• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Californians at Home
  • Home & Decor
    • Our California Remodel
    • Shop My Home
    • Lake Tahoe Cabin Style
    • Books I Adore
  • My California Closet

Northern California Style

Northern California Style

  • Home
  • About
  • Californians at Home
  • Home & Decor
    • Our California Remodel
    • Shop My Home
    • Lake Tahoe Cabin Style
    • Books I Adore
  • My California Closet
  • Shop My Home
    • Bloglovin
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

California style decor.

Summer House Tips

June 21, 2013 By kimwheeler No Comments

It’s that time again to get the home spruced up for the summer. Finally things have slowed down and I can give my house a bit of love. I recently found this a piece of art which had such a fun California vibe for my son’s room.

Once I got it home  I decided to keep it for our living room. It made me happy to look at it. (And let’s be honest was it really going to be appreciated in the boy cave? Probably not!)  The bright colors made me want to change everything.

  I ditched my curtains, moved the furniture, and gave my beast of a ficus tree a haircut  (I honestly had never even thought I could do that) and a new locale- away from my window. Now I have more window, more light and a another spot to read.

I love it and we are using that room nonstop now to enjoy the sun and just hang out. That’s huge for a living room, which often goes unused in most homes.

That change up inspired me get the lead out, so to speak, in the main front room. First up was new counter stools for the kitchen. My friend Wendy, a decorator, has had some comfy counter chairs around her island for 4 years which get a ton of wear and still look new. So you know what? I copied her! They are all weather wicker from Pier 1, and I love them. Comfy and you can even hose them off.  Let’s hope it never comes to that…However, with all the men here in this house it’s a possibility!

 In the purging mode, I got rid of my kitchen nook table and chairs.  Why do I need three places to eat in a my home?  My home is modestly sized. Crazy. Now my main room has so much room. It’s bright, open and the house feels huge. We can eat at the bar or the dining table. We are actually using the dining room instead of it gathering dust and enjoying it. Less is more! I am finding this is really the key to so much. Try it..

Sorry throws are kind of sloppy here- no staging done prior! 

 Isn’t this dining room amazing? It’s one of Jeffery Bilhuber’s creations. I’ll have to do another post on him. All his rooms are beautiful, but inviting!

 I wanted to share Jeffery Bilhuber’s tips for your Summer Home from Vogue.

 Jeffrey Bilhuber’s top tips to get your summer house in shape:

Clear colors- like pink, chartreuse and daffodil yellow say summer.

Create as much openness and air as possible. Push furniture against walls, keep floors bare.

Simplify. Edit your belonging, put things away, clear tabletops.

( I restyled my living room shelves for summer.)

Bring in flowers – hydrangeas and roses from the garden. ( I clipped a branch from a tropical tree on the top photo.)

Add smells– a big bowl of lemons or summer fruits: tuberose or sea-scented candles.

Diane Keaton’s Wallace Neff Home via Architectural Digest.

For the living room mantle, I used two blue glass jars, favorite old books and driftwood we found and a Restoration Hardware candle.

If you have children, relax about their stuff. Swimsuits, balls, flippers, surfboards are fantastic to have around.

This Pottery Barn coat rack generously holds a ton of suits, towels and more for my pool area.

Use workhorse furniture and fabrics Add white slipcovers for summer freshness.

This white cotton duck fabric couch from Pottery Barn has been with us almost 10 years now. Washable and still holding up. Creamy white and brown accents is my color scheme in the front room.

  Black cats do not help with the maintenance, but do add a cozy vibe!! 🙂

Put up a bulletin board where you can build a collage of memories: drawings, paintings, photographs and seashells.

I found this bamboo and linen bulletin board at Aaron Brothers Art Supply. 


A few tips of my own…

Add striped cotton or natural fiber rugs like seagrass or jute. They feel wonderful under bare feet and are low maintenance.


Bring your inside furniture out when entertaining. It’s okay to drag out lightweight chairs and couches, rugs to make your outdoor space more inviting and comfy.

Sunset Magazine

 I love adding my favorite piles of throws and colorful pillows to my chaise lounges and chairs. As long as you don’t leave them for an extended time, they are fine and so much more comfy than outdoor pillows.

Bright or cozy throws are wonderful to protect your indoor furniture from little grubby bare feet. I want my kids to relax and when they pile on my couches with pals in wet swim suits, my upholstery is protected.  I leave baskets of them next to the couch as well as on it. (Throw pillows also protect the arms of the couches by being a buffer from nacho cheese paws if you get my drift.)

