Industrial Pipe Bookshelf

Only 3 more days until Christmas!!!!  Admittedly I am equally counting down to spending time with family as I am to having a real break from my day job.  I haven't taken more than 2 days off for over a year so I am really really looking forward to a bit of an extended stay-cation.  As we count down to the holidays, I am also wrapping up some overdue flip debuts before getting ready to start rolling out new pieces in the new year.  

Remember my industrial sawhorse desk?  Well when the buyer came to pick it up last fall, it turns out she didn't need the 3-drawer hutch since she planned to float the desk in her office.  So she bought the desk, chair and lamp, and left the orphaned hutch drawers behind so I took the opportunity to play around with a new take on industrial-inspired storage.

Industrial Pipe Bookshelf

I re-re-used the drawers to make a 3-tiered bookshelf with loads of storage.

I drilled two holes through the front and back of each drawer and threaded a section of galvanized pipe through.  Each dovetailed drawer hangs level and secure by resting on pipe coupling at one end and a heavy-duty wall bracket at the other.

The staggered heights provide visual interest while allowing space for art or plants.

I tested the weight limits of the unit myself by literally loading up every flat surface with all of our hardcover books.

At the top, a small section of pipe also secures to the wall for more stability. 

And another flange at the base can be secured to the floor too.

The entire length of pipe disassembles easily into 4 sections for transporting. 

You could even swing out the middle drawer and mount the whole unit into a corner for even more versatility.

I would love to see this baby go to a cool loft or some other city space!  If you are interested in this piece or a custom order like it, please email cate@stylemutthome.com.

Industrial Pipe Bookshelf
Now Available for Sale
63"W x 7.5"D x 78"H
$395

As we gather together this Christmas, Chelsea and I pray that your holiday is filled to the brim with treasured family time.  We hope that the hustle and bustle will fade away and we'll all be able to truly savor the real reason for the season.  Merry Christmas to you all!

Gray MCM Tallboy

It's T-Minus 5 days to Christmas and I gotta ask: does anyone else have visions of furniture dancing in your head?  I can't tell you how many times I have asked Caleb for furniture for my Christmas/ birthday/ justbecauseitstuesday present.  This year, I'm hoping he'll approve setting aside funds for a headboard.  Or a new armchair.  Or another plant stand.  (I know: I'm trouble).

The good news is, if you are hankering for home decor that doesn't exactly fit under the tree, StyleMutt Home has some handsome new pieces in the garage shop!

In all my pre-Christmas dreaming, I stumbled across this dashing (albeit pricey) devil.  There's no way I'd be willing to pay such a steep asking price, but I was inspired nonetheless.  So when I first saw this chipped white & gold dresser on Craigslist, my wheels started turning.

Source: Dwell Studios

Pretty close to the inspiration yes?  

Inspired by the double-breasted pulls of the inspiration piece, I added whistle pulls that match the brass-capped tapered legs.  The greige color was a custom mix using some leftover paint from our Navy Yard Condo client.  (Waste not, want not!) 

Although it looks like 5, this piece actually has only 4 dovetailed drawers - one is a faux double-front with extra deep storage for bulky sweaters and such.

And on the underside of the drawers, you can find the original maker's mark.  Apparently this fellow is Swedish!  

The styling for this piece was especially fun.  I really felt like I was channeling my inner Urban Outfitter with the colorful art and moon phase chalkboard.

But the best part is this white and gold cactus by GoodNight Light.

Yeah, you heard right - that cactus lights up!

It is safe to leave on for hours at a time and made of a shatterproof vinyl which, to my surprise, feels more like a matte porcelain in person!  It would of course be adorable (and safe!) in a nursery (one day ;) but for now it's the perfect light to leave on for Thor since we're not getting home before sunset on these short winter days.

If you are still looking for a last-minute gift for any little-ones on your list, I highly recommend browsing the quirky inventory at GoodNight Light to see if any of their quality products pique your interest. 

And if you are local and looking for an affordable MCM tallboy (for you or anyone else on your list ;) this one is in our shop!

Gray MCM Tallboy
Now Available for Sale
36"W x 18"D x 43.5"H
$345

If you're interested in this gray & gold Swed (or a custom order like him), please email cate@stylemutthome.com.

"Built-In" Benches

Guys I'm behind.  This happens to me every year: as I round the corner on Thanksgiving and enter into the Christmas season, I am caught off-guard by the extra stack of things to do in my personal life: Christmas decorating, holiday parties, gift shopping, cookie baking... (jk on that last one - I don't bake), so... cookie eating, you get the idea.

It's T-minus 20something days to 2017 and I still have two items left on my 2016 furniture flip bucket list (including the delinquent DIY bakers rack from 2015 *hides face in  shame*). At this rate I might as well walk naked all the way to the Red Keep with a bell ringing nun behind me (that's the standard punishment for not meeting your New Years resolutions right??).  I even have a line up of flips in the shop that I have yet to share with you here!  

Well, I might as well work on my penance now and share one with ya now ;)  A while back I ran across this pic on craigslist for a "stackable dresser."  Intrigued I clicked to read more to find out that they were solid pieces with two drawers each.  

It was clever of them to use both as a makeshift dresser but they looked a little odd when stacked to me.  I decided to buy them with the plan to un-stack them and figure out a better way to use them...

Storage benches!!!  

When I got my hands on these twin pieces, I realized just how SOLID they are.  They could totally handle the everyday demands of a mudroom or entryway: book-dropping, boot-pulling, galosh-flinging.  So I painted it in our favorite glossy white by  Glidden Door and Trim to give it a matching indestructible finish.

I replaced the old handles with shiny new brass ones and moved the pulls up you wouldn't have to bend down as far to pull the drawers open.

Putting them side-by-side makes for a super long mudroom bench - perfect if you have the space but not the budget for a built-in.  I could also easily see these underneath a window as a window-seat plus toy storage.

Wherever you decide to use it, the drawers are deep and can hide a multitude of clutter (my kind of storage piece ;)

Hoping to really sell the mudroom bench idea, I styled this shoot like a typical "command center" for the on-the-go mom complete with a calendar, fresh flowers, coat hooks, and a basket for dumping.

"Faux Built-in" Mudroom Benches
48"L x 19"D x 18.5"H each
Now Available for Sale
$500 for both or $265 each

If you are interested in this piece or a custom order like it, please contact cate@stylemutthome.com.  My hope is that these handy fellas will help ease someone's organizational needs out there - especially during this busy busy season.  And that reminds me, despite how hectic the holidays can get, don't forget to spend your time thoughtfully and wisely!   And on that note, I leave you with the lyrics from a favorite underground Christmas song:

“No gifts to give, they’re all right here
Inside our hearts, the glorious cheer
And in the house we see a light
That comes from what we know inside

I’ll come to you, I’ll sing to you
Like it’s Christmas in the room
I’ll dance with you, I’ll laugh with you
’Til it’s Christmas in the room”

— Christmas In the Room, Sufjan Stevens