The Patio Series: Bright and Whimsical

The past few weeks have been devoted to getting my patio ready for spring and summer. I am so close to being finished! I am enjoying our new seating area by the pool every morning with my coffee and a glass of wine in the evening. There's nothing I love more than sitting outside with a great view when the weather is nice. The kids also join us without even having to ask them to grace us with their presence. That's nothing short of a miracle now that they're at the tween/teen age!

I noticed when shopping online the Palm Beach/Palm Springs look is very popular right now. I just love the mix of bright colors and retro furniture. This Palm Beach inspired photo from Ballard Designs is so fun and colorful. The banana leaf print and blush color have come back full force lately. You can always safely invest in striped cushions or umbrellas because they will never go out of style!

I remember visiting Palm Beach years ago when we lived in Florida. I didn't know much about it at the time since I was younger, but I immediately fell in love with the homes, the ocean and Worth Avenue of course.

The Breakers

Lilly Pulitzer is the epitome of Palm Beach style! I just love the new line at Pottery Barn.

I always look forward to Frontage's outdoor catalog for inspiration. Most of the furniture is out of my price range, but some of the decor items are reasonably priced, especially with their 20-30% off coupons. This Palm Springs look is making me want to jump on a plane and turn on my Frank Sinatra playlist.

Actually, I am headed to Palm Springs this summer. We have golfers in my family! The retro hotels and pools could not be more adorable. I absolutely love The Parker Hotel, but it's not feasible to stay there with kids. That doesn't mean we can't visit for lunch!

The younger boys will love the lemonade stand.

Palm Beach and Palm Springs are very similar in style, aren't they? Palm Springs is mid-century modern and Palm Beach is more traditional, but they are both colorful. The takeaway is to look for stripes, brights, pagoda style umbrellas, banana leaf prints and maybe add a flamingo for fun. Don't forget the serving and drink ware for entertaining!

SHOP THE LOOK

Meet Jennifer and FAQs

Welcome! I'm Jennifer, an interior designer in the suburbs of Houston. I'm a mom of three teen boys, and a shih-tzu named Mario. I mostly share my home projects, but you may see the boys pop up here once in a while. They are a little camera shy since hitting the teen years. I also occasionally post fashion, recipes or a family life update.

How CSH Began

Classic Style Home was created in 2012 to share my own home and life. It began as a creative outlet, and a place to share DIY projects to friends and neighbors. I was constantly asked in real life how I did a project, and since I already loved reading blogs it just made sense to start my own.

FAQ:

What color are your walls and trim?

Walls-PPG Paints in Shark, Trim-PPG Paints in Delicate White. You can now find PPG Paints at Home Depot. 

Who built your home?

Darling Homes

Who built your pool?

Mitchell Pools in Montgomery, Texas

How can I shop your Instagram?

Click on the "Shop my Instagram" tab at the top of this blog.

Why isn't everything linked?

I link items through the LTK app. If the company isn't affiliated with them I am not able to link it. However, I do try to provide a non-commissionable link on my blog. 

How tall are you/clothing size?

I am 5'3.5. The half inch is important! I am an XS in tops, a 0 in dresses and 25 in jeans. 

Can we see more client projects?

I mostly post updates in my Instagram stories because I am not the best at getting homes professionally photographed. I have also noticed most people would rather see my own home instead of client projects since their styles are so different. 

Do you do E-design?

Yes! You can contact me through my design website. Click "Design Services" on the right tab.

How did you get started in design?

I was asked to start staging by realtors. Those clients would ask me to help with their homes. I started off with small projects and it grew over the years to include remodels and commercial projects. I actually have a Bachelor's in Nursing! I never found the transition to design difficult. It could be because I started slow. 

Outdoor Terrace Update

I'm still working outside to get the pool area ready for spring, but I want to show you the progress so far.

