falling for October

October 25, 2016October 25, 2016 | circadee

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the first frost is still looming. We had a few unseasonably warm days this month that had me believing fall would never come. That quite literally changed overnight though and the vibrant leaf colors have peaked.

I’ve cut and enjoyed the last of the bold zinnias as doomsday is near and they’ll all be history once that frost does set in. Any day now…

Our potted plants have all been moved inside and continue to get shuffled around until we settle on just the right place for their winter habitat. The Christmas cacti are showing buds and will be blooming before we know it…Thanksgiving actually.

We’ve started pulling out our favorite wool blankets for cozying up by the fire. We’ve only lit a few so far but soon the wood stove will be blazing.

I’ve embraced my knack for using orange in my decor even outside of October. I’ve never thought of myself as an orange person but as you can see, I apparently am. It definitely adds some punch. That’s for sure.

You might also remember my pledge just a few posts ago that I wouldn’t be changing a thing about my living room. Well, certainly that wouldn’t last. And it didn’t. We found this cool, handmade coffee table on a trip to New York in August. The table top is reclaimed hardwood floor cut on a bias and married to an iron base that was once supported a soapstone utility sink. Needless to say, it is sturdy. It could easily be a bench in another space or lifetime.

I also came across a great wicker trunk recently and decided to keep it for myself. This is a vintage European piece that is ideal for hoarding my throw pillow stash. I was previously at capacity on seasonal pillows but apparently I have room for a few more now so I recently picked up that handmade pumpkin pillow cover. The wicker trunk is sturdy enough to double as an end table topped with a tray and more plants, of course.

In addition, I’ve been stockpiling furniture projects for the the slower winter months. It’s always hard to find fresh finds when it’s freezing out and let’s face it, I can’t merely shuffle pillows, plants and throw blankets around my house all season. There are a number of recent projects completed that I’ve yet to share here. You may have caught them on instagram or facebook. If not, here’s a glimpse…

There are a pair of these boxwood green nightstands with chippy insets…still available. That lamp is made from a recycled corbel salvaged from a Victorian Cape May house that was in a fire years ago. We made a pair which sold very quickly so we made another pair which are currently available. Those are all of the Cape May corbels we have left though.

Another pair of fantastic nightstands are available. These gray “schloss” beauties are not so chippy. I like the soft finish achieved with white wax.

This coffee table is taking it back to summertime. It is extremely chippy, on the other hand. People who get the distressed chippy look, get it. This table sold in a day. Not for the faint of heart.

Just a sweet little stool and a stencil. There will be more news to share on this stencil and others very soon. I can’t wait!

That’s what I’ve managed to document here over the past few months. What’s new as the seasons change in your world?

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twinning on a budget

August 12, 2016 | circadee

Remember the beach cottage that we’ve slowly but surely been putting our mark on?

Today I’m sharing the kids space. It is a very simple white box that we filled in with a loose red & blue color scheme. I have to admit that this isn’t one of those spaces that is going to knock your socks off with ingenuity or a great before and after. However, it is totally functional and well received by its little guests.

I can assure that there is not a new piece in sight aside from the bedding, some of it anyway. Everything else was found, free or flea. Very easy on the pockets. The matching quilts are vintage and possibly my favorite find in the entire space. I always pick favorites. I found these at a Navajo estate last summer and just knew they were right for the space.

Who remembers This End Up from the ’80s and ’90s? These beds were bunked in my brothers’ childhood room and fortunately I come from a long line of hoarders so these solid wood beds are still going strong over 25 years later, ready for the next generation. The simple twin beds have classic lines that remind me of summer camp.

The dresser was another shabby vintage piece which I intended to paint but once we moved it into the space, the rusty-red color just worked with the quilts and the warm wood. Easy peasy.

The mirror brings a bit of beach cottage flavor to the space along with the adjacent oar wall. We originally planned for a standing closet here, specifically vintage blue lockers. As the space evolved and we saw how it was being utilized we found that we didn’t need to take up square footage with a closet. No one is staying in there long-term so oar hooks do the trick for the wanderluster.

Across the room, our little visitors can pull up a chair and page through a book or do a craft while they’re here. Our bigger visitors can use the small table between the beds as a nightstand. We’re versatile like that.

The cedar storage chest at the end of the bed is not permanent in this space. In fact, it sold shortly after I took these pictures. It was painted MMSMP farmhouse white and was just the right storage piece for toys or bedding at the foot of a twin bed. I think we’ll need to duplicate this look in the future because it worked well here.

We hung some simple thrifted, waffle texture curtains although I’m really on the fence with the length. I don’t want floor length in this room because of the little ones but this particular length feels like a bad tea length dress. It is just cutting the room’s height mid-calf. You know what I mean? I’ll let that evolve though, as I’m sure I’ll know the right textile when I see it, along with the art as I have a vision of more beachy/nautical pieces above the length of the beds.

That’s it! Welcome to the kids room at the cottage.

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our collected living room

July 12, 2016 | circadee

After nearly 3 years of tweaking, rearranging, shuffling chairs, plants and window treatments, I can honestly say that I’m thrilled with where we’ve landed in our living room. While the kitchen is usually the center of the home figuratively, this living room is literally the center of ours. It is a large room with multiple doorways, windows and traffic paths so getting the floor plan just right was really important. Originally this room was two small rooms that a previous owner opened up. I’m glad they did.

Form, function and scale were also very important for us. Our house is small and although the rooms are relatively large, there are few of them so each space has to work just right for our needs. The corner by our sliding door always stumped me and I knew it could do better for us.

After months of searching, I found a fantastic antique Victorian secretary desk on Craig’s List. Last winter we brought this stately piece home to finally give purpose to that corner. It was immediately evident that this was what the room needed. It pulls triple duty for us as china cabinet storage, bar and work space. The secretary opens to reveal the perfect little desk that Ryan works at almost daily.

Another game changer was finally pulling the trigger and purchasing just the right sofa which made its debut back around the holidays. The white tufted chesterfield puts a smile on my face everyday and it brightens up the middle of the room. I tend to wonder why I waited so long on this purchase. Probably because it is the only thing, aside from the gifted yellow rug, that is brand new. Nearly everything else in this space was “found, free or flea” which epitomizes my vintage style.

Near the entrance, we were in desperate need of a freestanding closet to function for coat storage. Again, after months of sourcing, I came across just the right scale antique piece. Persistence pays off! We drove about 3 hours to pick this one up and it was well worth the trip. I painted the closet in MMS milk paint Farmhouse White. The old finish resisted the paint just right revealing the perfect chippy texture. Form and function wins again!

Those rugs are possibly my favorite find of all time. That’s a bold statement to make in this room because it’s loaded with favorite finds. They are authentic vintage kilim rugs that I picked up for a song. I will never let them go.

Along with the pair of vintage mohair chairs that I’ve sung the praises of here plenty of times before. I doubt I’ll ever tire of those either.

This room has looked like this for nearly 6 months and I have no immediate plans to change it aside from the occasional accessory or vignette. Famous last words but I think we’ve finally found a happy eclectic mix of vintage/collected/bohemian/farmhouse/jungalow/beachy style. Did I miss anything in that style classification?

Updating this room certainly didn’t happen overnight. First there was the wallpaper which came down immediately and up went creamy off-white paint. Cornerstone by Behr. I’m still happy with this choice years later. Then there was the wood stove installation and slate surround. Next was the flooring which Ryan installed every square foot of. Finally, the furniture finds and accessories which make the house a home.

I’ll leave you with some before and after pictures for good measure. Updates have come in phases but it’s always fun to look back at where we started when we bought this house, frilly curtains included.