Summer Home Tour 2017



Welcome to our Summer home tour! I love the Summer home tour because it usually shows what my house looks like with normal decor, without pumpkins, Christmas trees, or tons of flowers (or dead flowers in my case). Marty from A Stroll Thru Life puts on great tours full of amazing inspiration from bloggers around the web, and this weeks Summer Tour line up does not disappoint! Be sure to check out the other tours at the bottom of my post. If you are visiting from Decor to Adore, welcome!

If you were around for my Spring home tour, a lot has changed since then. We have since put in new flooring. Our old carpet was straight up disgusting, and it was way over due to be ripped out. To be truthful, I'm still not 100% on these floors :) I went to dark, and I'm still not used to it! But...it does match our tile the best out of all the flooring we were looking at. So, if I went lighter, I would be bugged by other things. You can see the entire process and what flooring we chose HERE.
 White and neutral cottage farmhouse living room decor and decorating ideas. Living room diy shiplap walls. Fixer upper style living room
 Another sweet addition to our home, is Bo, our new pup! He has a love for cameras and tends to get in a ton of pictures...or just likes following and laying in front of me :)
White and neutral cottage farmhouse living room decor and decorating ideas. Living room diy shiplap walls. Fixer upper style living room
I wasn't really going to show my front room for this tour, but decided it would give me a good reason to clean up all the toys and dog pee. Serious. This has become THE room to go in for our pup. We got it down from all the other rooms to this single room, so I feel it's a small victory in the potty training arena.

I updated the pillows, and with that, added a little more beachy-farmhouse vibes in here with the lanterns and nautical rope balls.
White and neutral cottage farmhouse living room decor and decorating ideas. Living room diy shiplap walls. Fixer upper style living room
Console Table: Target     Sofa Bed: Ikea      Bench: Target     Rug: Rugs USA

White and neutral cottage farmhouse living room decor and decorating ideas. Living room diy shiplap walls. Fixer upper style living room
I kept the colors in here really neutral...well, pretty much like the rest of my house. I did attempt to add some blue stripes in here like I did last year, but decided against it last minute. I just love how airy this space is right now with all the white and wood tones.
White and neutral cottage farmhouse living room decor and decorating ideas. Living room diy shiplap walls. Fixer upper style living room


White and neutral cottage farmhouse living room decor and decorating ideas. Living room diy shiplap walls. Fixer upper style living room
Faux fireplace DIY: Tutorial      Wire Hamper: Amazon    Bench: Target

White and neutral cottage farmhouse living room decor and decorating ideas. Living room diy shiplap walls. Fixer upper style living room

Here's our entry way. We ripped out the tile and the carpet that was in here before. I actually miss the tile a bit, but knew it would be too busy with the wood butted against it.
White and neutral farmhouse cottage entry way decor and decorating ideas. Two story entry way ideas.
This bench is the best thing in our house. It hides all the kids shoes and offers the perfect place to put them on...plus, it's pretty! That basket hides all the winter gear like hats, gloves and scarves. I would say that I don't need those now since it's June...but, it was so cold today, we had to wear our sweaters. I made some soup that is usually reserved for colder months and made some hot chocolate. Did I mention it's June? Ha! It was 90 degrees last week so at least we had a week of Summer, right?
White and neutral farmhouse cottage entry way decor and decorating ideas. Two story entry way ideas.
This is one of my favorite views in our house. I have grand plans for three walls around that upper window...if I ever get enough courage to do some more work on that one foot ledge :) It's still weird to look at this view though with the new floors. Another reason for getting a darker wood was so it would contrast off the natural knotty alder on the staircase and front door.
White and neutral farmhouse cottage entry way decor and decorating ideas. Two story entry way ideas.
Here's our living room! Not much has changed in here since my Spring tour except a few pillow switches...oh, and the floors :)
White and neutral farmhouse cottage living room decor and decorating ideas. Two story living room and great room ideas.
Here's a good look at the color. I chose it because of the lighter tones and the darker ones too. I was a little hopeful that there were going to be more lighter tones :) Don't get me wrong, I still love them! Just going from an all white/beige house to dark brown is kind of a trip.
White and neutral farmhouse cottage living room decor and decorating ideas. Two story living room and great room ideas.
(Rug: Amazon      Clock: Gordmans     Card Catalog: Hobby Lobby)

What do you all think about me continuing the board and batten across this window wall from the right corner wall to the bookcase? I'm thinking I might just do it. I just don't know how busy it'll make my house look with all the molding in the entry way and other walls.
White and neutral farmhouse cottage living room decor and decorating ideas. Two story living room and great room ideas.
This media center and shelves are still a new-ish additional that I love. The cabinet opens on the other side and houses the DVD player and Xbox. It's great to just slide the door when people come over and you don't see the eye sores :) You can see the tutorial for it HERE.
White and neutral farmhouse cottage living room decor and decorating ideas. Two story living room and great room ideas.
I put this wood up for my late Winter home tour and decided to leave it. I just love the look too much...plus, we haven't had any use for the wood yet being that we haven't had any camp fires this year. But, I'm hopeful that will change. And yes, you can be sure, I will restock my shelves :)
White and neutral farmhouse cottage living room decor and decorating ideas. Two story living room and great room ideas.

