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Home Tours, Interior Decor and Styling, Summer

A Colorful Vintage Cottage Style Summer Home Tour

 

Welcome friends! Today I am honored to be sharing my Colorful Vintage Cottage Style Summer Home Tour as part of the 2019 Summer Home Tours hosted by Marty of A Stroll Thru Life! This week thirty creative bloggers are sharing a wide variety of summer home decor inspiration you won’t want to miss! You will find a list of all thirty participants at the end of my post.

 

 

If you are coming over from The Chronicles of Home or if you are just visiting today, I am thrilled to have you here! Let’s start the tour with a quick look at the porch.

 

 

Last week I shared how I have created a French (vintage) and cottage-garden style summer porch (with southern vibes!) The porch desperately needed a style refresh, and now we are really enjoying the “new” space.

 

Our porch is the perfect place to kick back and relax during the lazy days (or nights) of summer.

 

 

The porch definitely gives visitors an idea of what they will see upon entering our home: an eclectic mix of vintage French, farmhouse, cottage and garden style decor and lots of vintage thrifted finds.

 

Come on in to see how I have created a colorful vintage cottage style summer home using thrifted vintage treasures and bargain finds.

 

 

Just inside the front door I have filled a French basket full of fresh flowers to greet you as you begin the tour! This gorgeous arrangement is actually three clearance grocery store bouquets (only $11.00 total) with two freshly cut hydrangeas from our yard to fill in around the bottom.

 

An extra sun hat, tote bag and sunglasses are summer necessities that double as stylish decorative accents on a vintage coat rack at the foot of the staircase. Everything I need is at the ready to grab and go for a day of vintage junkin’ or a trip to my favorite local garden center.

 

 

As Claude Monet once said, “I must have flowers always and always!” After twelve straight days of rain I have really needed some color and sunny vibes around the house, so I am definitely loving bright colors right now, especially yellow. In the background you can see a glimpse of one of the pretty yellow pillows I am using in the music room for summer.

 

 

I love this beautiful vintage-looking yellow and ivory pillow that I found at TJ Maxx. I think it looks so summery paired with one of the Pottery Barn pillows that I have been using in the living room since spring.

 

 

summer pillows yellow pillows

Our music room is the sunniest room in the house, so the sunny and colorful pillows seem perfect here.

 

 

I composed a simple summer serenade on the piano by displaying a piece of vintage sheet music (“By the Sapphire Sea,”) and some pretty shells and vintage glass bottles along with my other favorite treasures that are always on display.

 

I also added some sea oats to my urn filled with faux ivory roses.

 

 

 

 

 

Just for the home tour I decided to sow my wild (sea) oats in the living room by experimenting with mixing patterns, textures, and colors, starting with throw pillows. I also added blue and white Chinoiserie style china and pottery to the mantel.

 

 

I didn’t get my bright moss green chenille pillow covers finished in time for today’s tour, so I am using my green velvet pillows for now. Even though it is a heavier fabric I don’t mind velvet in the summer if the color is summery or neutral (green is my favorite color so I consider it to be neutral and “in season” year round). I really like the green paired with the macrame pillows and the colors and pattern on the DIY lumbar pillow covers that I just made (shh..hot glued…) from a Waverly valance I found on clearance.

 

 

It was super simple to change up the mantel with some new-to-me thrifted pieces. All of the blue and white pottery has been found inexpensively at yard sales and thrift shops over the past year and I have just been saving it in a stash to pull out for summer. The blue is nice for summer, and I really love the combination of blue with all of the greenery and spheres.

 

 

 

 

 

I am also loving this vintage ironstone urn/planter that I found at a thrift store just a few days ago. I thought about buying some new florals to put in the urn, but I had the faux ferns on hand so I just used them instead. I really like the simple and classic look! Fresh or faux, you can never go wrong with ferns in urns!

 

 

The dining room and living room are only separated by a set of French doors so I like to have continuity in color and design between the two rooms. For early summer I lined the antique church pew with a mix of blue and neutral striped French farmhouse and boho chic pillows. Right now the dining room is my favorite room with all the beautiful sunshine! This is the first summer that we have not had blinds on our windows (my husband gave them a faux leaded glass makeover this winter) and I am loving the sunlight streaming in our gorgeous “new-historic” windows! Previously we had real wood blinds that matched the rest of the ones in our home and they were beautiful, but the dining room was just too dark. Note: If you are looking for new blinds, I highly recommend real wood blinds. Next Day Blinds has a great selection to choose from.

 

In lieu of a full summer tablescape with place settings, I have decorated the table simply with a shabby-French-vintage garden theme for early summer. I used a perfectly crinkly and carefree French linen runner and ruffly linen placemats to soften the look of our 100+ year old rough hewn farm table. A few more moss and boxwood spheres and blue and white pottery pieces on each end of the table infuse the dining room with little pops of color and continue the decor theme from the living room.

