Summer Home Tour 2016 With Birch Lane and Country Living

Hello!

Happy Summer! 

I was so excited when Nina Hendrickinvited me to take part in this Simply Summer Home Tour that she is hosting, sponsored by Birch Lane and Country Living Magazine, along side 29 of my amazingly talented blogger friends.  These girls all have the prettiest homes, so be sure to follow along and check them all out ~ you will be blown away with inspiration, I know I am. You can find a list of all the other bloggers joining me at the bottom of this post.

As you already know, unless you are new around here, my style is very coastal.  We actually live in a small country town in Idaho, but because my family and I have such a big love for the coast, you will see lots of nautical and beachy touches around our home.  I feel like I can get away with coastal decor a lot easier in the summer time opposed to any other season, so I really have fun playing around with it.

And by the way, if you are new around here, thank you so much for stopping by. If you like what you see, be sure to give me a follow. You can always find me on Facebookand Instagramtoo!

 Welcome to our Wannabe Beach House!

When you enter our 1924 cottage home you are welcomed into our big open living and dining room. The living room is on the right, while the dining room is on the left.

 I recently shared more of the dining room inpart oneof this summer tour. 

I like to keep these rooms feeling fresh, so I’m constantly switching things around.  Something new in the living room isThisrug that I just got fromRug Studio. And can I just tell you, this has got to be the softest rug my feet have ever touched. I keep walking into the living room to find my boys laying face down on it. Ha Ha! We love this rug in all of its shag glory. 

The french doors off of the living room take you into our home office/Sunroom. You can also find more of this room inPart Oneof this tour. 

If you follow me on Instagram, then you may know that I have spray painted my bamboo/rattan mirror and coffee table in a deep green/gray color. Both pieces were an orange-y color before and I didn’t like how they stood out in the room. Since I’ve painted them, they both blend into the room so much nicer now. I’ll be sure to share a before and after sometime soon so you can see for yourself what a difference painting them has made.

WithBirch Lanebeing the sponsor for this Summer home tour they generously gave us each a gift card to spend on new items for our homes.  I chose to spend my gift card onthesetwo sailboat pillow covers. I couldn’t decide which one I liked better, the cream one or the navy, so I got them both.

I also had to havethisenamel anchor tray. I’m sure I’ll find lots of different uses for it, but for now I have it sitting on my picture ledges.

Speaking of my ledges, I gave them a fresh new look for summer.  I used blue and white stripe wrapping paper I found at HomeGoods and wrapped my photo mats with it.  I framed some of my own photography from past trips to the coast. And on one frame I added some twine just for fun.

The boat paddle is something that I’ve had for a while, but I gave it a new look by using blue paint and a #3 stencil. 

As for the mantel, I took items from outside. I planted some tall grass, pilled on some river rocks, and then added in seashells and air plants. 

Separating the living room from the dining room is this wall here where I have an antique shelf and bench. I have to use furniture pieces that are narrow here, since this is a main walkway in our home.  Both of these pieces seem to work out perfectly, plus the bench makes for a great spot to sit down and put on your shoes…..or flip flops 🙂 

Okay so moving along, off of the dining room is the Kitchen.

The kitchen had taken on quite a transformation at the beginning of the year. You can read all about it here.

But not too much has changed in our kitchen since I shared it last. However, I did get this new rug. It is also from Rug Studio. I was so pleased when it arrived because it looked just like it did on their website. As soon as I saw it I just knew that it would be perfect for our kitchen. Seriously, the rug has the same color in it as our walls.  I love it! It was just what our kitchen was needing.

So as you may have already known or guessed, my light shades are actually made from wicker food covers picked up at HomeGoods. I think they are kinda fun and unique.  

 Now lets head outside! This is where we spend most of our summer days.

We are fortunate to live near the city park which has a swimming pool, so we like to ride our bikes over there at least once a day, sometimes twice.

If my boys are not at the City pool then they are most likely in the back yard running through the sprinklers. And so when I saw thisadorable numbered coat hook from Birch Lane I just knew I had to have it for hanging up wet swimsuits and towels. I’ve hung it up by the back door and it has already gotten so much use.  

We also enjoy summer meals outdoors, so during the summer monthsthispicnic table gets a lot of use. Since I shared it last, I have drilled a hole in the center of it so I could add an umbrella stand.

And lastly, I just wanted to share this picture because if you can see by the fence, I’ve used my old wicker headboard as a trellis and I think it’s so charming.

And of course, as you may remember, our backyard also has a really Rad Fort. You can see more of ithere.

And that is it for my Summer Home Tour!

Thank you so much for stopping by.

Emily

Visit Country Living Magazine to see more summer decorating ideas!

Monday

Nina Hendrick | Maison de Pax | Cherished Bliss | AKA Design | A Burst of Beautiful | Liz Marie Blog

Tuesday

Migonis Home | So Much Better With Age | Zevy Joy | Just a Girl and Her Blog | Shades of Blue Interiors | Making Home Base

Wednesday

Rooms FOR Rent | The Wicker House | Bless’er House | Love Grows Wild |Finding Silver Pennies | Design, Dining + Diapers

Thursday

Craftberry Bush | Jennifer Rizzo | The Wood Grain Cottage | Ella Claire |Tidbits | City Farmhouse

Friday

Kindred Vintage & Co | The Blissful Bee | The Happy Housie | House By Hoff| Nesting With Grace | Life on Virginia Street