Happy March everyone! I am happily making some changes around our home, not only for spring but in general. We are starting our sixth year here at the yellow brick home, and I finally have a clear vision of the overall decorating scheme I really want to achieve. This little entryway area by the staircase is coming right along. *This post contains affiliate links.

This year “my old Kentucky home” turned 100 years-old! I am definitely going to do some special posts through the remainder of the year to highlight it’s history and some before and afters that I have never shown on the blog. I also want to move toward using more traditional, English country, and antique pieces that are in keeping with it’s character and that pay homage to our Kentucky heritage.  I guess this combination of English, traditional and Kentucky style could also be considered traditional Southern style.

Although I am not a rider, I do love horses and I have always loved English country style with equestrian themes. Of course this fits right in with Kentucky equestrian style too. We live about an hour and a half from “horse country” which is around the Lexington, KY area. We visit there often either for my doctor appointments in neighboring Midway or just for shopping or other activities. It is not uncommon for us to wake up on a Saturday and head to Lexington for a couple of hours just to get out of the house and have something to do. 

While other areas of our home are getting refreshed with pops of color for spring, I am loving the neutral styling in this area with just a bit of green for transitioning from winter to spring. 

You might remember this lovely lady in the green dress picture that I thrifted just before Thanksgiving. The picture inspired a beautiful Christmas vignette here on this old commode/chest. It was easy to transition the vignette from Christmas to winter and now on into spring.

Vintage-Traditional Christmas Entryway

One fun little craft I completed after Christmas but never got around to sharing is the simple green and gold pine cone mini-wreath hanging on the mirror from pretty green velvet ribbon. Even though it is somewhat wintery, I like the natural element for early spring, and green and gold remind me of St. Patrick’s day. I will probably make a small moss wreath to put in it’s place soon.

The mossy-olive velvet green pillows I am using on the chesterfield sofa over by the fireplace pulls out the green in the entry vignette, making everything feel more early-springish. In this photo in the top right you can see just the edge of the antique sideboard that has also recently been styled for early spring.

Early Spring Vignettes on an Antique Sideboard

Although there is a little more color here, everything still flows from the traditional entry by the staircase and on through the living room and into the dining room with a calming, early spring feel. It’s still too early for me for Easter bunnies and eggs, (I get tired of holiday decor quickly) so I am enjoying birds, early spring flowers and other natural and rustic elements as I ease into spring.

Over on the entryway vignette I added in green through a collection of some of my favorite old books, a piece of beautiful olive green velvet ribbon, the green/gold pinecone wreath and the moss sphere on the French urn. I love using the electric candle lamps with the bulbs showing in candle style for the holidays, but for a change I am on the hunt for some kind of beautiful mini-lamp shades, maybe in vintage floral pattern. Perhaps I could decoupage some beautiful fabric or paper on plain mini-lamp shades? What do you think?

For extra vintage goodness I layered another vintage frame inside the oval frame. I also always love using vintage books with unique covers as part of vignettes.  I adore the neutral cover of the Stories of England book.

I am keeping the Stories of England book on display for a while, but I wanted to share this vintage Black Beauty book today because it’s just too cute, and it also fits in with the equestrian theme. The colors on the front seem “fallish”  with the orange and black, but the spine is green so it works well in my stack.

Within just a few days of finishing up the entryway, I spotted this gorgeous horse necklace on facebook and I just had to have it! Doesn’t it look just perfect here in this vignette among my other rustic and equestrian pretties? It was handmade by my dear friend Amanda. She creates the most beautiful jewelry using old jewelry and other upcycled vintage and thrifted treasures. You can check out her lovely work on her facebook page, Ruby’s Pocket.

I am looking forward to wearing my new “vintage” necklace on my trip to Lexington next week for a check up with my specialist. We will be right by the  Midway Flower Market. I am hoping it will be open for spring! If you are in the mood to see some lovely flowers (who isn’t) be sure to take a look at the post.

Exploring the Charming Midway Flower Market in Historic Midway, KY

I am always mad for plaid decor! Plaids are most associated with fall and winter, but I like to find ways to incorporate them year round. It’s still quite chilly in March, (and we can still have snow-ugh!) so it’s not quite time to pack away the throws just yet. This beautiful neutral throw replaced the red plaid blanket I was using here at Christmas. The fun horse pillow that was purchased from Vintage Market Days a few years ago seems perfect for this space and the look I am going for. The antique brown velvet riding cap is a favorite estate sale find.

One unexpected change that I am loving is the addition of the old suitcases under the chest. I had moved them there from the music room temporarily for Christmas to make room for the tree, but I think they look perfect in this spot because they tie in with the stairs. The stripes on the luggage were the inspiration my husband used to paint the faux runner on the stairs. They also keep the area from looking too shabby which is something I am working to tone down. Don’t get me wrong, I still love me some shabby-French farmhouse treasures, but I really want to go a little more vintage-traditional with our home overall. 

Within just a few days of finishing up the entryway, my dear friend Amand posted this gorgeous horse necklace and I just had to have it! I can’t wait to wear it, but there there is no way I will be hiding away this beauty in a jewelry box until I do! It looks just perfect here in this vignette.

It won’t be hard to make this area a bit more springy but adding a fresh bouquet of flowers and maybe changing out the lady in the green dress picture for a vintage botanical or equestrian picture with a springy or summer scene, but I think that overall this is a look that will work year-round. I am also on the lookout for a real wood antique grandfather clock to replace the shabby-farmhouse clock in the corner. I still like it so I will find a different spot for it, but I just think a beautiful wooden clock would be beautiful here.

Now that I have the entryway styled and parts of the living room, I am concentrating on adding spring to the dining room. Yesterday I shared my Spring Decor Inspiration Mood board including the new colorful rug from Birch Lane that inspired some other changes around the dining room. I will be sharing more of the new dining room decor on March 12th as part of my first spring home tour, so I hope you will stop by then! Of course I will be also be sharing a lot more spring posts between now and then, so hop on over any time to see what is going on around here.

Are you jumping right on into spring decor or are you easing in gradually too? I love hearing from you, dear readers! Thanks for visiting today!

Amber

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