Master Bedroom Refresh (Florida Home)

 

My master bedroom was in need of a refresh after six years in my new Florida home.  I didn’t dislike the room, but just wanted to bring the metal elements together after the addition of a pretty large barn door and its black hardware.  

By adding more modern black knobs to my perfectly fine dressers, the look was totally changed and updated. The white ceiling fan was also changed for a black, three blade, up to date style and the curtain hardware was easily changed from silver to black with a can of spray paint.

The biggest expense was a new black, taller and sleek iron headboard to replace the dated silver one with its more traditional elements.

The new quilt kept the same coastal blue and green colors and the space overall kept its cool, calming feel, but with a modern twist.  When you are happy with a room, but it has become dated in certain areas, small changes, without spending a lot of money, can make the decor fresh and new again. 

Happy Tuesday!

Life Lately

 

It’s the time of year in Florida where the season of visitors and snowbirds is coming to a close and we will be saying goodbye to friends until late fall.  It’s also the time of year where the heat begins to crank up and everything slows down a bit with less crowds and definitely a different pace for those of us who live here year around.  I have to admit, I enjoy the summer for that reason.  

Here is what I have been doing to finish out April.

My neighborhood golf group that I organize, held an end of season scramble on Tuesday and it turned out great.  There was a committee that handled the prizes and other details, so all I had to do was show up and golf.  My team tied for 2nd and had a lot of fun on the course.  The group will still golf all summer, but the numbers will be small and we will switch to mornings because of the heat.

One of our favorite things to do is head to the beach for happy hour.  All we do is grab chairs and a cooler and meet friends in a designated spot.  It’s casual and because we live so close to the beach, it can be spur of the moment.  Always fun and always beautiful.

Lastly, I haven’t shared some of the updates we have made to our Florida home.  It’s crazy that soon we will have the 4th anniversary of our move here.  Can you tell I love it more every year?

The two biggest updates are the custom barn door we added to the master bedroom/master bath and two new chairs to the living room to add more coastal color.  They also fit the space a bit better. We also added some custom tile work to the guest bath shower and had the vanity mirror framed in the master bath. It’s impossible to get good bathroom photos, but both add great finishing touches.

And, I found this arty glass and wood fish to place on top of my kitchen cabinets for another fun coastal focal point.

Happy Thursday!

What’s New (Coastal Decor)

 

I realized that it had been quite some time since I did a house update.  We passed our third anniversary in our new Florida home at the beginning of June and it has been a process of finding just the right pieces.  Also, we have made a few changes after living with things for a bit. Anyone who has built a home knows what a whirlwind process it can be when you are picking things out and it’s really hard to get everything exactly right. Of course the biggest change was putting in a pool, but this post is about that coastal decor with pops of color that I so love.

We hated the carpet in the bedrooms, even though we upgraded from builders grade, so recently we put tile in the master bedroom and the bedroom we use as a den/guest room.  The master has the same tile as the main areas of the house (large neutral squares and on the diagonal) and the guest bedroom/den has tile that looks like wood flooring.  We love both choices and added fun, colorful rugs as well.

The pendant lights we had in the kitchen were never a favorite, because they were too small for the space.  This was an easy change and I love the shape and the coastal look they bring.

Finally, we replaced a piece of furniture that was from our Michigan home and never looked quite right here in Florida.  Dark wood in the north fits, but not so much in a coastal home.  There is a furniture store we love in Sarasota that has custom painted pieces like sideboards and cabinets and we chose an eclectic painted cabinet for a nook area in our hallway.  I had a lot of fun filling the shelves with both purchased and found seashells.

Next up is redoing the other guest room and switching from twin beds to a queen.  

Happy Monday!

Florida House Tour - Some Changes

My philosophy in my new home has been to take my time and not add things just to fill the space, but to make sure it’s the right piece that fits. It’s about creating a calming place through minimalism. That means I resist going to Home Goods or looking at Wayfair, because of course I want all the things, but recently, I have made a few changes or completed a few rooms.  It’s a process, but for the most part, it is looking like I envisioned.

First, we ordered a comfortable chair that matches the couch in the living room, which gives us three chairs instead of two and is much better for entertaining.

