Three Dogs at Home-Summer Home Tour Series and a Back to School project!

Come meet Traci now!

 I am so glad that you are here for the tour.

Gidget will be your guide for today.  She is very excited about your visit, so let’s get started.  Before we leave the front door behind if you want to check out how I refreshed my entrance you can see it here.

My house was built in the early 80’s but thankfully all the baby blue and mauve were  gone long before we bought the house.  I know that some people don’t like the design style of the era but I love it.  Okay, I didn’t love all the super shiny brass that is why I painted over all of it but I do love the floor plan of my home and it fits my style.  I enjoy the challenge of doing things on a budget (which is good because there is always a budget).

Our first stop is my foyer.  This is a pretty large area with 12 foot ceilings and a huge interior stained glass “window” both which made it hard to photograph.  If I get most of the space in the photo you really can’t see any of the details so I am just showing you all the pretty stuff. 

The black piece of furniture is actually an old dresser I picked up at the Goodwill for $40 and refurbished.  I have a thing for vintage luggage and this train case fits perfectly in the little recessed area in the dresser.

The artwork in this room was recycled from some prints I had in the master bedroom.  I have a hard time finding art that I like so I just up and made some of my own.  Next week I will be posting an easy tutorial and a free printable on how to create the same look for your home. 

The entry hall leads to a generous sized family room.  This room is filled with light and yet it is very cozy in the Winter.  The large round coffee table is another Goodwill find that is still awaiting her make-over.

Don’t laugh at my 80’s TV.  It was the only one that would fit in the built-in.  Reworking this wall is the only large project we have yet to tackle.  I just can’t decide if I want to remove all the brick and oak or simply modify it.

I have a serious fondness for trays so I have used them throughout my home.  They ground any display and give it a little more impact and importance.

This is the first year that I have created a mantle display just for Summer.  I struggle with vignettes so I usually only change it up for Fall and Christmas but this year I was determined to have a display devoted solely to summertime.  It took me a few days but I finally came up with an arrangement that I liked.

Gidget just had to show you her basket/bed in this room.  Gidget feels she needs to see me at all times so she has a sleeping area in most of the rooms.  This wicker basket is another Goodwill ($5) find that I filled with soft blankets.

One of my favorite little spaces in the room shows off a few more of my vintage suitcases sitting on top of the base of an old iron planter.

Look carefully (or not so carefully) and you can see our current project.  We replaced all the carpet last fall and we are in the process of adding new 5 inch bases boards all around.

I know it is all the rage but I am not a fan of open concept floor plans.  I like a bit of separation between rooms where the flow of the house reveals little surprises at every turn.  So when we bought this home we opened it up just a tad by removing part of the wall between the family room and the kitchen.

The kitchen literally seemed to grow when we removed the upper cabinets that were above this peninsula.

I have yet another secret that would probably make designers all over the world shutter in horror.  I like my oak cabinets.  They have a warm feeling about them and they are beautifully crafted of solid wood.  I wanted to brighten up the kitchen a bit so I did paint my island but at least for now the oak cabinets are staying natural.  If you are thinking of transforming your cabinets you might want to see how I did my island here.

I love a touch of green here and there.

  

Just passed the kitchen is my favorite room in the house, the breakfast nook.   The light in this room is fantastic and never fails to make me feel wonderful just by walking in.

The room is lined with windows and I can see not only the pool but my favorite little garden too.  The table and chairs in the nook belonged to my grandmother.  I have been planning to paint them since we moved in nine years ago.  Who knows maybe I will get to before the end of this year?

When we moved into this house I detested the tile floors.  The grout was dirty and stained but last year I changed the color of the grout and it changed the entire look of the room so I am no longer in a hurry to re-tile.  You can check it out how I did it here.

Welcome to the patio.  Look carefully and you will see that there are trays on the patio too.  Along with a clock, have you noticed that I have a wide assortment of clocks.  I love them and I think every room should have a least one clock.  Not including digital clocks I have 11 in this house I am always on the look out for another one.

I have tried to treat the patio just like any other room I would furnish so I added comfy seating, a few pillows, a place to set drinks, great accessories, an eating area and window covering to soften up the look.

Yes, I did say window coverings.  They can do the same things for your outside “room” as they can inside.  They add color, texture and light control the same way that curtains do in any other room.  You can learn how to make your own outdoor curtains in this post here.

I built this little “house” to hide the ugly plumbing but it also adds a little whimsy to the patio.

I hope you enjoyed your tour of our home as much as Gidget and I enjoyed showing you around.  Please don’t be a stranger and feel free to drop by anytime.  Things around here are constantly changing so there is always something new to see.

Gidget and I want to thank Michele for hosting this wonderful series and inviting us to join in on the fun.

Thank you for showing us around Gidget and Traci! I could so see myself out there visiting with Traci on her patio. It looks so relaxing and comfortable for the summer months. I love the warm and natural changes she’s made to her house. For even more lovely pictures of her home and different rooms, go see her home tour on her blog. Beautiful, and like she said, always changing and offering more inspiration. 
Speaking of inspiration, mozy on over to Ask Anna, where I am contributing a fun back to school project. 

Come join the fun!