A Fresh Light Summer Home Tour
Hello there, and welcome to our summer home tour. This year, I’ve collaborated with a few of my close blogging friends to create a fun blog hop. Thanks for joining me and I hope you enjoyed Laila’s home from Designs by Laila. Her outdoor tablescape decorated with her garden flowers is so dreamy and beautiful.
Well, if you are ready to continue this summer home tour, I would like to welcome you to our place. Sit back and grab a glass of ice tea or ice coffee if you prefer and let’s get this summer home tour started.
A Note About the Nester
My kids love to visit Disneyland, but unfortunately, my husband is not too fond of it. So, whenever he is away on a trip, the kids and I pack up our car and quickly head south for a couple of days. We are like the Three Musketeers! We have the best time soaking up everything Disney.
Summer is all about family trips. This year we went on three lovely places, Hawaii, Montana, and of course Disneyland. Let’s just say I’ve been a little busy packing and unpacking. In between our travel, I’ve casually styled our home with few summery decor. I ended up adding a few touches, but ultimately I kept it simple and light to reflect the summer.
Our Living Room
My friend encouraged me to make a seasonal paper garland for this summer, and seriously she wouldn’t let me off the hook. Truth be told, I didn’t have a clue what I was going to make. I love paper, and I have many drawers filled to the brim. I feel that I might need therapy for my compulsive behavior of hoarding beautiful paper. Ok, just the other night I collected my humongous piles of paper, and I was clueless as to what color combination to use. Panic set in for a brief moment or two, and finally, I experience an aha moment.
My lovely Pottery Barn pillow in our living room became my color inspiration for my garland. Hooray, problem solved, and I breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Well, I decided to make it mostly white with sprinkles of beachy colors, and I completed it just before this summer tour. Whew.
I must let you in on a secret of mine. I love to blend decor from other seasons. The other day I found these precious little pumpkins at our local Joann Fabric store, and I quickly grabbed a ton like there was no tomorrow. I had so many in my arms that I had to send my daughter out for a shopping cart. I couldn’t resist these beauties, who doesn’t love a little white velvet pumpkin on a cake stand?
Our Dining Room
If you read my last blog post, these happy roses were in one of the photos. I was quite surprised that they lasted such a long time. I’ve been super busy and ok, I admit somewhat lazy too, so these flowers stayed in the vase for about two weeks. Uh, yes, the water was pretty murky and attracting little flying creatures, but his didn’t discourage me. I trimmed off their dry faded leaves and placed the stems and flowers in this vase. I’m super happy with their faded vintage look.
I almost didn’t include this photo, but I love how these eclectic pieces have a summer beachy feel. This spot has many items that were randomly placed here from other rooms. This little habit always happens when I’m rearranging my rooms. Most the time, I hide this from my blog post photos, but I thought it might be good to keep it real. Can you relate to this little habit of mine?
We are a family who loves blankets. On our recent trip to Hawaii, my daughter was wrapped up in a fleece blanket while lying on the sofa. Despite the high humidity and the stifling hot 90-degree weather, she was cold. The rest of us couldn’t relate to her, and we were hot and in need of cold tropical drinks. But, she loves to wrap herself up in our decorative throws and is most likely to hoard these luxurious blankies into her bedroom.
Our Kitchen
Here is my nod to farmhouse style. If it were up to my husband, he prefers a nice home out in the country. He loves the rustic and no fuss style. So, I decided to clean off our kitchen island and create this farmhouse vignette. I must tell you the fun story about the wooden tray. I spied it at HomeGoods on my last shopping trip. While I was in the store, a customer was watching me and finally asked, if there were more trays. I feel that if I placed it back on the shelf, she would have instantly snatched it right up. Who knew that shopping is so competitive?! By the way, my super talented friend, Rachel made this gorgeous candle, here is my link to her Etsy shop. Don’t you need these cute mango candles? They make the perfect addition to any summer home decor.
Our Master Bedroom
I love my handmade paper garland in our master bedroom, but I’ll let you in on a funny secret. I placed this garland over our bed and the minute I was hanging it, I predicted that my hubby would not be happy with the branch intruding on his side of the bed. So, fast forward to that evening, and the minute he was getting into bed, he pipes up, “this garland is not going to be staying?” Of course, you know what I was thinking, you’ve got to be kidding! The next morning, the clever me sweeps up the end of the garland onto the bookshelf near his pillows. Problem solved, easy peasy and my hubby is happy, and the nester is happy, happy girl.
