A cold glass of sweet tea sitting on the kitchen table, a pile of flip flops by the front door, chairs gathered around a bonfire in the backyard, and sunshine flooding our windows…
These are the sights of summer around our little farmhouse, and today I’m sharing my easy ideas for bringing laid-back, cozy summer style to any home. I am thrilled to be part of the Simply Summer Home Tour with Nina Hendrick, Birch Lane and Country Living, and at the end of this post you’ll find more inspiring ideas from other bloggers on this tour.
Welcome to summertime on the farm!
This is the first summer since our recent kitchen renovation in January, and it’s so nice to have a clean, functional space to work in now. There’s always fresh fruit on the counter for the kids to grab, and you’ll often find clippings from our yard and flower beds in the sink waiting to be added to vases throughout the house.
The simplest summer flower or tree branches from your yard can instantly freshen up a room without you spending a single dollar. The seasons come and go so quickly that I’ve learned not to spend a lot of time or money on season-specific decor and instead focus on adding just one or two elements to a room that relate to the current season.
This summer I’ve found myself craving more simplicity in our home, which for me means less clutter, more open space, and simpler decor. I’m always re-arranging things around the house, which sometimes leads to adding one too many centerpieces on our dining room table or using too many plants or setting a bunch of baskets where they don’t belong. And before I know it, the house feels full of “stuff”, without really feeling like our home.
I did a lot of editing over the last few weeks and eliminated extra artwork on the walls and clutter on the floor. I was worried that the house would feel bare and boring at first, but now I realize that all the “extra” kept us from being able to focus on the pieces that we love most in our home. For instance, our dining room table that we built together as a family…
… or the bench Jeremy and I made from an old door in our farmhouse. Why cover them up with a million knick-knacks when they are beautiful all on their own?
Even if your home doesn’t fit into everyone else’s version of beauty or good design, if it represents who you are… that’s all that matters.
If you walk into our entryway on any given day, I can guarantee you’ll find pairs of muddy boots from the farm and a ball cap or two hanging on our coat hooks. These items tell the story of our daily lives, and I’ve learned to embrace them as part of our home.
That doesn’t mean that I love all the Lego pieces I find scattered throughout the entire house or the pile of coats that no one bothers to hang up but me. We’re a normal family just like anybody else, and trust me… we make messes like the best of ’em.
But especially during summer when the kids are out of school and we’re home all together, I try not to sweat the small stuff as much and let the kids keep their blanket forts out in the living room for awhile. After all, how many more summers will I get to make blanket forts with them?
Soon I’ll be sharing this sweet, little spot in our living room on the blog, but here’s a sneak peek for now. I just got those gorgeous candlesticks in from Birch Lane, and I love character they add to this all-white space.
I feel like after four years of living in this home, I finally have our little farmhouse done with major renovations and makeovers and can finally enjoy the fruits of our labor. Of course there is always a list in my mind of things I would like to do here, but for the summer I’m happy with relaxing with my family and being content with where we’re at in this journey.
Here are my four best tips for adding easy summer style to your home:
- Summer is the perfect time for bringing nature into your home, so pick some blooms from your garden, shop for a bouquet at a farmer’s market, clip some branches from a leafy tree, or even grab a handful of wildflowers from an overgrown field.
- Make your space feel clean and fresh by eliminating any “extras” that are just adding clutter. Do you really need ten pillows on your couch? Pick two or three of your favorites and make more space for summer snuggles with your sweetie.
- Summer is a great time to experiment with color in your home, even if you’re a diehard neutral lover like me. Keep your space white and bright, but try adding a yellow sunflower on your coffee table or a coastal blue pillow on your bed. It only takes a tiny pop of color to really make a big impact in a neutral space!
- Embrace summer’s laid-back vibe. Do you constantly have towels from the pool or beach laying around the house? Add some cute hooks on the wall and make them part of your decor.
A few weeks ago, I shared the first part of our summer home tour, which you can find here. This is a little peek at what I shared in that post… I hope you stop by!
Sources
Note: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which allows me to make a small commission from your purchase, but your purchase price stays the same. Thank you for helping support our blog!
Front Porch
- Black lantern light fixture – Menard’s
- X wood planter boxes – tutorial
- White lanterns – Joss and Main
Kitchen
- Matte black pendant lights – Amazon
- Pendant light above sink – Wayfair
- X back wood dining chairs – World Market
- Rug under table – Rugs USA
- Sheer white curtains – Walmart
- Bronze curtain rods – Walmart
- Small jute rug by sink – Home Goods
- Matte black sink faucet – Delta
- Wire drying rack – World Market
- Vintage glass bottles – Wayfair
- Round wood cutting board – Wayfair
- Fresh herb wood crate – tutorial in my new book!
Dining Room
- Farmhouse dining table – tutorial
- Farmhouse dining bench – tutorial
- Tufted slipper chairs – Target
- Jute rug – World Market
- Olive topiary – Ballard Designs
- Entryway bench – tutorial
- Striped bench pillows – World Market
- Wall art – tutorial in my new book!