I recently added these blue and white planters to each of the five stone terrace beams. I mixed hot pink petunias and sweet potato vines so the flowers would eventually cascade over the pots. I found the planters at Wal-Mart for under $15 each!

I know most people dress up Easter weekend for church or egg hunts. We decided to have brunch on our terrace for the second year in a row. Last year, the weather was so nice and we all enjoyed it by the pool. This year was no different! My boys prefer to stay at home, especially when it's early. My husband would much rather cook than go to a restaurant. I just want a place with great ambiance, and I'm okay with this view! These pictures were taken only a couple of weeks apart, but check out the difference in my roses. We also added these blue umbrellas the night before from At Home to provide a bit of shade from the late afternoon sun. My parents came over for dinner that evening, and we definitely wanted to be in the shade since it's already heating up here in Houston. Before dinner we had pina coladas by the pool. The breeze was amazing! It truly felt like we were at a resort.

I'm working on the lower area by the pool now. I just ordered a few items so I'm thinking the patio areas should be complete in a couple of weeks. The next step is to hire a landscaper for the yard. It will take several years to complete everything I have in mind since we have almost half an acre, but I'd love to get started with plantings by the fence line this spring. Stay tuned!

Classic Easter Tablescape

Here are all the details from my latest Easter tablescape you may have caught a glimpse of in my last post!

Blue and white chinoiserie with a trellis print in pastels...so classic.

I bought this wine for the pretty label, but it was actually good.

Bringing in color and ambiance with macaroons!

Trader Joe's flowers for the win!

SHOP THE POST

My Live TV Appearance: Houston Life

A local talk show called Houston Life contacted me recently to share two of my Easter tablescapes on live TV. Of course, I said yes! I had less than a week to prepare so I had to decide on an adult table and a kids table theme, and then shop for both in just a few days. It was absolutely chaotic, especially since I was working with clients at the same time!

Instead of being at the mercy of what the stores had left I decided to work with what I had on hand for the adult table, which meant my china and chinoiserie vases. I decided to look for a spring color to supplement the blue and white. Thankfully, everything goes with blue and white! I found the most beautiful blush chargers at Pottery Barn and went from there. I added napkins with a bit of pink, and then I repeated the color with macaroons, bejeweled eggs and rose wine because that's an inexpensive way to repeat a color. I eventually added a third color by with the addition of a green and white trellis runner and cabbage leaf bowls.

Here are impromptu shots over the weekend as I was putting it all together.

The second table was a kids table. I had nothing on hand for that one! I decided to let my imagination run with that one instead of pulling every kitschy kids item in a big chain store. Every viewer can do that with a few hundred dollars. That's not very inspiring since most of us aren't going to spend that kind of money, and the retail stores already have those displays set up. I decided on a vegetable patch theme with real produce. The huge leaves of mustard greens make a great table runner by the way! I piled on purple leaves, radishes and carrots. Then I went shopping for garden related items. I was thinking about anything galvanized, watering cans, and shovels. Of course there had to be a bunny in there too! I made this functional by adding a dessert tray and a kids craft area.

I love the ball glass to hold pencils and the basket to hold the kids craft. I also found a watering can and added a sunflower arrangement.

The kids dessert tray was decorated with moss and faux Easter eggs. It was so hard to keep the kids from eating all of this! I couldn't believe my luck when I found the cabbage placemat, vegetable salad plates and garden themed napkins at Pier 1.

Here it is all set up before the show!

It was a little nerve wracking because I was supposed to have two tables, but we ended up having to combine everything on one table. I wasn't sure if it would all fit! I even considered editing down the items or suggesting to cut the kids table, but the producer had already mentioned the decor in a teaser. Thankfully, I was able to get everything on there. All of that rushing ended up being a good thing in the end because I never had enough time to work myself up into being nervous in front of the camera. I had a wonderful host too that prompted me throughout the entire segment.

Click on the picture below for a link if you'd like to watch!

SHOP THE POST