 I love these Pottery Barn cable knit throws. Like a soft sweater.

Bring Stripes In for a Summery Nautical Feel. Even on dark pieces they lighten things up.

Add wicker and woven pieces to your indoors. Just adding a bit of a natural look will give you a lighter feel. I love the look of a woven chair around a dining table. They look fresh and they invite you to linger and relax at the dining table. They are also easier care. Everyone has them now, so check them out as an indoor option! I am hoping to do something similar in my dining room.

via Cote de Texas

  Baskets look great as bar trays or to hold magazines. Baskets keep you looking organized even if you’re not.

They also look good hung from the wall with plants. The natural color of them looks so summery.

I love the addition of ivy everywhere in summer months!

Change out the towels in your bathrooms to brights and lights. Add a fern, ivy or other plant to give the bath a bit of green. I love this garden stool from my grandmother in my bath and found this dhurrie rug to match. I like the bright yellow and sea glass blue mix in here.

Remove all the winter bedding. Wash everything and let it dry in the sun before you tuck it away. Then  cover all the beds in white sheets and cotton blankets and a fun throw in a pattern or sherbet  shade. I just changed everyone to white sheets and duvets and have cotton throws like this one on top.

 I like adding summer postcards or maps to my kid’s bulletin boards and clear away the clutter from school. My son Griffin’s board below…

Display summer books, framed photos of favorite summer vacations, or shell collections. I like having a photo album of past holidays or a pretty bowl with photos to browse through. This is a great time to keep things light and bright and store away your usual accessories and photos.

Make sure your entry or mudroom isn’t still loaded with coats and boots. It just evokes summer to have woven bags, caps and straw hats hung from hooks. Baskets for flip-flops and espadrilles look wonderful as well!

Change out your art. I love a vintage summer photo blown up. You find a something that says summer to you. A souvenir of a past holiday, like a print or a book may be wonderful as well displayed. I love this egret print and it’s white tones so I just moved this from a bedroom to my family room.


Have fun to staging your home a bit. You are doing it for yourself. You have to look at it every day and be there. 
 Surround yourself with what you love!

For more inspiration, I started a Pinterest board called California Style and it’s got some gorgeous examples of light and bright and natural homes I’m in love with.

 Enjoy the summertime.
Kim

Images property of northerncalstyle unless noted.

Filed Under: California style decor., home decor, Jeffery Bilhuber, Northern California decor, Summer decorating

California Family Style- Amanda Pays & Corbin Bernsen

March 27, 2013 By kimwheeler No Comments

About a zillion years ago I  tore out a spread of the home of Amanda Pays and Corbin Bernsen from House and Garden. It was one of my very favorite homes ever with it’s simple elegance. It was their first home and their children were babies. So it was fun to see their latest collaboration published this month along with their beautiful family all grown up.
C Magazine and Country Living both has spreads on their lovely family and the California home they have crafted together. I love that Corbin, (formerly on L.A. Law and now stars on USA networks, “Psych,”) was a carpenter before becoming an actor and still loves doing all their home renovations along with his wife. Amanda (remember her from Max Headroom?) owned Ireland-Pays design shop with designer Kathryn Ireland. Amanda left acting to concentrate on her family and has been doing interiors along with raising their four boys. 

 The House and Garden article and their original home which I believe they sold to Steve Martin. The mix of rustic beams, white walls and English chintz made it uniquely Californian and so fresh for the time. Aren’t they adorable here?

Amanda with her twins, Angus and Henry. They are now 21years old! Amanda looks the same though.

Kathryn Ireland wrote the article. I especially loved the yellow drapes pulled back and the floral sofa.

More great mixes here Bauer pottery and a simple table and chairs in the dining room.

The kitchen beams were amazing. I love this whole space. Yellow tile backsplash made this room so sunny. This was a gorgeous home and I can’t imagine selling it, but redoing homes is their hobby.
Now their new home in Valley Village, which is an area in North Hollywood… You can see some similarities remain. This is a much more modest home and more green. A trend we are all moving towards..
This home is a mix of family treasures, travel finds and salvaged items given new life. Amanda recovered this flea market sofa in Ikea linen fabric and it looks amazing. Flea markets and garage sales are where they like to hunt for home things. (C Magazine)
Another version of the room. Interesting to see how each magazine styled it differently. (Country Living)
The kitchen is salvaged wood, concrete counters and appliances from Sears. A very rustic-industrial mix here. Amanda painted the lemon picture. That’s a project we could all do. Loving the tile backsplash.

