Summer Kitchen Vignette

I'm all about summer color in my home this year. I have no idea why, but I needed it asap once the thought entered my head! The easiest and most inexpensive way to make a change is by creating a vignette on a tabletop, mantel or kitchen counter with fresh florals. I decided a new arrangement on my counter would be the most visible spot since I'm always in the kitchen. Except for the green milk glass I found at Target and just had to have, everything else is what I had on hand. The best part is I can easily change the florals and/or fruit to create a completely different look. Hot pink orchids and lemons for a tropical look? Pale pink roses and macaroons for a romantic look? There are so many possibilities!

I'm also working on a couple of other summer vignettes around the house this weekend. You can see my latest projects on Instagram!

Kitchen Refresh

I think almost everyone can agree that our homes feel so bare when the Christmas decor gets put away. There are a few things in most rooms I'm ready to tweak a little this month. Even though I'm in the middle of remodeling our home office, I stopped and picked up a few things for my kitchen. Luckily, I knew exactly what I wanted and it was easy to make a couple of stops to pick up a few things one afternoon in between looking at paint and wallpaper. My husband's Christmas gift to me was a new coffee machine so naturally I needed a new coffee bar. I tried to put one together with everything I had on hand, but I really needed just a few more things so I wasn't running all over the kitchen to make my coffee in the morning. I am not a morning person!

My husband bought me a Jura that grinds whole beans and makes my espresso, coffee or cappuccino at the touch of a button. I needed a small cup to froth my milk, a place to hide my sweet n'low, a sugar bowl for the people not on a diet (I know nothing about that!) and a place for my stirring spoons.


The Jura really is the star of the show. I can't even begin to tell you how amazing this coffee tastes. I've made lattes, coffee, espresso and cappuccinos. The cappuccinos are definitely my favorite. I'm also hoping using 2% milk and a Sweet n' Low will be better than the 280 calories worth of creamer (I measure and die a little) I normally put in my coffee every morning. I realized the reason I was putting so much creamer in my coffee is because the coffee was subpar in my traditional drip coffee to say the least. Keurig was even worse! I can almost drink it black out of this machine. It wasn't me! It was the coffee! Next time you visit Sur La Table or Williams Sonoma try this coffee. They usually give free samples. I know it's expensive, but if you are a coffee connoisseur like me you will have an epiphany...or as Oprah says an aha moment. If you like the coffee buy it at Bed, Bath and Beyond. You can use your 20% off coupon!

I found the two tiered tray on clearance at Homegoods for $18! I can't believe it, but it wasn't even damaged. The coffee gods were smiling down on me that day. It's a very feminine look that I could easily change up if one of the four males in my house complains one day. I decided since it was hidden in a corner of the kitchen it wouldn't be such a big deal. Unsurprisingly, no one even noticed there was a change.

The blue and white pieces are from my china set. The sugar bowl and creamer cup that holds the gold spoons are from Anthropologie. The gold spoons were also a Homegoods find.

I didn't change too much in the rest of the kitchen, but I added fresh flowers and that made a world of difference.

I also added a marble and gold cutting board very similar to the two tiered coffee tray behind the stove. I felt there was a bit too much wood there.

My obligatory shot of Mario. He was not moving from the sofa when I was taking pictures. This is us having a stare down.

Early Fall Decorating

Happy first day of fall! I love to decorate for the seasons, but it's hard to get into the spirit when it's 90 degrees outside. I opted for peach, pink, gray and white instead of traditional autumn colors. The peaches and pinks I introduced are fresh florals so it will be easy to change to darker colors if I choose once the weather turns cool. Right now I am loving these pretty peach roses with my velvet pumpkins.

More peach and gray in the breakfast room.

I used fresh eucalyptus and pumpkins in the dining room. The runner helps protect the table from the greenery. Last year I had made arrangements in urns, but I realized no one sitting at the table would be able to see each other over them so I kept this year's table a little more low key.

When I think of decorating for fall the first thing that comes to mind is adding coziness. Candles, throws, and pillows are the most important elements in my living room.

All I need now is for the weather to turn cooler so I can use the fireplace!

How I Blended Styles and Open Rooms

Summer is flying by here! I can't believe it's almost July 4th. My kids have kept me so busy since I stopped working a couple of weeks ago, but it's been so much fun to watch them play sports and spend more time with them. I can't say I'm getting much accomplished around the house yet. Hopefully, that will change soon because I have a lot of decorating projects and organizing to do. 

I did start organizing the kitchen cabinets the other day and decided to re-arrange my countertop decor too. I added more wood elements to warm up the kitchen with new cutting boards and a tray from another room. That tray was just calling out for a pretty orchid and the color feels like summer to me. 

I ended up moving the vase. I've been getting a little tired of the blue and white accessories lately and it was taking up a lot of counter space. The pineapple trend is one I love and roses by the sink always makes me happy.

One of the things I'm very conscience about is making sure my kitchen decor matches the rest of my house since it's so open. It could end up very farmhouse/cottage if I'm not careful. My living room has several modern touches and my breakfast room still holds the cottage style furniture from my old house. The kitchen has to perform a balancing act to marry all three spaces together. You can see how all three spaces flow together in the next few pictures.

One day I'll work on the breakfast room. I've already decorated it a million times in my mind, but when I look at the price for six drapery panels I break out in a cold sweat. Right now I'm thinking pinch pleated black and white riad fabric would be perfect. I'm sure I will change my mind by the time I get around to it!

I have rustic, light wood in each room to keep the spaces from being too modern. As much as I love the look of an all modern space my style flip flops too much to commit to one style so this is a good compromise. 

