Family Room

With the help of Andrea McDonald from Rooted in Love photography, I am able to share photos of my home with you.  Andrea has been taking photos of me and my family for the last few years and I love spending time with her.  It was a fun day shooting each room, just like a magazine!

I would describe my style as classic with a twist.  I find inspiration for the colors I use in my home from the sea — coral, turquoise, sand and the vivid colors you’d see during a summer sunset — orange and pink.  One of my favorite settings is to be cozy inside my house during a cold rain — so the shades of grey and blue also appeal to me.  And, I have a fondness for animal print using a touch of it in almost every room of the house.

Margaret’s Slipper Chair

The slipper chair belonged to Mother’s best friend Margaret.  This is what I refer to as my classic with a twist.  The chair was a lovely sage green silk when Margaret gifted it to me while she was downsizing and moving to Colorado to be closer to her daughter.  To freshen it up for my color scheme, I had my upholsterer cover it in a velvet navy.  I found the blue and white garden stool at Pier One and it makes the perfect spot to set a drink.  I added a fun pop of color with the Schumacher’s alabaster Chiang Mai pillow.

My orange crush

This orange chair is my favorite.  I bought it on a site similar to Craig’s List.  You should have seen me and the lady I bought it from trying to get it down her 1,000 steps on her front entry and into my van.  This was the before…

I was tempted to keep it in its original beautiful blue and white print.  But, then I started looking through fabrics on Etsy and dreamed of this combination.

Of course orange animal print…I had leftover fabric for throw pillows on the sofa.

As far as home decor, I find accessories at Target, Home Goods, Pottery Barn, Pier One, Hobby Lobby and Kirkland’s.  I sometimes find good stuff at a consignment store in my neighborhood.  That’s where I found the Chinese Ginger Jar lamp next to the orange crush.  It was only $28 and all it needed was a new shade.  Fab find.  The reclining chair with the turquoise pillow in it…I got at a church rummage sale for $75.  Brand new with the wrapping from the furniture store still on it.  I may recover it someday, but for right now it’s perfect for Mr. Bee to lounge in while he watches television.

The Turkish rug was our treasure from our travels last summer.  It has touches of blue, tan and orange in it and pulls everything together.  As you can tell, I gravitate more toward a variety of pieces and fabrics rather than matching everything.  I painted the space above the mantel, but for the most part we’ve kept this room neutral to allow the furniture and accessories to be the stars in the show.

A trick for that orchid on the mantel?  The green leaves are real, but the flower is faux.  I never have luck getting the gorgeous blooms of an orchid to return.  So, I just stuck a silk orchid stem into the soil and topped it with green moss.  And of course, the photo on the mantel is of my sweet parents, Earnie and Ray.

I’ll be sharing more photos this week…stay tuned…