 

 

The centerpiece is a styled basket tray vignette with a French garden themed cloche as the focal point.

 

 

Here is a better look at the treasures under the glass. I just found this beautiful 1950’s Venus De Milo mini statue last week at a thrift shop and I immediately knew I wanted to use her in a cloche display for summer. I was so excited when I was “shopping my stash” in my craft room for other items to place under the cloche and I came across these two tiny blue Chinoiserie vases I had forgotten about. They were just what was needed to tie in the other blue and white pottery and I think they look  perfect with the statue.

Fun fact: The original Venus De Milo is on display at the Louvre.

 

Beautiful vintage cloche display with vintage Venus De Milo statue

Free fresh flowers are always a good idea, so I just pinched off some of my double rose begonias from one of my hanging baskets to fill the vases. Aren’t they so pretty? I think they look like little roses. The wooden pedestal base is a Country Living Fair find that just happens to be the perfect size for my cloche. I used a French script fabric to add interest and texture to the basket vignette and to give it even more of a French vibe.

 

The fabric is a close match to the pretty Pier 1 pillow with a beautiful butterfly, hydrangea and French script pattern that sits on the French chair just behind the farm table in the corner of the dining room.

 

It always amazes me how things come together when I just use what I have around the house! At the end of the month when I start adding patriotic decor to the dining room for the Fourth of July I will move the pillow back to the living room.

 

 

The fabric remnant on the dining room table is from the bench behind the sofa, so the butterfly pillow also looks great in the living room since it matches the bench. Soon I will probably switch back to my Pottery Barn pillows too, simply because they are my favorites for the living room and the colors are still perfect for summer.

 

 

 

 

 

In addition to beach vacations, cookouts, and gardening, vintage junk hunting is at the top of my summer bucket list and I hit the sales and thrift shops almost every weekend. So far this summer the junkin’ has been great, especially when it comes to my absolute favorite vintage French and brocante style finds. The little green cabinet and antique mirrored buffet shelf in the dining room are great places to style up vintage vignettes with my latest finds.

 

 

On the same day I scored the Venus De Milo statue I also found this vintage bust. I am not sure where it will end up but for now I am displaying it in a French toile de jouy lined basket with one of my favorite decorating books and some beautiful fresh hydrangeas from our yard.

 

french vintage vignette Romantic Prairie Style book, thrifted Brocante treasures

I couldn’t resist adding some vintage ironstone to the basket. The more vintage junk the better, if it is curated and not cluttered. Actually I have been doing quite a bit of decluttering  since we are getting ready for a big yard sale. In July I will be sharing another summer home tour, where I will be going for a “less is more” relaxed summer vibe.

 

 

Last week I also found a pair of antique lovely lady pictures. They are both so pretty! I am sure their clothing would have been unbearably hot, but the pretty blues still seem like summer clothing to me.

 

 

 

 

 

The tiny whitewashed clay pot is filled with a mini-bouquet of white calibrachoa (superbells), fresh rosemary, lemon thyme, and lavender picked from my garden. The dried lavender in the little glass bottle is the first dried lavender I have harvested from one of my lavender plants this year. Speaking of lavender, let’s head out to the patio to take a peek at the flowers and finish up today’s tour.

But first, a quick stop in the kitchen for lemonade!

Farmhouse kitchen decorating ideas for summer lemons decorating with lemons black and white farmhouse kitchen

 

 

Beautiful early summer home tour farmhouse kitchen with lemons farmhouse pillows black and white kitchen ideas

(These are photos from last year’s summer home tour, but I am decorating with a similar sunny-lemon theme in the kitchen this year too. With all the rain I wasn’t able to get any pictures in time for today’s tour, but I will share a summer kitchen post next week.)

Now off to the patio, before it rains again!

When it hasn’t been raining I have been spending a lot of time just sitting on our patio in the evenings and enjoying the views of the gardens and landscape. My potted lavender is beautiful this year and all the other herbs have been fragrant and plentiful too. There are already tomatoes on the vine, and the annuals and perennials are doing great so far!

 

If the rain holds off I plan to take some pictures this week, and I will post a summer garden tour next week. I do hope you will stop back by for the outdoor tour of our 98 year-old (yellow brick) Kentucky home!

 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed the tour and that you have found some vintage summer style inspiration here today! Now it’s time to continue on with the rest of the summer home tours. Next up is Thrifty & Chic.  I know you will enjoy her gorgeous summer style!

Thanks again for visiting and do come back again soon!

