Summer Tour Of Homes
Summer has not officially begun on the calendar, but it has in my house, both inside and out.
I have been eagerly anticipating the summer and was more than ready to make a few changes to bring a light and breezy vibe to to all the rooms in my house.
I love the spacious feeling of pared-down rooms all year round, but it is essential for me in the summer. Carefree living is what life is all about and I try to set up each room for low maintenance so I can spend more time enjoying the outdoors.
I always keep this quote from Alexandra Stoddard in my mind when thinking about how I choose items to decorate with:
“Life is too short to be the caretaker of the wrong details”
Over the winter months I decluttered many rooms and got rid of many un-needed items. I refreshed walls and trim with white paint so that I can add my favorite pops of color in any combination anywhere I want.
Just like a flower garden in bloom, I like the mix of many colors in every room.
This year I am favoring pink. I didn’t really plan it…it just happened. I shopped the house to make some changes and pink became the prominent color. I made these pillows to use on the floor last year, but they work just as well on my slipcovered sofa.
I keep the white slipcovers on the seating in my family room all year long. I like the casual beachy feel they bring to the decor. The pink throw is from Furbish Studio. It comes in many different colors. The basket is from HomeGoods. The driftwood tray on the ottoman is from Ross. The table is a thrift store find that I madeover a few years ago. I posted about it here.
The floral fabric on the pillows is from JoAnn Fabrics.
I adore pink peonies and have them in my garden. They don’t bloom until early June so in the meantime, I have these fake ones from Crate & Barrel in my foyer. Adding water to the vase helps make them look a bit more realistic.
I move this urn and boxwood globe from room to room. It is a classic accent that looks good anywhere I place it. I stenciled the wall using a stencil from Royal Designs Studio. Pattern: Allover Wall Stencil Marrakesh Large.
I made this pink cowhide skirt to cover my sewing machine table in my Studioffice earlier this spring. I am enjoying the positive energy it brings to the room.
The worktable side of my studioffice rarely looks this neat, it is usually filled with projects in progress. In the summer months the room gets filled with light most of the day which makes it the best place to work and take photographs of smaller projects.
I don’t collect items as a hobby, but do enjoy finding ways to repurpose them to use around my house in decorative ways. I used this glass doorknob as a pen holder for my desk.
My kitchen cabinets are basic builder grade that I painted white many years ago. I made feet for the cabinets using wood shelf brackets to make them look more customized. I made the bread board using the wood from an old desk. The mat is from Ballard Designs. The dishtowel is from JC Penney.
Fresh flowers on my kitchen counter always make me smile and keep the decor summer fresh and simple.
I recently finished updating my bedroom. I decorated this wall unit with my favorite things…
…photos of my daughters and framed DVD cover art from my favorite vintage movies…
…and baskets and pretty pink boxes to hide little bits and bobs that don’t have a place to call home.
This chair used to have a red cabbage rose design all over. I used fabric medium and paint to give it a new look. I am very happy with the results.
I used to have fabric bed hangings over my bed, but removed them to create an easy-to-take-care-of headboard using old doors and crown molding.
I like the look of adding a pretty shell on top of stacks of books. This one is on my bedside table.
I used glossy white paint and DIY chalk paint to transform this mirror and dresser with an upbeat vibe just in time for summer.
Adding little details, like this key tassel gives the dresser its own personality.
I gave the upstairs bath a color makeover simply by changing out the towels, fabric on the window valance, and shower curtain.
I haven’t changed anything in my guest room, but it is a room that does get used quite a bit over the summer. All the furnishings except for a new mattress are hand-me-downs that I made over to fit our needs. I made over the dresser with lettered gift wrap when I first started blogging.
Since my daughters are grown and out on their own, I took one of their unused bedrooms and made it into a fitness room. I love it! Both Ed and I use it 5 days a week. We take the weekends off in the summer to go bike riding.
We spend a lot of time in our backyard and deck during the summer. We got Polywood rockers last year and LOVE them! We ordered more pieces that have not been delivered yet. I will be posting about them soon.
To see more of my backyard, check out my Summer Home Tour from last year where I featured my backyard.
We entertain outside quite a bit in the summer and I have a system set up to get party-ready fast. I made a thrift store basket into an open drink cooler last summer.
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