story that many of us know well but few have the courage to act on.

From Elizabeth:

“When I moved to Colorado, we purchased our home and spent a lot of time renovating it. Once again, friends took notice and asked me to help them design their spaces. When I discovered Instagram, I began using it as a platform to showcase my style. Little did I know, my Insta community would grow to over 10,000 people in less than a year. Now I combine my passion for interior styling/designing with my newfound love: working with brands. There are no rules to designing a dream home it’s just a matter of figuring out the best path to get there.”

What started as a barrette and accessory business in 2003, after Elizabeth left the corporate world, soon became a full-time job. It grew to artwork, pillows, pillowcases, and placemats, all handmade by Elizabeth. Her business took off from there, with her style evolving as life led her through twists and turns of its own.

“I got married a few years after college and our home had things given to us from our families all of which were more traditional, sprinkled in with things we purchased that were more contemporary. After my husband passed away unexpectedly four years later, I sold my house and everything in it that didn’t speak to my soul. I only kept my favorite things. I renovated a three-story townhouse taking it from dated and old to modern and bright and it only contained the things I love. It truly felt like me.

Two years later, my path crossed with my college sweetheart, who was living in Colorado, and we got married. When I moved there everything that came across country with me was my current design style. It’s interesting because this style is what I was drawn to when I was a teenager. Somewhere in the midst of adulthood this style got lost. When I moved into the townhouse I sold everything, but my most favorite pieces. Claiming my new home resurfaced my love of modern, orderly, clean lines, light, bright, white, welcoming, peaceful, less is more.”

Her home is a reflection of everything life has brought her, and it's a stunningly beautiful reflection indeed. She's created a home that is natural, intentional, intuitive, and warm. It's a 'Goldilocks' home - not too much, not too little, but just right. There are clean lines mixed with nostalgic pieces, and everything is functional. 

In the dining room, the freestanding white hutch steals the show.

“We had it custom built by our kitchen company to match the custom cabinets flanking the fireplace, in our kitchen and the built-ins in my husband’s office. Because we have an open floor plan, it was soothing for me to have all of these built in cabinets be cohesive. This hutch adds visual beauty in the room as well as wonderful extra storage space for my collection of pottery, which can be seen through the glass doors.”

It opens right into Elizabeth's biggest splurge and the heart of the home - the kitchen.

“In my kitchen my favorite thing is our large island which seats six people and is the heart of the home when we have a party (large or tiny) and actually when it’s just us. My husband and I love cooking together so this provides plenty of space to do it on - giving us ample room to make a mess and have fun!”

It's a home that's made for memories. And Elizabeth, we are so honored to share it with you! Thank you for showing us around - and congratulations on the home you've made and the business you've built.

Find more about Elizabeth on her site and on Instagram @elizabethbeardesigns.

Reader Design: Chrisi's Warm & Welcoming Home

Let's go to Utah, friends! We're off to see a mutt today who is truly one of our home. Chrisi is a wife and mother of five who has crafted a home that's perfectly warm and welcoming but impossible to identify with one particular style. 

Ready? Let's go!

From Chrisi:

“I would definitely say that my “style” isn’t easily defined. I am more of a “mutt” when it comes to zoning in on my preferred style. I am all across the board. I try and use all the elements of all different styles that I love and tie them all together. I dabble in modern, traditional, farmhouse, and boho. If i had to define my style it would be eclectic. I love how an eclectic space doesn’t have to be one thing from room to room but more of a tapestry of different tastes all sewn together. ”

Despite pulling from various styles, Chrisi keys her eye on the prize: paying homeage to the heritage of this home, reinvigorating it with life and color, and making this place the perfect home for her family. 

One of the rooms that underwent the biggest makeover was the kitchen, but it's also Chrisi's favorite room - and is a place she would decide to splurge on over and over again!

“I would say that the kitchen is truly the heart of the home and, more importantly, it has the most wear and tear! It is also one of those things that you will always see return on investment on. We dumped the bulk of our money into the kitchen. We spent quite a bit of money having a 900 lb. 26 foot long steel beam put in to open up the space and no part of me regrets that. We had an IKEA kitchen installed (which I will always love until the day I die) but had custom cabinet faces made from Semi-hand made. Ikea didn’t have any cabinet faces that we loved so of course we spent the extra money to get EXACTLY what we wanted which ended up being a navy island and the rest of the cabinetry is white! I think its more important to put money into the kitchen that you want then just putting together a sub par space for the heart of your home. ”

All that intention helps to create a space that feels about right and authentic for the people who live in it.

“I am a mother of five children and a wife which means that the MOST important overall “feel” for the house that I was trying to accomplish is warmth. I would say that having a unique design and staging a home beautifully will only take you so far but its the overall feeling of “warmth” that really turns a “house” into a home. More than that though, when I designed the home I tried to incorporate space that was defined only by the furniture. I wanted one open floorpan that flowed easily from space to space. This was especially important for us because our home was so small to begin with. We had to try to utilize as much square footage as possible. ”

Chrisi, thanks for bringing us in to share your space, if only on the internet. Follow Chrisi along on Instagram @hellohammer.