10 days until Christmas

December 15, 2016December 15, 2016 | circadee

It is hard to believe that Christmas is just ten days away. Quite frankly, I can’t even believe we have approached the end of 2016. It has been a strange year for sure and I’m ready to move onto 2017. How about you?

Every year after Thanksgiving, I get excited to make the leap into the holiday season by putting up a live tree. This year I found myself not wanting as many traditional adornments but to create more of a seasonal feel with wool blankets and candlelight. I gravitated toward natural ornaments as well.

I know it is hard to believe that this is a restrained Christmas, but it is! Especially on the tree…

I felt like having the Christmas tree right in the center of the room. It is not totally practical but I love how it lights up the space and sits among the other plants. Do I dare say almost like a conservatory? I decorated the tree organically with plants too! Live air plants, succulent terrarium ornaments, cotton stems and vintage arrows are the stars. You can find the live ornaments for sale at the West End Garage. Obviously these “ornaments” don’t have to be packed up next month which is fantastic!

I did pull out a few favorite vintage glass balls to create this vignette. All month, there has been a cozy, warm glow from every corner which feels very seasonal.

Have you jumped on the ceramic tree trend of the 70s and 80s? These nostalgic trees have been very hot here. Mine was made by my great-grandmother originally for my grandmother. She made one for everyone in my family back then. The tree strikes a chord with me as it is reminiscent of my childhood Christmases. Anytime we went to a relative’s house during the holidays, they always displayed Nana’s tree…and usually still do. Who knew it would be so trendy 30 years later?

Wishing you and yours a merry and bright holiday season!

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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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.