- Wicker trunk – TJ Maxx
- Cutting boards – Wayfair: 1 2 3 4
- Hanging vases beside window – tutorial in my new book!
Bathroom
- Shower curtain – Target (discontinued)
- Oval mirror – Target (discontinued)
- White vase – IKEA
- Fern wall art – tutorial in my new book!
- Sink faucet – Amazon
Living Room
- Glass lamps – Target
- Wood candlesticks – Birch Lane
- Clock – tutorial in my new book!
I invite you to also visit Country Living and the other homes on our Simply Summer Home Tour! You will find style tips, summer ideas, and plenty of beautiful decor:
Monday
Nina Hendrick | Maison de Pax | Cherished Bliss | AKA Design | A Burst of Beautiful | Liz Marie Blog
Tuesday
Migonis Home | So Much Better With Age | Zevy Joy | Just a Girl and Her Blog | Shades of Blue Interiors | Making Home Base
Wednesday
Rooms FOR Rent | The Wicker House | Bless’er House | Love Grows Wild | Finding Silver Pennies | Design, Dining + Diapers
Thursday
Craftberry Bush | Jennifer Rizzo | The Wood Grain Cottage | Ella Claire | Tidbits | City Farmhouse
Friday
Kindred Vintage & Co | The Blissful Bee | The Happy Housie | House By Hoff | Nesting With Grace | Life on Virginia Street
LET’S KEEP IN TOUCH!
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I was provided a gift card from Birch Lane for this post, but all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible!
I love all of the updates you have made over time. White is a favorite. Everything is fresh and light. Just what you want in the summer
You have a very beautiful home Liz. I always wanted to live in my very own farmhouse, and I’m sure it would decorated much like yours if I had my own. But I have a small 1 1/2 storey, and we are by a lake so I’ve taken to decorate with a lot of lakeside things (which I love a lot too!)
I wish I could tour your house in person! Lucky gal … xo
You have such a beautiful home. I don’t even know where to begin with what I like the best in your home. The lace in the embroidery hoops is so striking with the white on white. Your thoughts about cleaning surfaces and walls and leaving them more simple for Summer is interesting. Yours is the same feeling I have when I take all of the holiday decor down after Christmas, afraid things are going to be so plain and lacking, but then when it is done, everything seems clean and fresh. I am pinning this to my House Tour board and would like to invite you to join us over at Celebrate Your Story! link party. Your beautiful home is certainly a story worth sharing!
Thanks for the tour. Your house is beautiful, and I love your kitchen. It is gorgeous!
Your home is a testament to your talent. It is beautiful and it’s exactly what a modern farmhouse should be.
Liz- Oh my goodness, perfection! I love the idea of a home edit, I think that’s so important. Thank you so much for sharing and for joining me on this tour!
GOOD. NESS. Your home is just stunning Liz. I am in love with every single room!
Everything is so bright, white and lovely! I too want to declutter and simplify… it’s such a process, but this inspired me to take a little time this week to focus on a few of our main living areas. Thanks for sharing!
Liz, I love visiting your blog and with it your home. Lovely home tour filled with simple inspiration. I love summer and time with the kids.
Hi Liz ~ I love the color of your door… can you share what it is? Thanks for the tour!
Hi Heidi! The color is Rustic Pewter in Rust-Oleum’s Door Paint. 🙂
I love your effortless beautiful style Liz. Gorgeous as always. It’s fun seeing you appear in your home pics too– makes it more real. 🙂
Love how everything is so fresh, bright and clean! I’m slowly but surely finding that simple and clutter-free summertime farmhouse! It’s here… it’s just covered in canning supplies at the moment! Haha! Always find inspiration here, thank you for sharing your lovely home!
Liz, everything is so gorgeous! I’ve been doing editing too. I have a smaller house so it would be easier to just put it all out on display but it’s much harder to edit! I’m worried about it looking too bare but you have found the perfect balance. Your photography and style are impeccable. Congratulations on your upcoming book!
Hugs, Jamie
I am in love with your bathroom! The mirror is perfect up against the white walls!
Beautiful home! Thank you for sharing!
Gene
Hi Liz, I’m loving the white you used in your home! Can you tell me what color you used in your entry walls and your bathroom, please! Thanks!!
Hi Lisen! I used Du Jour by Valspar in the entry way! 🙂
Love the lace (?) doilies (?) in the embroidery hoops – have you done a tutorial on that? I’m sure it is as simple as it looks, but what exactly did you use in the hoops?
Hey Linda! I actually have a tutorial for them in my book, A Touch of Farmhouse Charm, that is coming out on 12/6/2016! It has 70 brand new home decor tutorials and can be ordered on Amazon now if you’re interested! 🙂
Your home is beautiful! Could you please share with me what line and color your kitchen countertops are? Thank you!
Hey Jill! We went with Silestone Lyra Quartz for our countertops and love them! 🙂
I love it!! ThaLilynk you for sharing all this great ideas. Absolutely beautiful.
Please tell me where your bed skirt is from I am in love with your room! Beautiful