 

More views of the fabulous kitchen…

The hanging mugs and chicken wire behind the glass are two other favorites of mine. I noticed they had both in the original home’s kitchen.

The bathroom is painted like a wainscoting with two tones. I like how they let the Pennsylvania bluestone floor be the star here and it’s gorgeous!

They added rustic beams like this one in the bath.

The entry with their whippet. They wired that lantern to be a lamp. A great DIY project! Floors were painted Benjamin Moore’s Gray Timber Wolf.

The master bedroom. The lavenders look so soothing together. Beds here and below were from Room and Board. Sunset throw is from West Elm.

Two of the brothers share a loft for painting and sleeping. Corbin built this loft in a barn space for them. Their close family has all four of the boys ages 14, 24, and 21 year old twins still at home.

A salvaged rocker gives a spot to relax.

In the yard with their four boys. Corbin and his brother built the yard furniture. I’d like to get the French park ground cover look myself. It’s got to be greener than lawn and less work, more charm.

These photos, from the C Magazine spread, show how they converted the yard to all drought-tolerant  natives like olive trees, lavender and agave plants. I love this look!

According to C Magazine, Amanda’s version of green living is recycling and restoring as much as possible..For a Hollywood family it’s admirable in a world of Kardashians and the like. It’s a goal that’s attainable for us all. This family is more successful than ever, has bigger size kids and actually downsized! Why spend more when you could spend less, live stylishly and reuse what is already out there? This family is my new inspiration. Live simply and live better!

Don’t forget about  a Perfect Color contest! You still have until Sunday to enter to win a custom made piece of art. See my previous post or click here! I so could see one of Bonnie’s art pieces in Corbin and Amanda’s current home!

Kim

photos: C Magazine, CountryLiving.com, Home and Garden.

Filed Under: Amanda Pays Corbin Bernsen's home, C Magazine, California style decor., Country Living, family homes, Live simply, rustic industrial decor

Summerizing the California Home

June 5, 2012 By kimwheeler No Comments

 Summer is almost here and school will be over! It seems things really ramped up in May and I cannot wait for some downtime to devote to my family and the home. I did order a few things to kick off some of the home decor changes I am going to try during the break. I’m ready to transition to that California beachy cottage vibe. We’re going to paint the living room and dining area a white and add natural fiber rugs, seating and nautical stripes for accents. I’ve had fun pining images to my California Style board on Pinterest. Check out some of the ideas by clicking here or my Pinterest link on this page. Here’s a few images from it and below them what I’ve started here at home.

Country Living

davidmichaelmiller.com
Peter Dunham in Architectural Digest

houzz.com

House Beautiful

It’s all about natural wood, whites, stripes, and black accents with a little blue mixed in.

For my home, I found this sign on sale at Pottery Barn and I’m liking the distressed look of it:

I bought this ikat pillow at Pottery Barn too.

I’m most excited about this seagrass rug from Pottery Barn. Loving it. It gives the whole room a fresh  look. I’m going to order one for my dining room too. The quality of this rug is excellent for the price and seagrass is much easier to clean and wear than sisal.

Then, I threw these two together on my family room white couch.

I added these zebra pillows on my living room couch. Can a girl have too much zebra? It just looks so fun and fresh.

I’m thinking of ditching my dining chairs and adding something woven like these below.


I had to add my beach sticks to the umbrella stand again and display my favorite summer books:

The vintage edition of this book above. I scored it at my grandmother’s church tag sale. And below, decorator Kathryn Ireland’s fun summer book of entertaining, decorating and eating. I also love pool books. They get me in the summer frame of mind displayed for the season.

I like the idea of adding more burlap accessories, bamboo lanterns or hurricane lamps, and trays in brights to punch it all up and add a little color. You can see my living room above could use a little brightening. It’s all a bit beige and I think the white walls will help bring that fresh beachy look.

 Love this tray I found at TJ Maxx for more blue

Next up, to add some lightness and to get more curb appeal on my porch, (with very little to work with), I removed an old black and gold address plaque and ordered this round white one. I brought out these white lanterns from the backyard to match my white mailbox and garage door. Then I chucked out these zebra pillows on my bench. Recently I bought these dome boxwoods and herbs and tried to create a French potager look on the front stoop. Still trying to get that moldy look on the pots! The door is a deep blue.

