Well hello friends! I hope you and your families are well, safe and full of hope. I thrive on any glimmer of hope and finding the good in situations, and always strive to share positive and uplifting posts here and on social media.
Today, I'm so happy to be joining a group of 28 other bloggers to share some summer home inspo. Thanks to Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for putting this diverse group together because there's something for everyone throughout the entire week.
First, I would like to welcome all of you who are coming over from Jenn's beautiful home at Clean and Scentsible! Her flavored water bar is such a great idea!!
I am going to start my tour here in the living room...
If you're new, you can read more about us and our
mountain property HERE.
I love being home, and making my home a cozy and safe haven for my family is something really important to me. And that doesn't mean going out to buy more things, but using what I have to create that refuge to nurture these people I love. And this has become even more important to me as job situations have changed with lockdowns and closures.
After restoring and installing all the
original trim from the old house, along with all the family antiques I have collected, our home has taken on more of a
late Victorian and Edwardian feel. I love the aesthetic of those eras and am totally at home with bold, rich color and dark wood.
For summer, honestly, because I just wanted to show y'all how to move things around for a new look, I moved the
yellow Victorian chairs to the bedroom and brought my
great grandmother's chaise lounge into the living room. Funny enough, it has become my favorite spot for a Sunday afternoon nap😊
I love having it in front of the windows, and love that it's really being used. I think my great grandmother Knight would be pleased.
Plants are not only a great summer accessory, but very appropriately Victorian - especially palm trees and ferns. Honestly, a green plant just makes everything better, and the air cleaning aspect is an added bonus.
I cut some of my grandmother's "Mock Orange" for the
mantel and placed the branches in an Italian vase I bought at a "dime" store for my mother for Christmas many years ago.
Peonies planted by my great grandfather almost 100 years ago also adorn the mantel I made out of
wood from the old house.
Everything on this mantel is from my family and special to me.
If you were here for the
spring tour, you'll notice I took down the paisley curtains for summer. I thought it would be a nice change to just have the lace sheers. I made the lambrequins last winter out of some discount red velvet upholstery fabric I had.
I hate that the chair covers these portieres, so I moved it to show you how pretty they are. These were in a historic building friends were selling, so I asked if I could give them a happy new home😊 I like the drama they add and the bit of separation between rooms.
The 1800s oil lamp was a gift to my mother, and she graciously let me borrow it.
I bought the Duncan Phyfe sofa last fall from friends, and still love it. For summer, I really had my heart set on using pink, again just to show what is possible by switching some low budget items around, and I love how that worked out.
We really live in this room, and I feel like I've balanced the "pretty" I want with comfort for the rest of my family.
The only thing I changed on the buffet was moving the antique print here. This was in the old house, then my grandmother put it in the basement. She never liked it but I love it.
The buffet and lamp were inherited from a relative, and the candlesticks belonged to my grandmother.
For the table, I had in mind something I had seen in the servants' dining room at Biltmore House with two oil lamps on the ends and greenery in the center. I actually went to a local antique mall to see if there were two matching lamps but didn't find anything. I mentioned it to my mother, and she told me to come over, then she opened up a cabinet in the basement where these two lamps from the old house had been since 1959. Funny enough, these are exactly like the ones in the servants' dining room at Biltmore. I guess it was meant to be. My daddy helped me empty the old, dark Kerosene out and clean them up, but they certainly were worth the work.
The basket belonged to my grandfather and I filled it with mountain laurel from the property.
A year and a half later, we still love having the dining table in the kitchen. We spend a lot of family time right here, and as my kids get older and move off to college, these are precious memories we are making for this momma's heart💗
In the kitchen, I also wanted to keep the pink/red combo and brought out my pink Pyrex and some Hazel Atlas pink Crinoline that belonged to two different great grandmothers.
I made the curtains and sink skirt from Kaufman Queensland fabric in crimson last fall. I love that it has pink, red, blue, yellow and green so pretty much anything will work along with it.
Two aprons my grandmother made and a gifted one from my mom hang on a screen door from the old house which leads to the laundry/mudroom. My dad made the Indian Motorcycle sign in the 1950s.
I love these old brass plaques and after inheriting this one, I started looking for them at thrift stores, and find them usually in the $3 - $5 range.
The antique needlepoint is one of a pair made by a late family friend.
I kept the peachy pinks in the dinnerware and glassware as well and found some inherited placemats that really tied everything together with the reds and browns.
We actually do use the oil lamps, especially when storms knock out power, and it makes me happy to know these same lamps lit up the darkness for my family members before me right here on this property.
It's funny when I look at photos, I see mostly things I have made, refinished, reclaimed or dug out of the attic, and it's that spirit of using what I have and making it pretty that I hope to inspire others to do.
Our home is very small, but we have worked hard on it, and it's big on love and certainly a refuge for my family. And that's all I could ever hope for💛
Thanks so much for stopping by!!
I would love for you to follow me @whispering.pines.homestead on instagram
and
@Far Above Rubies on facebook.
Now, make sure you go by and visit Cristina at Remadelando de Casa. She is my hero when it comes to building things, and she has amazing style too!
There are tours every day, so be sure to come back and see the links for each day this week.
MONDAY
|
A Stroll Thru Life |
Clean & Scentsible |
Far Above Rubies |
Remodelando La Casa |
It All Started With Paint |
Life On Virginia Street |
TUESDAY
| Setting For Four | Duke Manor Farm | Decor To Adore | House By Hoff | Inspiration For Moms | Pink Peppermint Design |
WEDNESDAY
| Modern Glam | Fox Hollow Cottage | Thrifty & Chic | 11 Magnolia Lane | Grace In My Space | Hymns & Verses |
THURSDAY
| Seeking Lavender Lane | StoneGable | Designing Vibes | Citrineliving | Our Southern Home | Southern State Of Mind |
FRIDAY
| The Woodgrain Cottage | Life On Cedar Lane | Thistlewood Farms | White Arrows Home | Follow The Yellow Brick Home |
Wow! I love all of your summer decorating ideas! Your pink Pyrex collection is stunning!! Love your beautiful mantel for summer too! Have a beautiful summer my friend! Xo Hearher
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Heather!!
DeleteI always look forward to a tour of your home and all your wonderful family heirlooms and treasures. The stories behind each piece are so interesting. You've created such a warm and inviting home that feels so cozy and comfortable. Thanks so much for joining the tour again this season.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for including me Marty!!
Delete