After almost a year it’s time for a “pre-veal” of our new home decorated for fall!

Welcome, welcome WELCOME! After months and months of empty promises (we really tried, I promise!) I am finally ready to open our front door and let you take a peek into our new 1920’s American Foursquare home with Craftsman Bungalow elements! Oh boy are we loving it! Although it is bittersweet to leave the yellow brick home, we have no regrets! I had really hoped to have things “finished” in time for fall and had planned for this to be the great reveal post, but there is STILL so much to do. We only moved in about three weeks ago and as you can imagine there are still unpacked boxes and totes everywhere!  Nevertheless I decided to go ahead and give you a little “PREveal” of some of the foyer and living room with snippets from upcoming posts where I will show the spaces and decor in more detail. 

 

I am so excited to be joining the annual fall home tours again hosted by my friend Marty of  A Stroll Thru Life!  You will find links to 25 fabulous homes full of fall inspiration at the end of this post. If you are coming over from Anita’s gorgeous home at Whispering Pines Homestead, or if you are just visiting today, I am so happy to welcome you to our  bright and happy NEW home!

 

A Peek into the Fall Foyer

I haven’t transitioned our porch to fall, but I did have time to add a bright plaid fall bow to my greenery wreath on the front door. The beautiful colors are a hint of the fall colors inside.

 

 

Foyer Mantel with Velvet Pumpkins

 

In the midst of the moving chaos (both our move to the new house and moving our son into college in NY last week) I put together a simple and elegant fall mantel with beautiful velvet pumpkins, greenery, twinkle lights, vintage brass candlesticks and herb topiaries. I think it turned out so pretty!  One major goal with this move was to declutter and simplify our home and life, especially when it comes to seasonal decorating. This mantel display is much less over the top than what I have done in the past, but I have to say I think less is more in this case!

 

 

 

I looked for months for the perfect affordable Anthropology-inspired mirror and was shocked to find this one just last week at Hobby Lobby. You can see a peek of my thrifted $30 vintage chandelier reflected in the mirror. I bought it years ago at a thrift shop knowing one day I would find a perfect spot for it, and now I have, in our new home! The chandelier needs to hang a bit lower so we’ll have to add some additional wire and chain links. 

 

 

 The fall color scheme of rich orange rusts, greens, golds and brown really looks beautiful throughout our new home where all the main living spaces are bright and sunny with creamy white walls.  I will share a dedicated fall foyer mantel with more details and photos of this sumptious fall mantel on Sunday.

 

 

Here is the foyer fireplace before. The floors had just been refinished in this photo and we love how they turned out! Somethng thatwill really change this view and add character is re-installing the original 1920’s French doors that separated the front parlor (foyer) and living room. We are refinishing them along with the inside of the beautiful original front door and side lights that I am waiting to reveal.

 

You might be shocked that we opted NOT to paint the two original brick fireplaces in the home because they just have such a cozy traditional English look to them. I do think unpainted brick fireplaces are making a come back too. Instead of painting, my husband updated them up and added more character with beautiful mouldings and trim (see comparison photo below.)

 

 

 

Upcoming Foyer Changes

We plan to enhance the fireplace even more with a soapstone or slate hearth and built in bookcases on each side, and an udpated fireplace cover. The little vintage tole lights are cute, but too small for the space and they will be gone anyway once the bookcases are installed. Very soon we will also add larger crown molding which will be a game changer. Just to note, the little shabby chest with the David bust is just in a temporary spot until the sunroom is finished.  At least the round foyer table in the center is a keeper! I am undecided about a rug, but I have been on the lookout for a pretty round one for under the table.

 

 

As I reveal more of our new home in the weeks and months ahead, you will notice less farmhouse chippy-shabby furniture, painted pieces and accessories in this home (although I kept a few favorites like chippy old layered frames and mirrors.) Since we opted for a bright and creamy off white neutral walls throughout the main living spaces with painted trim, I knew I would miss my dark woodwork from the yellow brick home. Instead I am incorporating warmth with various shades of wood furniture which add character and a more elevated traditional cottage vibe.

 

 

I have always loved the look of elegant and traditional round foyer tables, so I was thrilled when I found this beauty at a consignment shop this summer. I am looking forward to having different floral arrangements fresh and faux on the table throughout the seasons to greet guests as they walk through the front door. For early fall I created a large center arrangement with realistic faux and real dried florals.  

 

 

For early fall I created a large center arrangement with realistic faux and real dried florals.  Faux pears, acorns and dried pumpinos are simple little touches that easily add fall vibes.

 

 

 

We don’t have a dedicated music room here but the foyer is a huge open room and the piano fits perfectly along the staircase . I love that the wood tone of the piano matches the original banister too. I have waited to style the blank staircase wall with an antique mirror and art gallery wall until we add beautiful wainscoting up the wall.  Hopefully this project will get finished before the holidays (it’s far down the list under finishing the kitchen and dining room though!)