White and neutral farmhouse cottage living room decor and decorating ideas. Two story living room and great room ideas.
My mantel hasn't changed much this year. I used to change it every season, or twice a season. Well, I got over that. If it works and I'm happy with it, why change it?
White and neutral farmhouse cottage living room decor and decorating ideas. Two story living room and great room ideas.
Here's the other side of my living room with a better view of that board and batten and where it would continue. When I look at these pictures, it only makes sense to do it. When I look at my house as a whole, it seems like it might just be too much.
White and neutral farmhouse cottage living room decor and decorating ideas. Two story living room and great room ideas.

White and neutral farmhouse cottage living room decor and decorating ideas. Two story living room and great room ideas.
As for the decor, like I said before, I only really switched out the pillows. I went with all white or cream. I also changed out the blankets. I know it's Summer, but it was like 40 degrees yesterday. So..yeah. Blankets still adorn my house :)
White and neutral farmhouse cottage living room decor and decorating ideas. Two story living room and great room ideas.
PS. I was playing with the idea that a slightly skewed tray would look good. I'm thinking I will stay with my straight trays from now on :)

If I continue the board and batten on the other wall, I would then continue it on this little wall with the circle mirror. It would then pretty much encompass the entire room.
White and neutral farmhouse cottage living room decor and decorating ideas. Two story living room and great room ideas.

White and neutral farmhouse cottage living room decor and decorating ideas. Two story living room and great room ideas.
This is a weird angle, but I just love it now. Never loved it before, but the floors and the walls just look great together at this little intersection...or so I think :)
White and neutral farmhouse cottage living room decor and decorating ideas. Two story living room and great room ideas.
Here are just a few more angles of my living room since I obviously went overboard on pictures :)
White and neutral farmhouse cottage living room decor and decorating ideas. Two story living room and great room ideas.

White and neutral farmhouse cottage living room decor and decorating ideas. Two story living room and great room ideas.

White and neutral farmhouse cottage living room decor and decorating ideas. Two story living room and great room ideas.
And some sweet pup pics. I love looking back at pictures of my home from years past with my late dog in them, so I figured I would add some of Bo too. Plus, he's not going to be this little forever. He's already grown like 20 lbs in the past 7 weeks!
White and neutral farmhouse cottage living room decor and decorating ideas. Two story living room and great room ideas.

White and neutral farmhouse cottage living room decor and decorating ideas. Two story living room and great room ideas.
On the other side of our living room is our dining room. I decided to change things up a bit in here for Summer. I usually have a bench instead of these chairs, but wanted to see what this would look like and just fell in love! 
White and wood farmhouse dining room decor and decorating ideas. Cottage farmhouse dining room. White shiplap walls in dining room. DIY shiplap
These chairs added the perfect little farmhouse touch. You can buy them online HERE. Plus, they come in a few other colors.
White and wood farmhouse dining room decor and decorating ideas. Cottage farmhouse dining room. White shiplap walls in dining room. DIY shiplap
Most people wouldn't notice, but this jute rug is new also. I had another one under here, but it was time to throw it out. After 5 years, it really showed it's wear. And, jute is not the easiest of things to clean :) But, it did last 5 years, and I love the look of it. So, I bought another one. You can purchase them online HERE, and they come in a ton of other sizes too.
White and wood farmhouse dining room decor and decorating ideas. Cottage farmhouse dining room. White shiplap walls in dining room. DIY shiplap
Jute rug: Amazon    Farmhouse Chairs: Amazon     Striped Turkish Towel/Blanket: Amazon
I obviously like Amazon ;)

White and wood farmhouse dining room decor and decorating ideas. Cottage farmhouse dining room. White shiplap walls in dining room. DIY shiplap
My centerpiece for the table is pretty simple. I love how muted greens pop off of white and wood tones. These eucalyptus leaves and smaller plants are from Ikea. As for that sunburst mirror, I made that years ago and still love it just as much if not more today. (tutorial here)
White and wood farmhouse dining room decor and decorating ideas. Cottage farmhouse dining room. White shiplap walls in dining room. DIY shiplap
I'm not one to set the table for any occasion except for pictures :) Even in most of my dining room pictures, you'll notice I don't have the table set. But, I wanted to see what everything would look like with these chairs.
White and wood farmhouse dining room decor and decorating ideas. Cottage farmhouse dining room. White shiplap walls in dining room. DIY shiplap
I kept it pretty simple with these braided chargers (from Ikea), white plates and bowls.
White and wood farmhouse dining room decor and decorating ideas. Cottage farmhouse dining room. White shiplap walls in dining room. DIY shiplap
I cut some faux magnolia leaves from a branch from Hobby Lobby and slipped them between the bowls and plates.
White and wood farmhouse dining room decor and decorating ideas. Cottage farmhouse dining room. White shiplap walls in dining room. DIY shiplap
I love using texture in my decor, and this tablescape is full of them from the white and jute table runner (Home Goods) to the chargers and tree slice.
White and wood farmhouse dining room decor and decorating ideas. Cottage farmhouse dining room. White shiplap walls in dining room. DIY shiplap