Amber

 

Monday, June 10 

 Pink Peppermint Design

Tuesday, June 11

 Remodelando La Casa  – Inspiration For Moms –  ZDesign At Home 

House By Hoff  – Duke Manor Farm –  Decor To Adore

Wednesday, June 12

Haneens Haven  – Monica Wants It  – The Chronicles Of Home

 Follow The Yellow Brick Home  – Thrifty & Chic  –  Hymns & Verses 

Thursday, June 13

Clean & Scentsible – Sincerely Marie Designs –  11 Magnolia Lane 

Thrifty Decor Chic – Seeking Lavender Lane –  Our Southern Home 

Friday, June 14

 White Arrow Homes – Our Fifth House –Modern Glam

Designing Vibes –  Decorating Delirium –  Life On Cedar Lane

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Remodelando La CasaInspiration For Moms,  ZDesign At HomeHouse By Hoff ,
Duke Manor Farm,  Decor To Adore

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17 Comments

  • Reply Julia@Cuckoo4Design

    Beautiful tour! Love your summer vibes.

    June 12, 2019 at 8:11 am
  • Reply Anita

    Oh. My. Gosh. Absolute perfection!!!! Of course I’m always drooling over the woodwork and ceilings, but your styling is so welcoming and interesting. Your porch and patio too! Everything is amazing????????????

    June 12, 2019 at 8:22 am
  • Reply Cindy

    How beautiful Amber. I was waiting to see all your beautiful photos. You have some great treasures and summer has just begun. Thrift stores aren’t the same in NJ as other places in the Country. Often times junk and not many in our area.

    Love your pillows throughout the house. Also love the basket filled with flowers. Our market has better flowers than Trader Joe’s or florist. I have a French market basket a nbn d now you have me thinking.

    Hubby will have to figure a vessel to hold water and flowers because it’s a bit tall.

    Thanks for the inspiration as always.

    Enjoy your day

    Cindy

    June 12, 2019 at 8:28 am
  • Reply Marty

    Gorgeous. Your home is filled with so many wonderful antiques and treasures and you always style them so beautifully. I could spend hours in your home just enjoy each piece. Thanks so much for joining the tour.

    June 12, 2019 at 8:32 am
  • Reply Debra@CommonGround

    Amber I always love coming to your Home Tours. The attention to detail and color flow throughout your spaces showcase all your wonderful vintage pieces. Love your outdoor spaces and especially all your amazing cushions and pillows; the embroidered floral Kentucky pillow is precious!

    June 12, 2019 at 9:56 am
  • Reply Cristina

    What a delightful tour! Love your front porch, I could spend the entire summer right there.

    June 12, 2019 at 10:19 am
  • Reply Rachelle

    Hi Amber you have such an inviting home. I’m looking forward to the garden tour 🙂
    Pinned!

    June 12, 2019 at 2:44 pm
  • Reply Kristin

    It’s all so beautiful! I love seeing how you style your home each season. You always inspire me!

    June 13, 2019 at 5:18 pm
  • Reply Alicia @ Thrifty and Chic

    Beautiful tour! I love all the original details in your house and how you decorated with them.

    June 13, 2019 at 6:53 pm
  • Reply Katie Mansfield

    I love the pops of blue. So pretty. I’m so sorry about all your rain. It’s frustrating for the blogger.

    June 13, 2019 at 7:33 pm
  • Reply Debbie-Dabble

    Amber,
    Thanks so much for stopping by!! Your porch, patio and home look lovely!! we too have been getting rain too. A few nice days here and there but mostly rain…Thanks so much for sharing your home!!
    Hugs,
    Debbie

    June 14, 2019 at 2:40 pm
  • Reply ashley

    your home is so full of colorful character and charm. I love how you have decorated for summer! xoxo

    June 15, 2019 at 4:02 pm
  • Reply Doreen @ Hymns and Verses

    I love all of the vintage pieces you use in your decor! My favorite has to be your piano styled for summer!

    June 16, 2019 at 3:15 pm
  • Reply Tammy Mitchell

    Love your pretty porch. Such a beautiful tour.

    June 17, 2019 at 1:26 pm
  • Reply laura janning

    amber, i love how you have incorporated all the original millwork and original details into your homes style…and didn’t take it down. Thanks for sharing your beautiful home! enjoy the summer.

    June 18, 2019 at 8:54 am
  • Reply Crissy

    Amber, you never disappoint with your lovely home tours! I loved getting a peek at all your gorgeous rooms. I’m especially fond of the piano room, since I play as well. Everything looks perfectly summery. Thanks for sharing at Tuesday Turn About!

    June 23, 2019 at 12:51 am
  • Reply Mother of 3

    So many beautiful summer touches but Oh that front porch! I could just sit out there everyday. Thank you so much for sharing this and your other posts with us at the Summer Fun party. I’ve pinned them all.

    July 5, 2019 at 4:39 pm
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