Styling: One Hour to a Curated Collection

Hi Friends! With several design projects wrapping up simultaneously right now, I've got styling on the brain 24/7! It's not uncommon for our design clients to have few to no styling accessories, (with the exception of books), so we're always keeping our eyes peeled for shops that we can head to when we need a lot of goodies!

Now, Cate and I love to find accessories when we're out at thrift stores, barn sales and vintage markets. Little by little, we've curated styling accessories that suit our taste and the spaces we need to fill. This exploratory approach has taken each of us years of digging and picking up and turning over in our hands. So how does one create their own collection in a single afternoon? When it comes to the final touches in our clients spaces, we turn to the great world wide web!

Here are some of our favorite online shops where we can find all the patina or polished, modern or time-worn goodness we need to complete any space.

As seen in a StyleMutt Home project:

As seen in a StyleMutt Home project:

As seen in a StyleMutt Home project:

Example pottery styling in a StyleMutt Home project:

We hope you find these sources as useful and inspiring as we have! Now, I'm off to round up some final touch shopping lists for some very awesome clients! This weekend we are off to shoot a finished project that combines my love for industrial urban spaces and bohemian flair. I CANNOT wait to share it with you, friends! Here's a quick peek of the progress our client sent last month:

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Fresh Flip + Making Plans

Hi Friends! This Summer has been an absolute whirlwind in the Matt/Chelsea abode. We have some big plans for our home which have lead to emptying out, decluttering, and starting fresh. And in our experience thus far, starting fresh in a house we've lived in for 8 years is no small feet, (especially a house that was built in 1980). It's like moving but we're not going anywhere. When we moved into this house we had two babies, one in the oven, and a whole crew of people who helped us get settled. Now, all these years later, the task ahead feels daunting. Some rooms simply need fresh paint, others a bit more than that. We've listed out what we need to do and are just going to check things off one by one!

One of our first steps was emptying out all our closets and dressers a few months ago and really pairing down. You wouldn't move with things you don't use anymore, so in the same way we got rid of things we don't use anymore. In all the emptying out, I found myself with A LOT more room in my dresser. It was a great feeling to keep only favorites, but that meant I needed to downsize my dresser! I took to the Habitat for Humanity Restore with the kiddos and found a winner within minutes!

GOSH I LOVE THEM!!!

Anyways, I used this new find as an opportunity to test out a color we are considering for a kitchen island - 'Salamander' by Benjamin Moore. It's a deep tealy-green and a color I can see in our home for the long haul!

Obviously it's been a long time since I've refinished anything - notice the one bare leg in the center! Hah! Didn't even notice it until we'd brought it inside!

The pulls were an Anthropologie clearance find, and I love the brushed metal against the blond wood. I don't use a lot of brass in our home, but any brass we have is brushed or aged in some way. My personal style is very 'campy'; it's minimal and super laid back, and I use a lot of bare wood in our home.

So this piece represents two winners in one! I've got a new dresser and we've got a color for our island! I'll be back again soon to lay out the plan for our upcoming kitchen renovation - the first of many steps to wake up our home, but we'll get there!

Thank you so much for stopping by today!

Reader Design: Leslie's Southern Home

I'm back in Richmond for wedding meetings this week, so it's only fitting that our reader design be in another traditionally Southern place. Let's check out Leslie's southern home in Birmingham, Alabama!

“I’m a Southerner through and through. I feel passionate about cultivating heritage in our home by rooting my designs in mostly a fresh traditional style. I think there is a misconception that traditional style is stale, boring or tired. I strive to create a home that is collected, classic with a healthy dose of the unexpected. But most importantly, I want to create a home that is welcoming and comfortable. I seem to find myself drawn to classic furniture with a bit of embellishment, whether that’s a beautifully carved leg, unique details or craftsmanship Thankfully, with the numerous ways to acquire thrifted pieces today, it is easy to create a home that fits my style and my budget.”

— Leslie

“After nine moves, I think we have finally settled in for the long haul with our current house I have dubbed #thetrailhousereno. A little over two years ago I fell in love with a house in our existing neighborhood that needed a ton of love. Somehow I convinced my husband to agree to rehabbing this home. We completely resurfaced the problem front facade with brick and took the opportunity to clean up the bad late 90’s architecture.”

“It is always hard to choose a favorite room but cooking is my love language, so the kitchen is probably a winner by default. It might be hard to believe, but the kitchen was a budget friendly renovation. We were able to keep the existing cabinetry and granite and recycle the old island into a beverage center. A new island was built to fit the kitchen’s new expanded view. We DIY’ed the backsplash and the reclaimed wood countertop and shelves.”

While much of the home is classic and traditional, there are nods to the "now" in a few spots. 

“I would not say I am completely immune to trends. Adding a small trendy piece of pottery or the “color of the moment” in a throw is interesting way to inject life into your home. I thrive on change and yet, I do not subscribe to the notion of replacing larger pieces of furniture based on a trend. I say, collect timeless investment pieces and keep an open mind to trends that speak to you and work well with your overall design aesthetic. ”

One of those spots is Leslie's personal studio.

“Upstairs, in my personal studio, I took the liberty to have a little fun and depart from the underlining color palette of the rest of the house. It is also where I let the plant lady go wild. Even after over a year of working in this space, the room has the power to both excite and calm me at the same time. It is a perfect place to be productive and is definitely a bright, oxygen-filled space.”

This home is certainly one that stands the test of time while still having plenty of personality! Leslie, thank you for letting us in!

Follow Leslie along on Instagram at @deeplysouthernhome and check out her blog at www.DeeplySouthernHome.com