A decorating dilemma has been that our master bath is directly off the master bedroom with no door separating the two spaces.  I like the openness, but I knew it needed something to add interest and some presence to the space. We put up crown molding and it turned out beautifully. I also brought in some coastal texture and style with a tall wicker basket, glass bottles, seashells and a palm leaf print.

Lastly, the guest room was the first room I finished when we moved in and I used a pin from Pinterest as my inspiration.  Recently, I have added some art from Etsy (Florida watercolor prints) and some comfy throws at the end of the twin beds to add a bit more coastal color.

My next project will be decorating the greatly expanded lanai surrounding the new pool with plants and accessories.  We think construction will start today and it will be a long process, but I’ll share as we go.

Happy Wednesday!

Oh Christmas Tree (and Christmas Card)

 

 

 

 

 

 

After moving to Florida and all the work of downsizing, I fight against bringing too much into the house again. It is especially tempting at Christmas and I have to make myself not go to Hobby Lobby. So far, I think I've been able to achieve a pretty good balance and really concentrate on the tree and the most sentimental and favorite items. I still put out my snow globe collection, but only the most special to me. Our nativity was my husband's mothers and it will always have a place in my home. And because every thing old is new again, my ceramic Christmas tree that was a wedding gift in 1982, is now coveted by all the millennials. The big change is that it's outside on my lanai.

My tree is new and much smaller than the tree I had in Michigan, where it needed to have height and drama in my foyer with a two story ceiling. I find this smaller tree perfect for this downsized house and so simple to decorate. My tree will never be pinterest worthy, but every ornament has a memory and that's how we like it. My favorite new ornament is a gift from my daughter and new son in law. It's a clear glass ball with their wedding invitation cut in strips and placed inside. I know, right!?

I do make my tree pretty and sparkle a bit by adding red and gold glass balls and silver and gold garland. To give it a touch of the coastal decor I use in my Florida home, I added a large starfish at the top and other large starfish scattered throughout the branches. This year I also added some small tourquoise ornaments and next year will look to add some large glass balls in the same color.

 

 

This was a special year for our family and my Christmas card reflects the joy in our daughter's wedding. Merry Christmas to all you lovely readers and I'll see you after the holidays.

 

Thanksgiving Place Cards: Pumpkins and Seashells

 

 

 

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about Florida style fall decor. I decided to take one of the ideas (this pin) and make place cards for my table. The idea was much more coastal looking with white pumpkins, but pumpkins in general are scarce here in Florida, especially this late in the season, when everyone has moved on to Christmas. Also, buying a pumpkin early here is asking for one that needs to be thrown out by Thanksgiving. I was happy to find some mini orange ones on Saturday and was especially happy to find some with long stems.

 

 

Here is what I did: cut tags (free hand) from card stock that coordinated with the tablecloth I planned to use, poke a hole with a wooden skewer, feed orange striped butcher's twine through hole, tie a knot, then make a loop to fit over stem, glue a small seashell in top corner and write name with a sharpie. I had all of these items on hand, so only purchased the pumpkins. Note: you could easily adapt this idea and use any pattern of card stock and glue something totally different in the corner as well.

I will use some other seashells on my table, so this year, it will be a real mixture of traditional fall decor and the unexpected.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

{ Linking with these friends}

Savvy Southern Style

Between Naps on the Porch

21 Rosemary Lane

Stonegable

November Nesting

 

 

I don't have the cold temperatures or the snow starting to fly like many of you, but there is still something about the month of November that gives me the urge to nest. To use these next few weeks to get myself and my house ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'm not talking about decorating; that can wait. But, doing some extra cleaning, planning my Thanksgiving menu and table setting and enjoying the last bit of fall where shorter days force you inside a bit earlier, with candles lit and a warm drink to end the day.

I put together a few of my fall favorites; both decor and food, that might give you some inspiration for your Thanksgiving hosting plans. My table will only have four place settings this year, rather than fifteen, but the plans will still reflect the specialness of the holiday. We will still have all the usual favorites, including brunch with mimosas while we watch the parade, a special cocktail and appetizers while we watch football and a pretty table at dinnertime. From these ideas shown, I'm making the stuffing and the chutney (traditional and delicious) this year and also have a new idea for my table with a Florida twist. If it works, I will share.

