I’m incredibly lucky that my girls still want to play dress up and pose for photos. More to come soon!
Our New Living Room Styled for Summer
I am so pleased with how our living room has come together in our new home. I’m even more pleased that with a few exceptions, everything here is thrifted or secondhand. I really enjoy searching for the perfect pieces that can marry old and new to complete a space.
I wanted a beachy vibe now that are so close to the beach (well, three hours away. But that’s still nine hours closer than we were previously!) And I wanted our cream walls and oak floors to complement and not compete with our larger furniture pieces. The rug is a Wayfair find (size 9’ by 12’) and the coffee table is similar to my favorite one from Crate & Barrel but smaller and from Homegoods.
We had this island in our previous home and I knew it would work well as a bar cart. I’ve been taking a lot of inspiration from Studio McGee and in their So-Cal shop, I know they had a kitchen island styled similarly to this. I love layering handmade with vintage and new (the vase and the ceramic planter) with pieces I’ve had for years.
My husband was pretty adamant about having his very large television mounted. My goal was to balance it with this large vintage buffet (painted in Magnolia chalk paint in the color Silverado) and to keep the electronics to a minimum. I’m pretty proud of the fact that everything I’ve styled on it was thrifted or I already owned! There’s really nothing more fun than finding a bargain or shopping your own home.
For the sofa and chair, my priority was comfort. Ironically, I never even sat in or saw in person either one before they were delivered! But I knew that both had the reputation of being plush and I knew the quality would be top-notch so I went ahead on faith. I’m so glad that I did! The sofa is a dream and I think I’ll love it even more over time as it develops a patina. And the chair? All the heart emojis for this guy. If you know me in real life, you know I love and adore John and Sherry from the blog Young House Love. And this is their Pivot Chair from their furniture line! It’s huge and incredibly comfortable and it’s already survived an incident with a chocolate chip muffin completely unscathed so I think it’s a winner.
All the art is a mixture of my own encaustic photography pieces, vintage or thrifted paintings, or pieces by the incredibly talented Leigh Montgomery Crady, an artist based out of Louisville, Kentucky. Her husband Shane made our bourbon barrel floor lamp! This painting of her horse, Catch, is one of my favorite things.
I found this dresser and both bamboo chairs in the sweetest vintage shop called Cottage Grove Vintage and they really fit perfectly in this rather strange space while providing some much needed storage. I really love this sweet little clock (an At Home find) and lamp (thrifted). And don’t underestimate the power of something green—even if it’s a faux succulent.
Sources
Paint Color: Sherwin Williams Paperwhite
sofa: West Elm
pivot chair: Wayfair
buffet: thrifted from Facebook Marketplace
kitchen island: Wayfair
mirror: thrifted
paintings: personal collection; thrifted; from Leigh Montgomery Crady
candles and candlesticks: thrifted, personal collection
plants: personal collection
cutting boards: vintage personal collection
books: personal collection
crystals: personal collection
seagull: thrifted
sailboats: thrifted
faux succulents: At Home
clock: At Home
table lamps: thrifted
bourbon barrel floor lamp: Tall Cotton Trading Co.
vase: thrifted
glass vase: World Market
ceramic planters: a mix of Target, World Market, and At Home
sofa pillow: Freckled Hen Farmhouse
dresser and bamboo chairs: Cottage Grove Vintage
coffee table: Homegoods (here is a similar one from Crate & Barrel)
Ready for Fall
Somehow we have made it to August and all I can think about is how wonderful it is to be spending Fall in the South. Our move has gone swimmingly and we really and truly love it here in South Carolina. And yes, it’s still over ninety degrees outside and we have a beach vacation imminent—but can you really blame me? First, I found this lovely apple botanical print via the New York Public Library’s digital collection. It will look wonderful on our mantle for back to school.
This gorgeous pumpkin I found via Pinterest. He’s going to look fantastic on my Thanksgiving mantle, right? For my Halloween mantle DIY, I went in a different direction. I wanted something that would be simple and black and white. Naturally, I wanted to incorporate my favorite Halloween movie, Hocus Pocus. So I created these.
Picture these printed on a soft card stock and framed in black. I’m so excited just thinking about it! (PS: if you want to save these and print them for yourself, go for it!) I’ll share some more Fall inspiration soon and hopefully get some sneak peeks of our new home up later this week.
Aria and Rhiannon's Room
Taking inspiration from many different sources, I put together a board with some of the pieces we will be using in the twins’ room while incorporating photos that are similar to pieces we already own—vintage luggage and a soft blue dresser, for example.
Liam and Calum's Room
Did you know that you can pack an incredible amount of stuff into a house with seven people over the course of six years? I am utterly gobsmacked at the sheer amount of stuff that is currently ruling my life. I think that’s why for the boys’ new room inspiration, I am drawn to minimalist, clean lines with personality. Both of my boys are easygoing and relaxed and I feel like capturing that is key to their new space.
We are moving!
That’s right: the entire Parker clan is heading to South Carolina! A little town right outside of Greenville, in fact. So, naturally, I’ve begun daydreaming about all the fun decorating I get to do! First up: the shared twins’ room. My girly, colorful, artistic little bears are demanding only the most fun space possible with lots of color and light cream, white beds, blush quilts, soft mint green vintage touches, and a sky blue dresser. I’m so excited to see this come together.
