Back to Black || 2019 Flip List Item No.4

Black. And wood. These have been banner forces in some of our projects for a while now and the reason I wanted to turn up the contrast on my two-toned flips.  That dark mysterious black against a warm and welcoming wood. Yes please and I’ll have another.

Then last week, I came across this listing on Craigslist for two original mid century bookcases made by the West Michigan Furniture Co. They were a great price which made for the perfect opportunity to scratch this jet black itch I’ve been having…

If you’ve been following the 2019 Furniture Flip Bucket List then you’ll know where I’m going with this.. item No.4 is in my sights:

​Now just let me dangle the carrot here for a minute - look at that contrast!

Instead of keeping the cases stacked as a single unit, I decided to make them two separate units. The top surface on the lower, larger cabinet was damaged so it was already asking for a fresh coat of paint.  Painting the casing in a new-found favorite Limousine Leather by Behr allowed the interior to electrify. 

Unlike my prior flirts with dark tones, this black is much more severe.  It’s still my trademark dark and moody and it’s so very stately - especially contrasted against that wooden interior.

This West Michigan Furniture Co. piece still has its original glass sliding doors to protect your treasures from collecting dust.

Truth time - I hate photographing pieces with glass surfaces.  I end up obsessing about the reflections or how I apparently don’t know how to keep glass clean. Does anyone out there have any tips??? Asking for a friend…

It also has the original brass capped peg legs which I cleaned up a little but left a lot of the natural patina. I’m so used to working with tapered or metal legs but these little gams are just so cute, I might have to replicate this look again.

For styling, I leaned into the monochromatic look with terra-cotta, books, touches of brass, and white decorative accents. I felt like the piece called for a more “masculine” look with an emphasis on interesting shapes and varied heights.

You’ll have to tune back in to see what will come of his little leggless brother!

Back to Black Bookcase
Now available for sale
48”W x 12”D x 31”H
$425

 If you are interested in this piece or a custom order like it, email me at cate@stylemutthome.com

One down, four to go. Catch up on the 2019 Furniture Flip Bucket List.

Leather Headboard || 2018 Flip List Item No.1

We’ve got a month and some change left in the year and I still have projects left on the 2018 Furniture Flip Bucket List and have only coordinated one room tour since we moved into our new place last Spring. I’ll be the first to admit it, I’m running a bit behind on a lot of things in life, but hey - who isn’t?

Let’s do a little something about that today shall we? I’m fixin’ to kill two birds with one post: item No.1 from the flip list and a master bedroom reveal!

I often use my annual Flip LIst as a declaration on intent for the year. It’s a combination of fun projects I have my eye on and personal challenges I’d like to tackle. Item No.1: Miter Corners definitely falls into the challenge category. I kind of figured I’d try to hone this new skill on a picture frame or something small, but then ended up with the idea to try a headboard shortly after we moved in.

When we moved in, the bedroom was a baby blue. It just wasn’t our style so we promptly painted it a StyleMutt favorite: Swiss Coffee.

The white allows the warm tones in the wood and the leather to pop.

The white walls also showcase the many green accents we have sprinkled around the room - the emerald velvet curtains, the pops in our artwork, and our little succulent garden.

Hanging directly across from our bed where I can look at it every day is our Laura Gunn Still canvas print - a dreamy colorscape of all my favorite moody greens. Don’t mind Thor #theotherstylemutt, the bedroom is equally his domain.

The bedroom has been finished for a few months now, but the DIYed headboard was the perfect special occasion to finally do a full room tour.

This was my first time trying to miter “properly” - using the right tools and mostly the right methods.  And I have to say, I’m darn proud of myself! 

I mitered the top corners and used a simple butt joint for the bottom brace. Then I slung some of my favorite leather across the frame and stapled it in place on the backside. 

They angles might not be perfect, but they’re pretty close for a first try. 

He could care less, but I love how the leather brings out the auburn in Thor’s coloring.

Well on that note I guess I’ll let this little guy get his nap. That leaves only one last project on the Flip List - here’s hoping I won’t slack off for the rest of the year!

Six down, One to go. Catch up on the 2018 Furniture Flip Bucket List:

Wood Pulls Dresser

Meet the new workshop.  It’s pretty much the same as the whole workshop - but it's the main reason for my blog radio silence for the last 2 months.  Since April, Caleb and I have been in the throes of moving into a new rental townhouse (pics of that to come I promise!).  Besides the usual packing/ unpacking, we've been putting a lot of sweat equity into the new place (huge shout-out to my paint crew AKA Chelsea and fam!) which has also entailed aking a crash course in drywall to transform the unfinished garage into a suitable new workspace.  

Finally, we’ve got most of the major projects done and I can start accumulating inventory again - starting with this one!

I asked you on Instagram if I should paint or restore and got mixed results so the people pleaser that I am, I decided to do both ;)

Sometimes I can’t bring myself to paint beautiful wood that’s still in good condition.

So instead I re-oiled the drawer fronts and did my new favorite take on two-tone and painted the outer surfaces.

Yes you called it - I used my favorite “Black Boudoir” by Behr yet again.  I mean just look at how moody and inky these other pieces turned out?!? It’s hard not to like.

Pieces featuring "Black Boudoir" by Behr Marquee


 

This extra-long beast has sx drawers and a cabinet in the center with three shelves.

The interior shelving make it an ideal media center or TV stand because you can simply close the cabinet door when you want to hide your electronics.

I had a hard time deciding what to do with the knob on the center cabinet door.  The original pull was a fancy floret and read a little too traditional.  After a quick poll on social media, I decided to go with the clear winner - an antique brass knob that has similar contemporary lines to the unique wood pulls on the drawers.  

I'm in love with the organic lines of the pulls and the Mid Century Modern tapered legs!

This piece’s styling is brought to you by my dad’s vintage record collection (which heavily favors Bruce Springsteen I might add).

And for a touch of brass - my favorite little “pocket change” tray.

More pics to follow of the rest of our new place (but please let me get back into a cleaning routine first!) - ha!  #letsbereal

Dark Wood-Pulls Dresser
Now Available for Sale
74” W x 19” D x 30.5” H
$745


If you are interested in this piece or a custom order like it, email me at cate@stylemutthome.com