 

No Sew Burlap Table Runner

 

Indian Corn Candle

 

My Mother's Stuffing

 

Shaved Brussel Sprout Salad with Maple Dijon Vinaigrette

 

Cranberry Apple Ginger Chutney

 

Simple Method to Preserve Fall Leaves

 

So Simple, So Sweet Place Setting

Happy Wednesday!

 

{ Linking with these friends}

Savvy Southern Style

Between Naps on the Porch

21 Rosemary Lane

Stonegable

Fall Decor - Florida Style

 

 

Last fall, my first fall in Florida, I really wasn't missing fall decor too much. I think my house was still new and I had worked so hard to get things just so, I was in no mood to add or change anything. This fall, I feel I bit different. I see photos of front porches with mums and pumpkins and I want it all. But, that just won't work and if added now, before we cool off, mums would wilt and die, no matter how much you water them.

So, I've been doing a little dreaming on Pinterest and pinning a few quite simple coastal fall decor ideas to my All Things Florida board. Here are some of my favorites and I may try to pull off a few before Thanksgiving. (I'll share if I do)

 

Pinterest

 

Pinterest

 

Pinterest

 

Pinterest

 

Pinterest

 

Pinterest

 

Pinterest

 

Pinterest

 

No orange tones, but neutrals, blues, natural elements and seashells - I like the subtle fall vibe.

Happy Weekend!

 

Currently

 

 

 

Doing: Now that we have lived in our new house for several months, we are working on some of the things we weren't in a great hurry to complete, but wanted to live with for a while before making decisions. One of those things is artwork and it's just recently that I have been feeling the need to fill some of the empty space. I don't want clutter, but have found a few unique, coastal inspired pieces that will do nicely. We also are working on getting some glass added to our front door that will solve a problem with lack of light in the foyer area. Our house is designed to be open and full of light in the back, but by living here awhile, we have discovered we would like a bit more natural light in the front of the house as well.

 

Watching: I know I have written many times about my love for British crime shows and I recently discovered one on Netflix that adore. Shetland is set in the Shetland Islands of Scotland and the scenery is as compelling as the crime stories. The two main characters DI Jimmy Perez and DS Alison McIntosh are just fabulous as written and acted. The accents are a challenge, but also part of the charm.

 

Reading: The best book I have read lately, is one I just finished this week. Force of Nature by Jane Harper is about five women who go on a corporate wilderness retreat, but only four return. The story is told in both present time (the investigation) and flashbacks (the camping trip), building up to where the two stories converge and the reader discovers what happened.

 

 

Excited About: Visitors! My guest room is getting used this month and I love it. We just love showing visitors around and seeing our favorite spots through their eyes. I love making them a tropical drink and seeing all their stress melt away as the Florida sunshine does its work.

 

Chateau Chantal, Traverse City

Looking Ahead: My next trip to Michigan will be for Megan's bachelorette weekend in May. It seemed so far away when we booked it, but I will be on a plane so soon and it really is the start of the wedding festivities with her bridal showers in June and the wedding in August. The bachelorette weekend will be at one of my favorite places in northern Michigan (Traverse City) and we will be doing a wine tasting tour. We can't wait to celebrate.

Happy Thursday!

 

Florida Decor - Lanai

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A tour of our Florida home, would not be complete, without my favorite spot in the whole house; our lanai. When we were deciding on what we wanted in a Florida home, my number one necessity was an outdoor, screened space. I envisioned spending a lot of time outside, taking advantage of year around warm weather. We were lucky to get a fantastic lot, right on the water and it has been everything I hoped. There is Florida wildlife galore; mostly tropical birds, but resident alligators too. At first it was a little startling to see one, but now we take them in stride as part and parcel of living near the water in Florida.

We chose not to have a pool since we have a beautiful clubhouse pool, just down the street. But we did upgrade to an extended lanai, so we have a covered and shaded space, as well as a sunny area. To keep things cool, we also have a ceiling fan. The furniture is casual, comfortable and like the rest of our home, neutral, with pops of coastal color; aqua, green and blue. We installed a television on the wall and it's a perfect spot for entertaining, having a cocktail and watching the sunset.

A big part of the decor, are the tropical plants. I am enjoying learning how to take care of them, finding new varieties to try and filling colorful pots with plants that compliment our Florida style.

It's all about outdoor living here and we are definately set up to take advantage of that.

Happy Tuesday!