 

The piano top is styled simply with a beautiful DIY “antique-look” oil painting, my favorite battery operated candles in vintage brass candlesticks, an old clock and two antique rust colored and brass lamps. The tartan plaid in the painting and the rust orange lamps added just enough fall without looking too busy behind the round table display. We love our Scottish heritage and of course I am mad for plaid, so I fell in love with this Scottish lady print on Etsy and it really inspired some of the styling in the foyer.

 

 

 

Here is a preview of the bookcases on the wall directly across from the fireplace in the foyer with stacks of plaid blankets, old books and other favorite treasures. I am working on incorporating more blue in this house too which I am loving!

 

A Peek into the Fall Living Room

 

The foyer leads directly into a large and cozy living room that the whole family is loving, epsecially with all of our favorite books at hand on the original built in bead board bookcases flanking the fireplace. I haven’t styled the mantel for fall yet because we are getting ready to dress up the overmantel with trim work and I am looking for a different mirror. The rest of the room is  almost ready for fall though!

 

 

For comparison, here is a look at the fireplace just two weeks ago. It’s amazing what trim can do!

I experimented with temporary washable paint to lighten the grout and sort of barely white wash the fireplace, but I am just not sure if I like it better than the original brick as I compare it to the foyer in the fireplace that I didn’t experiment with. I am going to live with it for a while and see how it looks after the hearth redo and overmantel trim and new mirror in place. 

 

 

 

 

 

I think everything is looking great in the living room so far, but there are still some changes coming up before my full fall living room tour. Along with the overmantel changes, will be adding the original wavy class cabinet doors to the book shelves and some beautiful curtains too!

 

 

I have carried  my vintage-traditional styling and plaid theme from the foyer into the living room with plaid pillows that pair beautifully with my year round favorite green velvet pillows and tie in the blue and other fall colors. I think the plaid really pops on our new camel leather chesterfield loveseat and since they have a lot of blue I might want to use these in late summer too. You will also notice I have swapped out the chippy old trunk I was using for a coffee table for years for the gorgeous THRIFTED wood and glass beveled glass coffee table. That wood!!!! I styled it with elegant year round fall elements and small touches of fall.  Drumroll… Notice the mirrored piece in the background?

 

 My FAVORITE new antique piece that I bought specifically for our new house is this stunning late 1800’s “knock down” mirrored armoire in excellent condition! I knew as soon as we bought the house that this corner needed an armoire and spent almost a year searching for it. It was worth the wait!

 

 

To the right of the armoire is another DIY “antique” Equestrian painting with pretty autumnal colors. Just like the painting of the Scottish lady in the foyer, I used a printable from Etsy and decoupaged it onto a canvas, then framed it in a very old antique gold frame. It looks so authentic, and this battery operated art light really elevates the look even more.

 

 

We love the more updated- vintage English, and Southern traditional vibe we are creating with this home! Even though it is far from finished it is already much more comfortable living here overall. So far this loveseat is THE coziest spot in the house!!! It’s also bright and sunny and perfect for relaxing with my favorite decorating and gardening books!

 

Just behind the loveseat opens up into our wide spacious kitchen, which will not be ready for a full reveal until the holidays. I did at least decorate this corner with a pretty styled basket with a few fall touches and some year round kitchen elements.  I can’t wait for the kitchen to be finished but alas, these things always take more time that expected! Still, we are loving every area of our new home and look forward to all we are planning to do and sharing it with you too!

 

 

 

 

I hope you have enjoyed this pre-veal of the foyer and living room and that it has you looking forward to seeing the rest of our new home!  Next up is my friend Cindy of  County Road 407! I love her style, and even though our new home is less cluttered and more traditional than the yellow brick home, I will still be incorporating things Cindy loves like my beloved ironstone and some vintage, chippy-shabby farmhouse finds here in there around the home and especially in the garden.

Don’t forget to stop by all of the other beautiful homes below. Thanks for visiting!

Amber

 

 Monday Sept. 11

A Stroll Thru Life – Peacock Ridge Farm – Eleanor Rose Home – Worthing Court – Southern Home and Hospitality.

Tuesday Sept. 12

Decor To Adore – DIY Beautify – Amy Sadler Designs – Calypso in the Country – The House on Silverado

Wednesday Sept. 13

StoneGable – My Wee Abode – Thrifty and Chic – Chalking Up Success – Pasha is Home – Thistle Key Lane

Thursday Sept. 14

Our Southern Home – Whispering Pines Homestead – Follow The Yellow Brick Home – County Road 407 – She Gave It A Go – The Tattered Pew

 

Friday Sept. 15

White Arrows Home – White Lilac Farmhouse – Midwest Life and Style