Tag: Classic Decor

HOME: COASTAL FALL DECOR

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“I can smell autumn dancing in the breeze. The sweet chill of pumpkin, and crisp sunburnt leaves.” 

Autumn is officially here! I love the chilly mornings that turn into warm afternoons. I love sipping hot coffee while wearing a cozy oversized cardigan. I love the smell of leaves and the sound of geese flying overhead, heading south for the winter. I love picking out apples and pumpkins at the local orchards. And I love the brilliant colors that come with the changing of the leaves. As much as I love summer, fall in Ohio is truly something magical and will always hold a special place in my heart.

I’m not a huge seasonal decorator, but I do enjoy decorating for fall. With my blue and white, coastal aesthetic, sometimes that can be challenging, seeing as the colors associated with fall are reds, oranges, yellows, and browns. Today I’m breaking down how I decorate for fall to match my coastal vibe.

Stick to your current color scheme.

If you want to stay true to your coastal aesthetic, you have to stick to the colors already in your space. I choose to decorate with pumpkins in shades of blue and white since my home is based around those colors. You can also go with a softer color palette (light blues and greens, grays, tans, creams) if that’s the vibe you already have in your space.

White pumpkins can easily be found, but blue is a bit more difficult. Last year I found some blue and white napkins and paper mâchéd some old glitter pumpkins. You can also order white pumpkins in bulk from places like Amazon and Target.

Choose natural textures. 

This can be in the form of woven pumpkins, corn husk pumpkins, straw grass, wooden pumpkins, etc. Staying true to a coastal vibe with natural elements will keep the flow and easily transition your space into a cozy fall sanctuary. Target has some awesome options this season that are perfect for a coastal home. I’m looking to add this pretty herringbone woven one to my collection.

You can find some really unique coastal inspired fall decor by shopping Etsy, following artists with a coastal vibe, or making your own like I did with the paper mâché pumpkins.

Shop some of my fall decor:

Happy decorating!

Slainte,

Shannon

HOME: AT HOME WITH JAYE’S STUDIO

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One of my favorite places to shop for home decor is Jaye’s Studio.  Based in New England, Jaye’s Studio has a perfectly curated collection of classic, bright, and preppy products.  The attention to detail makes this brand unique and their products one-of-a-kind.  I love their beautiful and high quality pieces for the home, but I also love their pajama collection, which is bold, bright ,and so comfy! 

Jaye’s Studio was kind enough to gift me the Staffies Enamel Oliver Tray from their new summer line and I’m in love.  This is the sweetest tray and is the perfect size for any vanity, end table, bookshelf, or countertop – basically it’s perfect for anywhere in your home.  Use it to style pretty items or use it as a catch-all.  EIther way, it will only enhance the beauty of your home.  And, the gorgeous unique staffies design is so pretty! I love the blue and white paired with the cute staffy puppies.  It’s seriously so perfectly preppy in every way.  (This print is also available in pajamas and napkins.)

Today I’ve styled this adorable tray three ways: on a bedroom end table, a living room coffee table, and on the kitchen counter. Check out the images below for some ideas on how you can style this pretty tray too! And don’t forget to use the code SHANNON15 for 15% off your order.

Bedroom End Table

I kept the styling of this example simple for our master bedroom end table with a small vase of fresh flowers and my favorite vase of sea glass. This ultra feminine look is timeless and chic and would brighten up anyone’s morning.

Living Room Coffee Table

This tray is perfect in my living room. I kept the styling simple with a single fresh hydrangea and a lovely smelling candle. All of these details create a welcoming ambiance, which is perfect for the living room as it’s the first room a guest enters when they come into our home.

Kitchen Counter

I’m using the tray in a completely different way for the kitchen. This tray is 10”12” and makes for a perfect cheese and cracker tray, a cocktail tray, or even a tray full of your favorite desserts! Use it at your next small gathering, book club event, or even on your deck or poolside while sipping your favorite cocktail.

Happy shopping!

Slainte,

Shannon

HOME: TODDLER GIRL ROOM

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One of the biggest projects we are tackling this spring is converting our current guest room/catch all room into Lilly’s big girl room.  The nursery is already blue and white, so I really don’t have to do much besides swap out some artwork and the wall of wallpaper to make it original to baby brother.  Thankfully that leaves me more time to spend on making Lilly’s room special for her.  

My inspiration for this room is really coming from two sources. The first is from Caitlin Wilson Design. This is one of my favorite interior designers to follow and in the past year she launched a kids collection that is full of preppy florals and bows. The entire collection is just darling. Because we have so many home projects and a new baby on the way, I’m trying to be economical about my purchases. I may only buy a one or two pieces from the Caitlin Wilson line, but most of the items I purchase will be inspired by their beautiful style.

