Hello all! I'm so excited to share our summer home with a bunch of other talented bloggers today and all week long!
I'll share all the links at the end of the post so you can follow along all week if you'd like.
Welcome to our home!
I don't do a ton of themed summer decorating, but I do add some touches here and there to freshen up our house this time of year. I shared our new and improved living room yesterday and it just feels like summer to me. So light and bright -- I'm SO happy with it!
The blue dresser and white lamps are fresh and pretty. I can't remember where I found the plastic coral but I love it under the glass dome:
I've been meaning to download some prints for those frames for for almost two years now, but sticking scrapbook paper inside was much quicker and easier. :) I already had the book of paper so it was a great way to fill these without spending any money. I am a non-scrapbooker who is totally obsessed with everything scrapbooking.
Back when I trimmed out these windows I took down the drapes and never put them back up:
I love having them open and letting the trimwork shine. And no drapes means even more natural light, which I always say is nature's best accessory.
This corner used to be full of furniture before the rearranging that happened last week. We'd like to add a couple matching chairs to this room eventually, but for now the gray chair is a nice comfy spot:
I've had that ottoman for years -- I think it was from Meijer? The natural rattan is a perfect addition for summer. (I keep it around all year, it just looks especially good during the warmer months.) ;)
Because I'm so thrilled with this "new" space, I have to share one more picture and then we'll move on:
You had to know Colby would show up at some point, right?
I tend to pick up more plants this time of year as well -- for both inside and out. I've had this ficus for years and it's survived being moved -- even though I hear they hate that. I doesn't really grow much though -- it's stayed this size for years now:
At least it's not dead. Small victories! I have a small thing with putting plants in baskets. I do it a lot -- I just think it gives them more weight in a room. And that way I can buy really cheapy pots that aren't the prettiest. Those can get crazy expensive (more than a basket).
I haven't shared this angle of our front living room for a long time:
Yeah I was kidding. One more picture. :) Those tall ceilings were what sold us on this model the second we walked in. I never guessed they would stump me so very much when it came to decorating!
Next up I want to trim out those upper windows -- and I may be paying someone else do do that cause that's entirely too high and terrifying for this girl.
Our former dining room has undergone many transformations over the years but now that it's a "library" it (most likely) won't change again. I know better to say never. ;)
We changed it up because we never used the formal dining room -- we were pretty sure we'd use it more if we could relax in this room. And we were right. We sit down in here all the time!
It's such a lovely spot to sit and talk or read. I finished a book in one day over Christmas break sitting right here:
The built ins are still one of my favorite additions I've ever made to our house. I never tire of it and the storage is fantastic!:
And like many spots that are accessorized in our house -- once I get it the way I like it, it rarely changes. ;)
Years ago my son and I took an old canvas artwork I didn't love anymore and painted over it with some leftover blue paint. I'm still a little surprised it turned out so pretty:
We don't have any expensive artwork in our home, but this one I will treasure forever. And it was free. :)
Tearing the carpet off our stairs was one of the best (and craziest) decisions I've ever made:
It's also one of the cheapest -- I only spent $50 in supplies to finish it off after I was done pulling all the carpet. The investment was in the time (and a few tears after pulling out hundreds of staples).
Last year we decided to take down a wall in the family room (instead of adding on which was CRAZY expensive). The wall separated our family room and my office and it opened up the space a ton! It took a few months start to finish (we hired the big stuff out and then I finished up the details) and we LOVE it!:
My favorite part of this room is the fireplace with built ins. And that dreamy herringbone tile:
My latest DIY project in this great room was painting the back doors last week:
It was highly annoying, but I'm glad it's done. The doors look so good in black. But I think ALL doors look good in black. :)
A dream of mine came true when we took down that wall in the family room -- we made a few other changes that allowed for a built in seat in our kitchen bay window:
It is so dreamy. :)
It's crazy that we used to have our little kitchen table in that spot -- since we gained so much space during the reno we were able to move where we eat.
Not only did our family room get much bigger, but our kitchen doubled in size too:
Our kitchen is undergoing a slow DIY reno this year. So far along with the window seat, I've extended our kitchen island and built in our fridge as well:
I'm hoping by this Christmas the kitchen will be complete. Actually, who am I kidding -- I'm just hoping it's done by next year's summer tour. :)
Thanks so much for joining me on a walk through our home! Our home and sharing my projects with you all is my passion -- I'm so thankful I get to do what I do.
Please visit the other talented ladies on the tour today!
And here's the line up for the rest of the week...
Monday:
A Stroll Thru Life (our lovely host!)
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
