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!

Mutts, we are officially back after a few weeks away for some much-needed summer relaxation. It just doesn't feel like summer without a few days to unwind near the water or in the mountains - pick your poison. I'm currently in the mountains of Virginia with family for the weekend - and the red eye from the Seattle is to thank for today's #stylemuttspaces delay.

Now, on to the good stuff. We're back to Canada to tour Elaine's vintage home.

Her home is chalk-full of eclectic finds, great texture, cool tones paired with typical warm mid-century elements, and lots of personality.
From Elaine:

“I like to throw in a dash of dirty ‘70s décor into my spaces (think vintage fibre art, rattan, brass and lots of crazy plant lady action). I also get a kick out of juxtaposing harder, more minimal pieces with organic, handmade elements. Nothing sexier than mixing materials — keeps things from looking too matchy-matchy.”

Right away, we get to see the best vintage find of all - the Don Freedman wall hanging that totally makes the living room, which fellow Torontonian Jo @jmwearing hooked her up with.

“Freedman designed a whack of super fun and deliciously kooky fibre art for Interlude in the 70’s. The colours couldn’t go more perfectly with what we have going on in the living room and that wall was crying out for a little sum sum!”

Despite its urban location, the decor channels an aesthetic that used to be typically found in the southwest - but now is taking locations far & wide by storm.

“Sometimes I like to pretend I’m staying at an Airbnb situated somewhere in Joshua Tree and not living in a rental in downtown Toronto. A girl can dream, no?”

The whole home has the vibe of an artist's studio - relaxing, interesting, with plenty of conversation-starting pieces. It's the kind of place that absolutely inspires with quality pieces that have been carefully curated and melded together. What I love about Elaine is that she naturally leans toward one-of-a-kind items, so you won't find many big box purchases!

And finally, Elaine leaves us with a big heaping for gratitude for this crazy design community of which we're all a part:

“I’ve just been awestruck about the amount of creativity, inspiration, and goodwill I’ve encountered from the online home décor and design community. At first I felt like a total goof hashtagging posts on Instagram—but then I realized that’s how you find your “people.””

Hashtags are how we came to find each other, so we certainly those same feelings. Thank you all for following along, and thank you to Elaine for showing us around her gorgeous home. Follow along on Instagram at @lana_gto for more.