Summerland Homes & Gardens: August 2013

A little calm in the chaos

Once again, we have a few too many things going on in our household! The kids headed back to school this week (Yeah!), but it's that week of limbo where we're trying to figure out sports, school and work schedules, child care and getting back into the swing of things. Then my "simple" project of tearing out the living room carpet and painting the wood floors turned into a hardwood floor installation (stay tuned for that post next week). And we're going camping for the long weekend, so I'm trying to get all the gear packed up for that adventure.

For the last 5 days, my first floor has looked like this:

Craziness, right?!? And it's stressing me out. I am one of those people that needs order. I like organized, simple, clutter-free rooms, where everything has a place. When paper/laundry/stuff starts piling up, I can feel the stress inching it's way into my body. I try to pretend it doesn't bother me, but it does. So, I am hoping (fingers crossed!) that the floor will be finished tonight, and tomorrow we can put all the furniture back in place. In the meantime, here are some calming rooms to keep me inspired...and for you to enjoy!

Home Decor ideas. White and simple #home #interior #design +++For guide + advice on #lifestyle, visit http://www.thatdiary.com/

Console styling - sunburst mirror, framed art, blue and white ginger jar collection

As always, feel free to leave a comment or ask questions in the comments section below.
All inspiration photos are from my Pinterest boards.

Need help creating a home you love? Contact me about our design services.

Comina in Concord (Part 3)

Today’s Concord shop is Comina, a lovely store which features home furnishings and accessories. A family owned business for over 25 years, Comina brings stylish and quality merchandise from around the world to your home. They have several locations in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

This petite loveseat greeted me as I walked in the door.

My favorite colors!

And then this rug caught my eye…

I am planning a living room project in our home, which hopefully will happen in the next few weeks. The carpet is getting ripped out and I’ll paint the wood floors that are underneath. Our house is over 100 years old, and I’m not sure if these are the original floors, but believe me, they are not pretty!! The wood planks, which vary between 4” – 10” wide, were painted chocolate brown. Yikes! We have similar wood flooring on our third floor which I painted years ago, and it's holding up pretty well. I did think about putting in hardwood floors in the living room, but at this point am looking for a frugal fix. Once the living room floors are painted gray, I’ll put an 8 x 10 area rug on top. So I’ve been on the hunt for a new rug. And this one may be it. It’s by Dash & Albert, a Massachusetts rug company that offers a selection of wool, cotton, indoor/outdoor, and blended rugs in a variety of beautiful weaves. Don't these colors make you smile?

DATwoToneRopeBrightsPolyPillows13%5B16796%5D

MahkeenakChairLoveseatNavyLinenWhite%5B16326%5D

Comina carries Dash & Albert's rug line, and has samples in the store.

Above are some of their wool rugs. The third one down is the rug I saw in the store that I liked for my living room, but after seeing the lighter gray option right above it, now I'm leaning towards that one. Decisions to be made...

As you can see, Dash & Albert has a great selection. I have their blue and white stripe indoor/outdoor rug in our bathroom (shown below). Every few months I throw it in the tub, give it a gentle scrubdown and rinse, hang it up to dry, and it looks just like new! They are super durable.

Dash & Albert also offers decorative pillows, cotton throws, tote bags, poufs and outdoor furniture. You can see their full collection here.
I got so wrapped up in checking out Comina's selection of rugs that I forgot to take more pictures of all the other great home decor items they have in the store...sorry! You'll have to go and see for yourself!
And stay tuned for my living room floor redo...coming soon!

Evening in the Garden

I love spending time in my garden at the end of the day. The heat has subsided and the harsh daytime shadows have diminished. It's a great time to photograph blooms. My garden was a bit neglected while I was away for the month, but I've been giving it lots of TLC since my return and the flowers have been responding to my nuturing. These pics of the foxgloves and peonies were taken in June before I left.

I planted these 2 foxglove plants two years ago in the spring. When I brought them home from the nursery they were already blooming. Foxgloves can be tricky- some gardeners will tell you to treat them as annuals, while others consider them biannuals. You'll also find gardeners who say their foxgloves return year after year. So...I kept my fingers crossed and hoped they would return the following spring, but sadly they didn't. So imagine my surprise when they popped up this year! I almost pulled them out of the garden in early spring, thinking they were weeds! But they gave me these beautiful blooms. Let's see what happens next year...

Absolutely gorgeous peonies...they leave me speechless!

Catmint blooming with geranium and creeping jenny.

And what's blooming now...

Summersweet

Annabelle hydrangeas

I love the colors on this coleus mixed with the begonias.

Zinnias...great for cut flowers.

Black Eyed Susans with Autumn Joy Sedum

Beautiful hydrangeas with hostas and impatients.

Hostas in the shade.

We have two mandevilla plants that are growing up our side porch and giving us lots of blooms.

Wispy Russian Sage

Phlox along our picket fence.

Summerland Homes & Gardens can help you make your garden beautiful!

Enjoy the day!

An afternoon in Concord (Part 2)

I hadn't been to Concord in about two years, so what a treat it was to discover a new shop (Well, new to me), Jack + Toba. Store owner Suzy Adler Watters said she's been in business a year and 9 months. The bright red door caught my eye...