  This isn’t decor, but check out my kangaroo plant below. I thought he was a goner about a month ago! This plant brings all the hummingbirds to my window in the morning! A little TLC and he is back…

I bought this little sculpture of a ball for the garden above my pool. Love the happy look – like an errant beach ball.

 

 My buddy Marlo spying birds through the front window and furring the couch up. (Black cats + white furniture = not good.)  Oh well. Love these varmints.

Are you making any changes to your home for summer?
xo


Kim

Filed Under: California style decor., curb appeal, Summer decorating

Primary Sidebar

Featured Posts

Signature Style- Summer Wish List

The Beautiful Mauna Kea Hotel, My New Bed and Nightstand Options

Tips to Give Your Home a Summer Vibe

Signature Style- Resort Looks and Packing Tips

Signature Style- Summer Sandal Edit

Weekend- The Cutest Beach Bags

Get My Posts by Email!

Find Me on Facebook

Northern California Style

Archives

Categories

Footer

Don’t Forget to Follow!

Blogger, writer and explorer sharing about my native California, and parts farther afield. Join me here where I chat about things to love in the worlds of design, fashion, home, travel and culture.

Currently Pinning

  • feeling all white
I just had to share about this wonderful book, A S I just had to share about this wonderful book, A Sense of Place, by @caitlinflemming and @globalatelier . It’s on my weekend post and I can’t get enough of the homes, the stories of how they came to be, and the unique style of each one. 

The interviews are so good too! I love a home with a connection to the outdoors, a collected vibe, and natural elements and all these homes have that. 

This is a good book to inspire your fall home refresh.  You can also follow Caitlin who is a San Francisco gal and full of wonderful ideas always. The 📷by @stephaniecrusso are also fantastic!

Link to the blog is in my bio
@northerncalstyle 

#senseofplace #californiastyle #beautifulhomes #inspiringhomes #bayareablog
It’s the weekend post time again with Elizabeth It’s the weekend post time again with Elizabeth and Juliet. 🧡 

This  weekend I shared how I spiffed up the front with a few mums from the local Ace and Trader Joe’s .. Happily, these baskets I bought last year at Target are still looking good, and are available again. I link to them on the blog. 
My wreath of petrified leaves bought last fall at my local @buncheslg florist seems to have survived the garage pretty well. ( Miraculously!) 

I love these multicolored mums from Trader Joe’s. I missed them last year and they go fast!

Other fun things on the blog are an inspiring home book, some great pant options for fall, and a few cottages in Carmel that are for sale! 

Stop on by our blogs- links as always, in our bios or stories:
@northerncalstyle 
@makemineaspritzer 
@pineconesandacorns

#fallporch #mumsforfall #bunchesflorist #traderjoesplants #targetstyle #porchplants
I don’t know where I saved this from, possibly P I don’t know where I saved this from, possibly Pinterest, but I’ve had it forever.  I need to remind myself this quite often! 

Our mindset is everything and I was inadvertently raised to worry about things. My mom was one of 8 kids and her mother warned them about the dangers of everything to keep them all alive in her mind.  I think that was seeped in my dear mom’s bones and passed onto us.. by no fault of hers. 

My brain defaults to that and I have worked hard to stop that sort of internal monologue. 

Remember worrying never kept anyone safer. We don’t care more about someone by being a worrier. We just need to expect good things will happen. 

Being a person who is always worrying is not good for those around you either. It hurts your family and their own feelings of security. The more I realize this, the more I feel the need to reassure, not stress and trust all will work out… and might even be fantastic!

Hope you all have a Happy Friday - and trust things will work out! 

I’ll be back tomorrow with the weekend post! 

#dontworrybehappy #qoutesoftheday #imspirationalquotes
If you missed the weekend posts with Juliet and El If you missed the weekend posts with Juliet and Elizabeth, I shared this pretty Newport Beach Home by the talented @caseyhillstudio in @fredericmagazine photos @lauraresenphotography 💕 

The Chanel slingback is also the ‘it’ shoe of the season and so versatile.. I share the original, resale options, and some very chic copies..at a lower price point.. My favorite Vuori jacket is also back and in new colors.. and lastly the fab J.Crew at 40 book I am coveting.

This is my second go at posting a Reel on the weekend meander.. The first was taken down, for unknown reasons?  So let’s hope this works!

