Hello and welcome! Thanks for stopping by! I’m Andrea, a wife of 14 years and mom to a boy and girl (ages 9 & 8). We’re living in the heart of the midwest and loving it! A huge thanks to Marty for including me in the mix of 30 summer home tours! If you missed any tours from Monday/Tuesday, you can find the links at the bottom of the post. I’m starting off the home tours today, so please come on in!
Our home lends itself to summer in it’s normal state because it’s light and bright, has lots of pops of pink and has an embarrassing amount of house plants/flowers! I’ll take you through room by room, staring with the front porch. This is a considered a “room” for us in the summer because we spend so much time out here on the rocking chairs watching the kids play, hosting friends for drinks, sipping morning coffee, etc. Simple and classic works for me every time.
When you walk in our front door, our dining room is to your immediate right. We don’t use this space a ton, but I still love having a more formal dining room. It’s the only room in the house that stays clean! I added some fun pillows to the otherwise neutral table/chairs and some faux leaves to the center of the table. This small Fiddle Leaf Fig likes it’s home in this bright corner.
The vintage bar cart is the real star of the show in this room. It’s one of my all time favorite finds for our home. There are so many bar carts floating around, and I love that this one is unique. Those pieces are special to me. And it’s fun to change it up for different seasons!
The bright pink rug at the front door screams summer all year long…also one of my favorite pieces in our home.
Just beyond the dining room is the living room. We have a very open concept, so one room leads to another. I kept it simple in here, with lots of blue/white. Greenery and plants are everything to me. I think they make or break a space! The more the better in my opinion!
I’m loving the neutral feel in here. Textured baskets, throw pillows, and fresh yard cuttings keep it casual. Nothing in our home is fussy. I want a home to feel cozy and lived in. We like to throw our feet up onto the coffee table and toss the throw pillows around and lounge around in here. We want everyone who comes into our home to feel they can do the same.
In a little nook just off the living room and kitchen, I’ve set up a small chair/table/lamp. It’s shocking how often this little chair gets used! The perfect spot to flip through a magazine! More pink accents, because it just makes me happy! And those cute kids do too!
Truer words have never been spoken – or put on a letter board! I finally have hydrangea blooms from my yard too!
Across the way is our eating area. We’ve recently gotten a new table and chairs, and I have a new light fixture ready to be installed (more to come on that). Finding the time is the real kicker though! I love the casual feel of this space. And I love, love, love having a round table. It’s just cozier and more intimate. These chairs are actually outdoor chairs so it will feel summery all year long!
I like to keep the kitchen pretty clutter free. I clean this space enough, I don’t like cleaning around unnecessary “stuff”! Pink makes an appearance yet again in the runner in front of the sink. It’s indoor/outdoor, so it’s super easy to clean. It gets a lot of foot traffic and it’s very durable, which I love.
I love the summer so much because I can step outside and cut flowers/stems from my yard whenever I want! The island flowers all are all yard clippings.
I love keeping small succulents around in the kitchen. They are easy and don’t take up a lot of space. Pineapples seem to keep popping up all over my house…real, fake, in print form…I can’t quit them!
Just off the kitchen is our mudroom/bathroom. Every year the kids and I create a chalkboard summer bucket list. It’s fun to keep this up all summer as a reminder of all the fun things we hope to do/see! It’s a family favorite! That chalk wall is the easiest thing we have done in our home and definitely gets the most attention from people coming over for the first time!
Our small first floor bath is one of my favorite spaces in our home. It’s bright and fun and cheery with fun artwork (my daughter’s) and baskets (despite having no windows). Adding pink yard cuttings and large plant leaves cut from my indoor plants keeps it fresh in here!
Next are a few snaps from our office space. We have a his/hers workspace in here, and my side is obviously a bit more feminine and fun! I love having a bright work space. Apparently I have no ideas though! Ha!
Isn’t she the sweetest??!!
And finally, our back patio space. This is also considered a “room” for us in the summer. We installed a TV out here last year and we use it a ton. It’s also a covered space which we love for being able to eat outside and lounge around. It’s a favorite spot for morning coffee and watching the Today show as well as watching baseball games under the string lights at night! I have high hopes of extending our patio and getting all new lounge furniture, so stay tuned for that!
I made some DIY drop cloth curtains to block the morning sun on one side and the setting sun on the other side. These not only function for us, they make the space feel more like a “room”.
And of course, we like to have a drink or two out back as well! You can find us out here relaxing while the kids play!
Wow, that was a lot right?! I hope you enjoyed a peak into our home. Please let me know if you have any questions about sources of items! I hope you are enjoying the sunshine, warmer temps, late nights, friends, family and making memories wherever you live! Cheers!
I would love for you to follow along on Instagram! It’s where you’ll find me most days of the week. You can also find Life Love Larson on Pinterest and Facebook.
