Christmas At Our Home!

 Sending out some Christmas cheer, European Farmhouse Style!  I hope you enjoy our holiday decor!

  Our courtyard maintains it's natural elements with just a pop of red.

One of my favorite natural elements is driftwood.  Since we are walking distance to the beach we have plenty of it available. I use it year round.  These muscle baskets hold driftwood all year long, but at Christmas, I add a tiny tree with a few lights.

My wisteria vines have only a few leaves left so we wrap the arbor with some fresh green garland.

 Come on in.....our use of natural elements is carried through the inside of our home as well

 I chose the Silver Tip tree for it's airy look and it's muted "silvery" green tones. It was perfect in this old olive bucket.

I used natural wood elements, clear bulbs and chandelier droplets as ornaments. I went shopping for some vintage toys this year and could not resist the Tonka fire truck and teddy bear. They will make a great gift
for a special little one.

 I LOVE the little Scandinavian ornaments from Splendid Willow Avenue.  They add just the right amount of red to my natural decor! 

I also added a tiny counter top tree in the kitchen

and found some cool vintage ornaments for decoration.  The deer are actually made of paper mache and wax. I found them at a local antique mall. 

 

I hung a few small wreaths on the old iron windows, and added lots of greenery

pine cones

and more driftwood!!  It"s so beautiful with the green garland

Even the doors get a few sprays of green

The table centerpiece also gets a bit of lavender-my personal favorite!

I added some greenery to my hutch this year. It looks so pretty against the silver and china.

A view from the kitchen.....

My little shadow...Macy. She thinks it's time for dinner :)!

 

I incorporate natural and garden elements into my decor all year round for a calm and comfortable feel.

 Thank you for reading and our sincerest wishes to all for a happy holiday season!

We always appreciate your comments too!

Our Pantry & Laundry Room Makeover

We spent the long Thanksgiving weekend putting the final touches on our pantry and laundry room area.

This room has been half way finished for many months and now it was finally time to finish it off.

Our pantry and laundry area is located right off the kitchen.....just beyond the arch.

Just to the left, is an old french shop cabinet I keep linens and things in.  I refinished it by scraping at least three coats of paint off of it,before freshening it up with a neutral color.

We recently inherited many pieces that belonged to Tom's Mother, Grandmother and Auntie who were of Swedish heritage.  I mixed a few of the favorites with some of the rustic wooden pieces we found in France.

 

The blue and white clock belonged to his grandparents. His Aunt and Uncle (now in their 80's) remember this clock hanging above their kitchen table when they were kids.  Far too many pretty pieces to keep stored in a box!

and to the right is the laundry area. 

We salvaged the handmade tiles from the old kitchen in this house before we renovated. They were so unique I wanted to use them again somewhere.

 

We decided to use salvaged barn wood for the countertop and the shelves in this area.  Tom found another great resource for salvaged barn wood.

We took a short trip to visit American Barn and Wood to check out their inventory.

They had a great selection of barn wood complete with the age, photos and history of the old barns.

The countertop in our laundry area is made from oak floor planks from this old barn..."The Hudsonville Barn" an 1870's beauty from Hudsonville, Michigan.


We also bought wood for a few other projects from this old barn out of Indiana.  It's so cool to actually see photos of the barns and to learn about how they were used.

 

A great resource for anyone looking for authentic old beams or barnwood!


 Tom securing our handpicked timbers for the ride home!

Hope you enjoyed the tour and thank you for following along!!

Our Guest Studio Renovation!!

The last several weeks have been crazy busy at work and with as many projects going on at home, We simply don't have enough hours in the day to do all we need to do!  Despite the craziness, we have managed to put most of the finishing touches on our guest studio renovation.

  This is the kitchenette decorated with many of the items we bought while brocante hunting in France.  We love using the Travertine mini slabs rather than a full slab.  It gives the look of a chunky antique stone and is a very inexpensive alternative.

Rather than tear out the existing lower cabinet, Tom took the doors off  and  re-framed it with Hardy backer board so he could plaster over it. The walls and the cabinet get  a coat of pink primer to prep before applying the limestone plaster.

  Tom made the shelves from the same recycled  oak barnwood as the closet. They are beautiful, but why didn't I remember to dust them off before taking this photo:)??  

The super comfortable new bed

and the beautiful gray board timbers in the ceiling......Exquisite!

 
This Pediment is inset into the limestone plaster above the bed. The wood and this plaster are perfect together!  I had not seen many of these until I came upon a stack of while shopping the gardens of Atelier de Campagne.  I instantly knew this is how I would use it!

The cozy little eating nook...

 

and the completely renovated bathroom.

The bathroom  countertop is made from antique terra cotta pavers. I love the way it turned out!

Tom did the same on this original cabinet...took the doors off, reframed and plastered it.

  I still have a bit of accessorizing in the bathroom and we are waiting for the shower enclosure and some plumbing fixtures to come in.  Tom tiled the shower in beige travertine.

And just for fun, here is a before photo of the studio....that wallpaper was really awful!

 

and the after! 

Another project almost done!!   I'll share the patio and garden shots in another post.

Take Care,

Sarah