Elements of a Summertime Living/Dining Room



I am going to be more positive and say, "better late than never" instead of the more negative saying of, "a day late and a dollar short".  I know that most, if not all, of my blogger friends have already posted their summer house tours.  I am a kind of a live-in-the-moment kind of girl (not a good thing for a blogger I am finding :/). The moments of this summer have been busy with family things. There just has been so much going on,  I have been enjoying it so much!  Have you?  However, even with all of that, I do finally have some summertime décor to show you.  I've been brightening it up in the living/dining room of my home and can't wait to see what you think.




I very recently decided to change out the curtains in the living room for very light white ones this summer.  I actually stole them from one of the bedrooms in the house.  I figured no one would miss them ;).  That one simple alteration really changed the look of the room.  The former curtains were dark brown with beige sheers and really seemed to weigh down the room for the summer.  I like the change.
After changing the curtains, it was just a matter of changing some of the accessories around the room.

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 I have a very nice collection of Salmon Falls and Williamsburg Pottery that I have collected over the years but, to be honest, it has been stored away for a while because I felt it was somewhat old-fashioned.  This summer I thought, "What the heck? Why not use it in my dining room tablescape?"  I used a small sampling of it and mixed it in with my white pottery/stoneware.  It doesn't scream "summer!" but blueberries are a summer crop, so I thought it would work.  I am happy to finally get this wonderful pottery out in the open again.  The rest of it is being displayed in the china cabinet in the family room.



I wanted to go a little "lighter" everywhere in the room and that included the dining table.  I didn't want the look to be overbearing.

I love the copper mugs stored in the hutch popping through in this photo.  Even in the summer they add a "little something" to the decor.

I used a mixture of fresh and silk greenery here...also for ease in the summer.  The fresh greenery can be changed out at a drop of the hat.


A green apple was just the right thing for a pop of color.





These glass fish beads were good to add some color in the chandelier, as well.

 More silk flower designs~

Looking through the chandelier you catch a glimpse of the sideboard area.

I made this wall design to mimick the print.  It shares the same colors and is a simple accent piece.

 I have collected pottery pitchers over the years, as well, and wanted to display them also.

~One of the views from the living room to the outdoors ↓↓~ 




 Next, let's move to the other side of the living room, shall we?

The colors are very neutral with a few splashes of color thrown in.  I like the calming effect for the summer.

I used a large pottery pot I had purchased last summer for a large outdoor display of branches to decorate the buffet this year. I wanted something large and simple that would blend well with the print on the wall but not compete with it.  I guess this is an example of using what you already have.


Still muted tones~ ~ kind of beachy but not over the top~





Around the room I added a few other touches, as well.  I had to pay homage to my Cape Cod roots and include some tiny touches of the beach somewhere in the room.  This display sits on the sofa table behind the one of the couches.

I didn't go crazy with pillows on the sofa but removed the chocolate brown ones I use for the rest of the year and replaced them with these cream pillows.

On the hearth I used some crazier pillows to add some color in that area.  The tub will be emptied and used for entertaining when the time comes.  For now, it is storing some linens.



Well, there you have it--the elements of my summertime living room and dining room.
 I am hoping to share other rooms of my home with you and, perhaps, some outdoor areas, as well.  However, next week is vacation so, I will have to try my best.  It might just have to be-- "better late than never"  ;-).

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