Reader Design: Angela's Authentic Space

Yesterday was International Women's Day, and today, we're all about praising authenticity, love, and strength in this powerful StyleMutt community. Angela, who is hosting us in her home today, is a perfect example of all three of those things. This home for six plus her dog is a clear labor of love.

From Angela:

“I’m not sure if I really have a specific style. I just buy what I like. But it could probably be described as a little midcentury modern, a little boho, and a little Scandinavian. I aim for all of the rooms to flow together and feel cohesive. ”

“My goal for this house is for it to feel comfortable and to be a haven for us to relax and unwind. We are very informal, and the majority of items in our house are thrift or clearance finds. I never want our kids or guests to feel like they can’t touch something.

Our living room is our main hangout place..we have fires in the winter. The kids play piano and my husband plays guitar, and most nights we are having a dance party to our favorite songs on our Alexa.

The dresser in our living room is one of my favorite pieces. I found it on the Facebook Market place for $25! We keep games, audio books, art supplies, and of course play-doh in the drawers.”

Function is absolutely key for this family, and Angela has made small changes to improve life from day-to-day. An example?

“Another goal of mine is for our house to be completely functional and realistic for our family. We turned our front entry coat closet into an office nook this last summer. We now each keep our coats and shoes in our own bedroom closets. It’s a lot less clutter, and this space is much more functional now.”

Angela's use of neutrals and plants makes the home a place her entire family can look forward to spending time in. It's clear this family loves to be together, because they've created a space that reflects their personalities and their values. 

Angela, thanks for hosting us today - and congratulations on your stunning home! Follow Angela along on Instagram at @restoring_home to see more. See you next week!

Room Tour (Finally): McKenna's Bedroom

You guys know how it is... 

It is next to IMPOSSIBLE to decide when to shoot a space. I take one picture, and all I see are the five things I want to change about the room. I keep telling myself that I'll have our new Seattle rental (we moved here in July 2017... is it still new?!) photographed when it's "done." But let's be honest, that day will never come.

I'm lucky, then, that a breakthrough of sunlight - a welcome arrival during this gray and drizzly winter - made my decision for me. I finished work, snuck in a workout, and came home to the most breathtaking sunshine seeping through our windows. So today, Mutts, you can thank the anomaly that is the winter Seattle sunshine for this peek of our bedroom.

Exhibit A:

No, I did not add those light bubbles to these photos. That just HAPPENED. And I know they're not perfect, professional photos, but holy cow, I had to capture it. 

When we moved across the country from DC last summer, we literally brought clothing and kitchen supplies with us. The only pieces of furniture were a coffee table in our living room, and the two bedside tables you see above. Oh, and the painting - which is a Framebridge print of a photo I took in my soul city, Palm Springs, CA. The side table on the left is a table that my parents purchased and refinished at the start of their marriage in the 80s; the table on the right belonged to my fiance's grandmother. Both are precious to us and, luckily enough, majorly back in style. We saw exact lookalikes at a trendy vintage store in Seattle a few months ago. 

So that means that we had to purchase everything else. As someone who moved every 11 months for 5 years, this didn't phase me, but we took our time to make good decisions and find great deals. 

My proudest purchase is actually our bed. Even though it's a mass-produced item from Wayfair, we spent only $73 on it, and the quality has really surprised us! 

I hunted down this midcentury Tallboy on Craigslist. It's a tight squeeze in what is already a small room, but it gives me the storage I need. Now that I've accented it with some dried flowers from our local farmers market and a copy of our favorite engagement photo, I seriously love this little corner. 

And then we splurged on a few things: our Parachute Home bedding; our plug-in West Elm sconces; and our stunning and soft West Elm rug. I waited for sales and have no regrets about these purchases. In fact, we've registered for many more Parachute Home items for our upcoming wedding. They're worth it!

I love the way the small but sufficient bedroom has come together. Of course, there are things I'd change if I had a limitless budget, but it's a space that I genuinely love at the end of the day. There is no better feeling than lighting a candle, diffusing some essential oils, and nestling into bed with a good book. 

I am so excited to share the rest of our home with you all soon; in the meantime, have a great weekend, Mutts!

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,