Our Yard
Let’s take a look in my backyard for the rest of my summer home tour. Last time this year, I heavily bribed my kids to help me paint our huge deck. So, let’s just say that teenagers, chores, high temps and a huge deck are not a great combination. But, miracles do happen, and we did complete the deck with a fresh coat of white stain, and I recently published a post about these shenanigans, here is the link: Deck Remodel I love our new outdoor room and surprisingly so does the rest of my family. Lately, we will turn on our twinkle lights and lounge on our new Safavieh sofa. I’m always delighted when I can transform an unused space into a favorite spot.
I’m sad to say that this concludes my part of the tour, and I would like to introduce you to my dear friend, Amie. Her summer home is gorgeous, and her post has lots of inspiration and color. So, make sure to grab another drink and head on over to Amie’s home. I’ll join you on the tour since I love open houses. So from my home to yours, I hope you enjoy these final days of summer.
Cheers,
Here are more of my friend’s summer homes:
- Dog Gifts (Amazon) - November 20, 2024
- Cake Inspiration - November 16, 2024
- Nordic Ware Yule Log Recipe - November 15, 2024
Gloribell
Everything looks beautiful! My favorite part is the outdoor; love that striped umbrella!!!
happyhappynester
Thanks, Gloribell!!! You’re so nice to visit and comment!
Amie Freling
Janine- You make decorating so darn easy. I love all your creative paper touches and letting us all know what your Summer’s all about. So wonderful! xo
happyhappynester
Thanks, Amie! I hope you are having a great summer?
Tonya
The garland is stunning! I’m so glad you soldiered on and finished it! Your entire home looks lovely…so airy and bright. Just beautiful, Janine.
happyhappynester
Thanks my sweet friend! You were the inspiration for the garland! Hooray!
Oscar @OscarBravoHome
Perfection, J. Everything is so balanced and dreamy. You have great taste my friend!
happyhappynester
Thanks, Oscar! Nothing like a deadline to get me moving on decorating! Thanks for joining in on our tour!
kathleen
I so love your light, bright, happy style, Janine! And your summer touches are gorgeous! Lovely tour!
xox
happyhappynester
Thanks so much, Kathleen! Sorry for late reply, I’m running a month behind on life!
Laila
Janine, your home is so cheerful and happy! It puts a big smile on my face, love it! I enjoyed doing this summer tour with you, so much fun! Have a great one friend! xoxo
happyhappynester
Hi Laila,
Thanks for your sweet comment! We are both doing our happy dance now that the kids are back in school! I hope you are enjoying your new addition to your family!
Sam@Raggedy Bits
So when can I move in!!??? LOL I just love everything about your home! It feels so welcoming and light and fresh! Love love love your kitchen counter vignette and your garland!! So unique and beautiful! Thank you for sharing your incredible home with us! 🙂
happyhappynester
Thanks my sweet friend! You’re the best and I appreciate our friendship. Maybe someday you can come and visit and see my kitchen in person!
Ann Tatum
I just LOVE that you use pumpkins in the summer. I pulled one out last week and snuck it in!
happyhappynester
Hooray for blending seasonal decor together! Thanks, Ann for your visit, I really appreciate it.
debbie
You have a peaceful home. It emotes out of the photographs. Lovely. Thanks for sharing your home. I totally feel the pressure at the store as well. Sometimes I am standing in front of an area …like the stationary area at TJMaxx and I am picking up and setting back so I don’t buy everything. Suddenly there are two, then three more people next to me and I start piling in my cart so I don’t lose the ones I haven’t made a decision about yet!
happyhappynester
Debbie,
Oh, that is too funny, that you feel the Homegoods pressure too! We need to shop together and ward off anyone who eyes our stuff! Thanks so much for stopping by and I’m so sorry about my late reply. It appears I’m running a month behind on life!
Vanessa
You have a gorgeous home. I love the little touches of the fall around your home.
happyhappynester
Thanks so much, Vanessa! I’m currently working on my Autumn decor and it’s 100 degree outside! Oh well, I have a Fall Home tour coming up, so I have to keep ahead of the season. Have a lovely week!
Toni | Small Home Soul
I love your home and the colors are so bright yet calming. So so beautiful!
happyhappynester
Toni,
Thanks so much for your super nice compliment! I hope you are enjoying the last days of summer! Thanks for you visit!
Coco in the Kitchen
I love add a few bits of decoration that announce the season. I’ve got a cute li’l red crab along with some snail shells on our den mantel at the moment and some nautical-striped pillow cases on the couches. Fall is my fav. So I’ll really deck the place out then!
happyhappynester
I’m over to your house, Colette! Just get me a cup of coffee and I’m there.
Jessica
It’s so beautiful!! I love the fresh and bright colors!
happyhappynester
Thanks so much, Jessica! Your comment is so nice. Thanks so much for you visit!