I have to admit that sometimes I dream of a silver and gold vent hood, modern pendant lighting and backsplash for the kitchen, and a contemporary coffee table. Then, I see a beautiful traditional space on IG or Pinterest and the planning starts all over again!

Christmas Kitchen and Hot Cocoa Bar

My Christmas kitchen is pretty much the same as last year's, but with a few changes to the hot cocoa bar. I just love the way the blue and white vases look with the red poinsettias.

Even though my kids drink cocoa almost daily in the winter I didn't realize how much they would love having all the toppings and Christmas cups out last year. I improved it a bit and bought marshmallows, candy canes and m&ms. The m&ms never made it into the container because the boys ate them all before I could blink. I'll be running by the store this weekend for chocolate and red/green sprinkles at their request too. I obviously need to buy twice the amount of anything that has sugar in it. This isn't the best picture, but I just love the little gingerbread house I bought at Hobby Lobby too. I had a few gaps to fill from last year because some of the pieces are now in the upper glass cabinets. 

The view from the living room.

And the most festive of them all!

This picture never gets old! I am going to try and take a new one this year if I can find something cute. You can tell by his face how much he loves it!

New Kitchen Pendants

The kitchen pendant lights have been a thorn in my side since even before I moved into the new house. I had my heart set on pendants that were just too modern so I decided to wait until I found something I liked just as much. I found ones I loved even more and then realized they were way out of my budget. Ahhhh! I finally decided to take my husband's advice and to just pick something. I took the vision of French gold chandys out of my head and started from scratch. I finally found something I liked that goes with the rest of the lighting in the house and at a really good price. I'm thrilled with the way they look now that they are finally hung up!

 

It's hard to see in the picture, but there are bits of antique brass that bind the iron circles together for a bit more interest. 

 



And some closer details of the Christmas décor.

My first hot cocoa bar! The kids love it.

So does Jingle the elf.

 

 

He's hanging out here today.

 



And a picture from the living room to the kitchen. You might notice I bought a new end table and coffee table. It was just delivered before we went out of town for the weekend so I'm still working on the accessories. Once that's finished I'll show you more pictures.

I also had a china cabinet delivered for the dining room that I'm working on filling up.  It's an exciting time as everything is starting to come together!

Kitchen Trends: Rustic Elegance

I love a classic white kitchen, but I noticed a trend toward neutral colors like taupe and gray a few years ago. Now, I'm seeing natural woods in lighter finishes in either cabinetry or ceiling beams, too. I'm happy to see kitchens that are still light and bright, but a bit warmer.

This is one of my favorites. I love the gray wood that is balanced by light walls and counters. The subway tile is an updated version of the classic white we are so used to seeing. It gives this room just the right amount of sparkle.

 

 

 

I am completely in love with this herringbone backsplash.

This kitchen is still classic and white. The beams give it just enough warmth.

 

 

The styles of these kitchens are all so different, but every one of them are warm and inviting. I still love a good classic white kitchen, but I have added warmer wood tones through my decor the past year.

 

 

 

It's an easy way to switch things up without a full kitchen remodel. What do you think of these warmer toned kitchens?





 

State of the Kitchen

There are many times I am reminded of why I don't spend a lot of money on furniture and décor in my home. Between three boys and a dog something gets broken or stained several times a week. One of the last things to bite the dust were my counter stools in the kitchen. They do get heavy use since it's my kids favorite spot to eat and do homework. If you remember, the seats were a natural woven material. My kids have a habit of fidgeting when they do homework and would pull on the strands without even realizing they were tearing the seats apart. Sometimes I just throw my leg over their lap to keep their hands and legs still while they read their homework passages. If they started fidgeting too much they would fall over and take the stool with them. That's called karma, kiddos! I kept trimming the loose strands with scissors, but the final straw was a huge, thick red stain that looked a lot like spaghetti sauce covering one of the seats. How does that even happen? If you have kids, you know there are some stains you look at and decide that it's not worth the trouble to clean. So, I was on the hunt for new counter stools that would be completely kid-proof. I laughed at the upholstered seats. I cringed at the thin, metal industrial stools that already have several dents in them just sitting on the store shelf. I finally settled on an industrial stool from World Market.

The seats are wood so they are easy to clean and dark enough to hide any minor stains. I love how heavy and stable they are, too. I'm hoping the kids won't fall over so easily. The best part is they can swivel in circles to make the stool higher instead of having to sit on their knees when doing homework. They do tend to swivel back and forth as they are fidgeting during homework time, but that's better than falling off the stool or yanking the seat apart. Yes, my kids are a mess!

I do like the way the stools look in the kitchen, too. The wood seat just adds another layer of warmth in my mostly white kitchen.

The wood doesn't match perfectly with the dining chairs, but it's definitely close enough. You might notice a few other minor changes around the kitchen. 

 

The blue Le Creuset utensil organizer next to the stovetop adds color and even another way to add natural wood grain with the spoons.

I added a bit of fall to the kitchen with items I already had around the house. Bath & Body Works Leaves candle is still my absolute favorite scent.

That is a new Dash and Albert kitchen rug. My other blue striped one got a big snag in it when I put it in the dryer. I started air drying this one and it only takes a couple of hours to get it mostly dry. I do like the smaller blue stripes better anyway.

 

A wide shot of the kitchen and breakfast room from the living room.

 

I can't believe it's been almost four years since I gave this kitchen a facelift. It looks better and homier every year as I slowly tweak it. It can be a bit tight in here with a family of five. If it were just about five feet wider I could add one or two more stools at the island. It functions really well for the most part and it's just one of those rooms that feels good. Maybe that's why everyone gravitates here? I know it can't be my cooking!