White and wood farmhouse dining room decor and decorating ideas. Cottage farmhouse dining room. White shiplap walls in dining room. DIY shiplap

We also changed the flooring in our bedroom, but these pics are before that. The decor has stayed the same, so just imagine it with brown floors on the 2 inches of carpet that you can see ;)
White and neutral bedroom decor and decorating ideas. White farmhouse cottage style master bedroom. Square board and batten bedroom
The bedding and throw are from Crane and Canopy. The striped pillows in the back are from HERE (includes quilt not shown). I'm still loving this king bed, it has seriously been the best change to come to this room for a long, long time.
White and neutral bedroom decor and decorating ideas. White farmhouse cottage style master bedroom. Square board and batten bedroom
I thought I would miss my tall headboard, but have come to love the fact that I can now put decor above my bed :) It's a great compromise.
White and neutral bedroom decor and decorating ideas. White farmhouse cottage style master bedroom. Square board and batten bedroom

White and neutral bedroom decor and decorating ideas. White farmhouse cottage style master bedroom. Square board and batten bedroom
And I know you are probably sick of this face, but he's too cute not to show :) I make the bed, he gets on it. That's usually how the game goes. Or the kids get on it and mess everything up. Either way, I'm okay with that.
White and neutral bedroom decor and decorating ideas. White farmhouse cottage style master bedroom. Square board and batten bedroom

If you are following the line, next up in the home tours is Barbara from 21 Rosemary Lane! Go check here out :)


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20 comments

  1. I always love to see your gorgeous home. Your neutral color scheme is always so pretty and fresh. I love your new floors, they are fabulous. Thanks so much for joining the tours, your home is always special.

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  2. Beautiful job! I actually really like the contrast between the dark floors and all of the white--it really pops! And I vote yes for continuing the board and batten!

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  3. You always have such a beautiful cohesive look. Really love your tours.

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  4. Your new flooring is absolute perfection and that sweet puppy face is just too cute. It's so lovely to share this tour with you. Have a wonderful day!

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  5. I can definitely see the changes, and all so good in fact! Love the flooring and overall relaxed feel of your neutral decor for summer dear! As always, honored to share this home tour with you! Cheers!

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  6. So gorgeous! I absolutely love your home and decor .. and that puppy! *sigh* Your use of neutrals and texture is just lovely.

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  7. No one does neutrals better than you! Thanks for sharing your gorgeous home with us. I'm a big fan of your new family member, too!

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  8. Love the neutrals! Where did you get your tan/white striped rug in your living room? Thanks for sharing!

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  9. how sweet is Bo! what a great addition to your home. I think your floors are pretty and add such a nice contrast to the light and airy feeling in your pretty home. happy summer!

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  10. What a gorgeous home you have, Alicia! I love your new floors too. I just wanted to reach right in and snuggle with that puppy. Soooooo cute! Thanks for sharing with us!

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  11. You have a beautiful home. Love seeing your puppy he is adorable and very photogenic!

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  12. Where did you get the storage bench in your bedroom?

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  13. Thanks for the beautiful home tour! I love they way you added texture throughout all of your rooms! It really helps to break-up all the white. Your home is stunning! Love the mirror in the dining room. I think your little pup steals the show!

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  14. Your home is fabulous. I love the white crisp color with a touch of colors here and there. After seeing this wonderful post of your home, I now know I have a long long way to go to get my home in gear. You nailed the fab home award.

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  15. Hi Alicia, your home is just beautiful! I have been waiting to see your floors with your furnishings back in place. The contrast looks amazing. Yes, it is different to what it was but it's really beautiful! The board and batten treatment would look wonderful continued around the room. Your home has influenced me to change our home. We started six weeks ago after finding you and the painting continues. We are loving living in a neutral home. It's so easy to live with! Thanks so much for generously sharing your life. PS where did you get the cushions on your living room sofa? Helen

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  16. You have a beautiful home, the neutral furniture color combine very well with your decor! And what an adorable dog in that last pic!!

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  17. Your home is lovely - a few things that caught my eye were the all the tobacco baskets - love them - they look so unique on the light walls! And I also like how you hung the deco wrought iron piece over your window to fill the empty space between your extra high curtain rods - very clever. I do have a serious question tho: As much as I like all your pillows, they scream "don't sit here"....so what do you do with all of them when someone wants to sit on your couches or chairs?

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  18. What colors are your walls/trim? They are the perfect color combo!!

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  19. Alicia! This tour is GORGEOUS. I was so happy to stumble upon it on Pinterest. And that sweet pup ��

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  20. Your decision in flooring will immensely affect how your home looks, working close by with the format and configuration to wind up with the ideal style. click here

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happy DIYing! Alicia