The second form of inspiration is Lilly herself.  Lilly is quite the vivacious two year old who is just so full of life.  She is such a bright light in our lives and I want her room to reflect her bold, lively nature.  Lilly and I both chose this gorgeous, bright floral watercolor wallpaper for one wall in her room.  Lilly’s favorite colors are purple and blue and this watercolor is the perfect blend of her favorite colors. The walls are currently white with a white chair rail down the middle.  I want to keep the room bright, but I do want some color.  I’m going to pull the lightest shade of pink from the wallpaper and paint the upper half of the walls in this color, which turns out is a sweet light pink – a perfect representation of Lilly’s sweet side.  

Because I feel sort of bad about kicking Lilly out of the nursery (she loves her room!), I’m trying to make her big girl room as special as possible.  So I’ve been asking her to help me in some of the decisions, like the wallpaper and paint colors.  I’ve been showing her options for bedding and artwork and I let her choose her favorites (for a two and a half year old she is very in tune to what she likes!). 

Below is a mood board I quickly created to help visual the direction I’m going with the room. Although the colors are slightly different from the Caitlin Wilson Designs, I think the direction I’m going still matches the floral, girly, and classic look of the Caitlin Wilson rooms that I love so much, but match Lilly’s beautiful personality.

Floral Wallpaper | Toddler Bed | Caitlin Wilson Quilt |  Floral Pillow | Lavender Bedding | White Dresser | Lamp | Floral Artwork 

Slainte,

Shannon

HOME: SERENA AND LILY INSPIRED KITCHEN TABLE

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I find coastal home decor inspiration everywhere.  Whether I’m scouring Pinterest, checking out other bloggers with a coastal style, or google searching “coastal home decor,” the one brand that never fails to inspire me is Serena and Lily.  I will sit for hours and study their catalogues (one of the few print catalogues I still get in the mail!).   Known for their coastal yet refined style, Serena and Lily is an absolute favorite among people who love that easy breezy, casual, and classic style associated with living along the coast.  Everything they design is always so welcoming, something I always strive for in my own home. 

When Rob and I realized we quickly needed to upgrade our pub style kitchen table to one that would accommodate Lilly, I grabbed all my Serena and Lily catalogues and spent hours looking for inspiration. Our kitchen in general is small. Our house was built in the late 1970’s, and although many modern improvements have been made, the rooms are small and the ceilings are low. I knew we were limited in the space we had for a kitchen table.

I found a few round, white tables from Serena and Lily (here and here) that I absolutely fell in love with. Unfortunately, my bank account cannot support the steep prices of this brand, so I took the advice of my friend Claire from Home With the Wileys: I identified the elements of the piece of furniture I loved and started shopping around on sites I knew we could afford (Wayfair, Target, Birch Lane, Pottery Barn, One Kings Lane, etc.) After several weeks, I found an almost identical style to the table I wanted at Birch Lane, at a much happier price point (sadly I can’t link it because it’s already sold out!).

The table arrived within three days, and although it took a little getting used to, I have come to love this table. It’s the perfect fit for our space. The white brightens up the space and the simple, modern style helps the space feel larger.

For the chairs, I knew I loved the Serena and Lily Tucker Dining Chairs in white. I love this classic look of a chair – reminds me of early American life (think Williamsburg). These spindle chairs are easy to shop for and I originally found some I liked at Target. But after two different shipments of damaged chairs and having to deal with the hassle of sending them back, I decided to start the process over again.

I had been eyeing some of these wood spindle chairs on Overstock from the Safavieh line and on a whim, we decided to try these in a curved back instead of the upright back. And oh my gosh. We LOVE these chairs. I think I love them more than the table. They arrived in three days and were UNDAMAGED. Plus, it took Rob about ten minutes total to assemble them. WIN.

I absolutely love the classic, coastal, and casual feel we created in our kitchen nook. The white brightens up the space so much and the clean lines help the space feel larger. I wanted this space to be a space where we hang out as a family and share special meals. Already, it’s one of our most used spaces and I’m so happy with it.

Although I love the Serena and Lily style so much, at this point in our lives we need to be more economical with our purchases. For anyone else in the same boat, you can absolutely get the Serena and Lily look for less. Just be specific in what you are looking for and you will find it. Thank you Serena and Lily for the endless inspiration. Someday I dream of owning one of your beautiful pieces!

Slainte,

Shannon

HOME: CHAISE LOUNGE REVIEW

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I’ve been dreaming of a chaise lounge for our living room for about two or three years now.  After much pestering on my part, I finally convinced Rob it was time to splurge on a new piece of furniture.  And let me tell you.  My dream chaise lounge was worth the wait. 

I had saved tons of pins on Pinterest of chaise lounges that I loved, but I always came back to one in particular. Classic in style with blue and white stripes, the Wittrock Chaise Lounge was shopped on a daily basis for months and months. I was that in love with it. And having lived with it for almost a week now, I can say that I am still in love with this chair!

When I love something, I know right away. The minute we unpackaged this chair and put it in its rightful place, I knew it would be my favorite seat in the house. Somehow my cute little mini me has taken it over though and most days I hear, “Mama’s new chair now Lilly’s new chair.” I think that little affirmation says it all. We love our new chair.

Because a new piece of furniture is always an investment, I’m sharing my honest thoughts based on price, quality, and style.

