Simple No Spend Summer Home Tour

Today I’m sharing some simple ways I added a brighter, breezy feel to our cottage home for Summer! Both quickly and without spending a penny. I’m pretty excited to share how easy it was with you.  

Hi there foxy friends, and if you are new here, welcome to Fox Hollow Cottage! I’m Shannon, you can [click here] if you’d like to learn a little more about me, and get a little back story on our 1929 home. Happy to have you here today, either way! 

I’ve known Marty from A Stroll Thru Life for many, many years, and I’ve participated in some of her home tour series on and off over the years. Last week, she invited me to jump in and join her week long Summer 2020 Home Tour event, so here I am. Make sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for each days line-up and loads of great home decorating inspiration! 

DIY BRICK ACCENT WALL  |  DIY OPEN PANTRY MAKEOVER

Because I hadn’t planned on doing a Summer Home tour just yet, I was ill-prepared. No fresh flowers, no new pillows, no new… well, anything.

And that actually excited me.

My focus was to use only what I had to add a lighter, airy feel to the house. So I worked on gathering just a few of my favorite things, that look & feel like Summertime to me.

And for all my regular readers, you know I’m always singing the praises of console tables! And here is a perfect example of why — I moved and shuffled all three of the console tables that I’ve got upstairs to new spots, and that alone made things feel a little fresher! Plus it’s a great opportunity to clean, which you all know I love to do. 

The console I’ve got on the brick wall now has a much lighter visual footprint, and paired with the open work white mirror and some fresh accessories, it creates an airier silhouette that’s perfect for the season!

Down in the sun room, I actually made zero changes. I’ve kind of found myself  decorating less, and with less “stuff” for awhile now. I’m trying to keep things simpler, which coincidentally, makes it easier to dust and clean around. Especially for Summer, when I’d rather be outside tending my flowers.

I still loooove a good vignette, I’m just not as interested in creating and maintaining them. 

I just had to share a close-up of our African Violet. It loves this location, so I never move it! It’s so happy and it’s just going crazy with blooms right now. 

The kitchen still needs a bit of Summer love, but no hurry, I’ve got time and a few ideas. I’m thinking patriotic. As much as I love the laid back neutrals, and how relaxing they feel. I need my red, white and blue fix too! Oh and we can play a little i-spy… because I left a paint brush drying in my favorite spot. haha.

Pardon the less than crisp photo of our kitchen island, this is a hard spot to shoot on a good day. The french door always makes the light very imbalanced, and it’s even worse on grey, rainy days. Of which it was both when I was taking pictures for the tour.

It’s a great piece and we love the storage, and the bar seating. Even though it’s not even close to what I originally had in mind, it’s filled the empty spot we had and has been a real surprise blessing! 

I kept the decor very basic on our island top, opting for a vintage crock, some faux Geraniums and a pair of wood slatted lanterns with rope handles. This doubles as a buffet spot and extra seating when we entertain, and Summer is our big grilling season so I like to keep it extra simple here! 

Pausing to give you a little info on our layout if you’ve new here —  we’ve got a little old house, with an very open layout. Our main living area on the upper floor has a living room, a causal dining area, the kitchen and sun room (as well as two bedrooms and a bath that I won’t be sharing today). 

MY DREAM FURNITURE  |  NEW PLANTATION SHUTTERS ON OLD WINDOWS

Decorating the living room for Summer involved more deleting than it did adding. I put away all the heavier throws, and some excess decor. 

I brought out a pretty green throw my mom got me several years ago, an open weave basket and some Magnolia stems. 

I opted to keep things really neutral on both my sofa and my big chair, and left my ivory textured pillows in place.

That’s not to say next week I won’t get the urge to go coastal and get all my aqua goodies out, but for now… this feels super relaxing. And I’ve been craving that more and more. 

My coffee table decor (heck, even my coffee table!) changes on a whim. In a small house, it’s an easy thing to change that makes a big impact. The living room in my curl-up and relax spot, so when I get fresh flowers, or maybe a new candle, I love to have them right here.

Gathering items on trays is one of the easiest ways to create a moment with your decor. Especially if elaborate coffee table styling isn’t your thing, doesn’t suit your lifestyle, or a isn’t your strong suit. 

Let’s just say, I have a lot of trays.

This white wood console table is the beefiest of the three I have on the main floor. It was previously on the brick wall and I relocated it to the back of my chair. I love how a console delineates the space, while adding separation between the living and dining area. The pale wood and metal console table that you saw here last, is now on the far side of the living room.

Musical furniture. I love it!

My wicker whale is always a staple for Summer. He’s just so whimsical and fun, and I love getting to bring him out each season! 

(for those of you following along, you can see I’ve yet to repaint the new accent wall and door!)

Our house is very casual, and we don’t have a formal dining room. I had to sort of carve one out for us. I created one by dividing a living and dining area out of a long, slender room. I anchor each space with a big jute rug.

And in a stunning turn of events… it’s another casually decorated space! Shocking, I know.

Because our farm table double as my art studio when I paint, I try to keep it simple for quick changes when the mood to paint strikes. 

In lieu of fresh flowers on the table, I brought my two smallest Lavender topiaries inside for the tour. 

It’s so fun to enjoy them inside a bit since it’s been rainy out! They’ll make their way back out to the deck soon. I sure have loved seeing them inside though! 

DIY SHIPLAP FIREPLACE  |  HOW TO PAINT A FIREPLACE FIREBOX

I bought the two carved horse figures years ago, and the kaleidoscope is a family heirloom. The basket full of faux Lavender is perfect, tucked slightly into the firebox. I don’t think I’m in love with this set-up… but the beauty of decorating is that not much is permanent! I’m thinking I need to make a BIG clock. I’ll add it to my list. That gets longer, faster than I can check things off of it. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one with that problem. 

Honestly, a Summer home tour wasn’t on my mind, but it was a lovely distraction to dive into my decor and pull out some favorites. I’m so glad I joined in! I figured I’d refresh things at some point, but with so much going on in the world right now, I was having a bit of a hard time focusing on something that felt… a bit frivolous. Even though I know how important it is for ourselves and our families that our homes “feel” good.

I hope that seeing me create a Summer feel in our home using only what I had on-hand encourages you to try the same. By simply shifting a few things around, deleting a few heavier decor items (like my B&W checked plaid rug in the living room) and by adding a few key pieces that reflect the season, I was able to get a light & airy Summer feel for our home. I know you can too! 

Unfortunately my Lilacs were spent before I got my home Summer-tour ready, but I’ll leave you with this image. My only complaint about Lilacs, is that they never last long enough…

Have a beautiful Summer. xo Shan

Here is the entire weeks line up — have fun visiting!

Monday

Tuesday

Setting For Four   Duke Manor Farm   Decor To Adore    House By Hoff    Inspiration For Moms   Pink Peppermint Design

Wednesday

Modern Glam    Fox Hollow Cottage     Thrifty & Chic    11 Magnolia Lane     Grace In My Space   Hymns & Verses 

Thursday

Seeking Lavender Lane   StoneGable   Designing Vibes   CITIRINELIVING   Our Southern Home    Southern State Of Mind 

Friday

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