Wittrock Chaise Lounge

Price

Like I said earlier, I shopped around looking at chaise lounges from various retailers. I always came back to the Wittrock Chaise Lounge from Birch Lane mostly because of style, but also because of price. Retailing between $960-$1100, this chaise lounge is pretty middle of the road when it comes to price. It seemed like the best value for the size and plushness. And it’s definitely a customer favorite which helped in my decision. Shopping hint: it does go on sale once or twice a year, so when I saw it was on sale for Labor Day, I clicked that purchase button before Rob could change his mind!

Quality

One week in and I’m thrilled with the quality. It’s sturdy and solid. The upholstery is beautiful and very high quality. Comfort wise it’s just what I hoped for. Lilly and I can comfortably be together and read books, with me sometimes starting to doze it’s that comfy. Already we have had cheese curl fingers, mud, and glitter make its way to my new favorite chair and all three times I’ve been easily able to clean it up. We will see how it holds up after a few months of heavy traffic.

Style

Style wise I love this chair. It’s the perfect coastal, Serena and Lily vibe I was hoping for. It’s classic in shape and perfect in size for our space. We were debating between the stripes and gray and I’m so glad we went with the stripes. It really brightens up our living room and the stripes will never go out of style. A+++ for the style!

I can’t speak highly enough about this chair. Luckily shipping was a breeze too (we didn’t experience any damages, which has not historically been the case when we’ve ordered furniture). I’m aware we have only had this chair for a week, but if you are in the market for a chaise lounge and have questions about this particular one, please feel free to message me and I will answer your questions as best I can.

Now excuse me while I go curl up with a cup of coffee and watch Lilly play. 

Slainte,

Shannon

HOME: FALL-ING FOR BLUE & WHITE

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I love our home in the spring and summer.  The blue and white color scheme always feels so fresh and calming.  I love the peaceful vibe that the coastal details provide.  But, come fall and winter, I struggle big time with decorating.  I enjoy the cozy aesthetic that these two seasons bring, but sometimes I struggle to combine the darker and muted shades of fall and winter with my bright blue and white.  

When it comes to fall decor, I will spend hours studying Pinterest for ideas. I’ve tried so many times to decorate using the traditional orange, yellows, and reds that come with fall, but it just never looks right in our home. And the same goes for Christmas decor – the traditional red and green just don’t spark that joy for me.

So I’ve completely switched to fall decor that is blue and white (I’ll occasionally throw in a mini orange pumpkin, mostly for L).  This post is for anyone struggling to find a nice balance of mixing your vibe with seasonal decor, I’m providing some ideas that have worked for me.  Please remember, I am not an expert in interior design – I just enjoy decorating our home and making it aesthetically pleasing to my eye.  

Ideas for Blue and White Seasonal Fall Decor

Patterned Pumpkins: This year I made patterned blue and white pumpkins using a little Mod Podge and cocktail napkins and they turned out so cute! A fellow Instagrammer who I follow posted how to do this easy DIY project and you can find it here.

Colorful Pumpkins: Consider switching to ceramic pumpkins. Many retailers offer pumpkins in different colors and it’s a lot easier to find blue pumpkins than in year’s past. I’ve also seen green, pink, gold, purple – the options are endless!

Candles: Candles can easily transform your space into the cozy vibe that we associate with fall. I prefer to use tall, skinny candlesticks in varying heights. I have a few of these types of candlesticks in white, but purchasing some in gold or brass would be perfect for fall.

Colorful Plaid: As I learned in Scotland, plaid doesn’t have to be your traditional reds, dark greens, oranges, or browns.  Plaid comes in so many different color options.  Consider finding a plaid blanket with blue, gray, or even purple.  Like the candlesticks, it will add an extra element of cozy. 

Wheat Sheaves/Ornamental Grass: If you aren’t big on fall florals, wheat sheaves and ornamental grass or even a eucalyptus plant are a good alternative. Find some beautiful pottery or a vase in shades of blue, gray, and white and you are good to go.

A few other thoughts.  I actually think that seasonal decorations can be expensive and some years I don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on pumpkins and gourds.  My mom always tells me to add a few new pieces to our collection each year and eventually we will have enough seasonal decor to fill the house.   We’ve been in our house for four years now and I have enough fall decor to decorate our living room and dining room (the two rooms we use the least haha!).  

Another idea – Target and Amazon offer bulk plastic pumpkins in white for super cheap. I bought a few bags of these and I love to throw them in a decorative bowl. This year I actually found some nautical rope pumpkins so I ordered two for our family room!

And finally, I like to decorate our bookshelves with blue and whtie pumpkins. But it can feel crowded, so I lay out all my pumpkins and take everything off the shelves and completely re-style them. Anything left over goes into a plastic tote and I’ll bring it back out for spring and summer. Having the pumpkins mixed in with the books adds an unexpected touch.

Now, if someone could help me decorate our fireplace that has a baby proof foam edge protector surrounding it, please send your ideas my way!!

Happy Fall! 

Slainte,

Shannon