Pop on by our blogs for all the fun and more good ideas!
Links in our bios..
@northerncalstyle 
@makemineaspritzer 
@pineconesandacorns 

Have a great week friends. 😘

#californiahomestyle #californiastyle #jcrew40 #vuori #chanelslingback #caseyhill #fredericmagazine
Had a great cappuccino and avocado toast at the mo Had a great cappuccino and avocado toast at the most charming spot @bluestonelane in Los Altos with my dear friend April. So good to catch up with her. 💕 

I think this is one of the nicest spots to meet a friend! Make a plan to catch up with a friend this fall. 

#bluestonelane #losaltos #bayareaeats  #bayareacharm
I have this quote in my closet! It is smart to re I have this quote in my closet!  It is smart to remember we may already have what we think we need to look great.

Right now the season is changing and I - like everybody else, am super excited for fall clothes, adding new things to my closet, and refreshing my look. 

Hold off though. Before we buy anything or get ‘influenced’ from people like myself, we have to first look at what we have. 

I am constantly reminded that the best dressed people have less clothes and wear great pieces on repeat! 

Get in your closet and you may see you already have that perfect fall sweater or the ballet flat that’s everywhere!! The truth is your pieces may be cooler than the new offerings that are out there- and no one else will have them. 

Make this a goal to go to your closet before you buy for fall and I promise you’ll shop smarter  and get what you really love and need.

Have a beautiful Friday!! Here’s to sweater days soon. 🍂

#fridayinspiration #fallshopping #closetinspo #quotestoliveby
I haven’t posted many house photos lately. I jus I haven’t posted many house photos lately. I just realized yesterday how very much I’m enjoying being at home especially now windows wide-open and the beautiful weather. We couldn’t be more lucky here in California when the weather is as it is now. 🧡

My tomatoes finally turned red and my new fig plant that I added to the front yard in spring already has figs on it!  Marlo is enjoying the sunshine and fresh air too. She’s nearly 18 years old. 

Nothing better than this late summer early fall…Still the goodies of summer and the promise of fun things in fall without all the heat.

If you didn’t read my weekend post there’s a  wonderful inspiring story I shared about getting together with your neighbors and creating small micro neighborhoods…. and how the French love this time of year for socializing again too.. Lots to look forward to! 

Have a beautiful day.

#california #californialiving #northerncalstyle  #serenaandlily #latesummer #earlyfall #catlife #acalifornialife
It’s that fun time when I get to talk style with It’s that fun time when I get to talk style with the fabulous Cindy and since it’s September, we are sharing our Fall Wish Lists!  Are you ready for the change of season?? I can’t wait!

I had so much fun pulling this together. I sort of had to edit myself because there’s many cool new things out there, but we just have to find the right pieces that will make what we already have work and look updated and chic.. We have to be editors! I am just giving you some ideas. 

The best part about fashion right now is there really are no rules and we just had to find what works for us and our lifestyle and our bodies! 

Pop on by the blog, and I’ll share some of the trends like longer fuller pants, suit looks, those darling Chanel style jackets, and other pretty pieces. 

Cindy as always has some beautiful ways to mix it all and create your own look.

Link in our bios as always!! 
@northerncalstyle 
@cindyhattersley 

All the links are on the post, but comment if you are missing something you see here! 

#fallfashiontrends #falllooks #fallfashioninspo
Hello happy weekend! It’s that time for Meanderi Hello happy weekend! It’s that time for Meanderings post with Juliet and Elizabeth!  This week I am sharing this cute bar basket from @hudsongracesf my friends bought for me, and fall items that I am excited to add to my closet.

I am also chatting about the new movement to connect with your neighborhood and create smaller communities -and ideas on how to do it! 

Fall is a perfect time for this and in France it’s called la rentrée and it means the start of a new exciting season of getting back together with others after summer. 

More on the blog- along with my favorite fall soup I’ve made forever from @marthastewart . 

Stop on by our blogs- links as always, in our bios or stories:
@northerncalstyle 
@makemineaspritzer 
@pineconesandacorns

#fallstyle #fallvibes #fallsoup #larentrée #microneighborhoods #onlyconnect #trench 

P.S… This is my first time adding music to a static post.. Is this fun or annoying??
My motivation for Friday! I love @therealdvf and s My motivation for Friday! I love @therealdvf and she is still out there working and inspiring women. 

This quote! Only we can make ourselves truly happy and as women we so often taught to look outside of ourselves for that and that’s never a good thing. We have to learn to ask for what we want without apologizing and go for it ourselves.🩷

Happy Friday friends!

#inspiringquotes #quoteoftheday #dvf
What do you do when it’s rainy and cool in Tahoe What do you do when it’s rainy and cool in Tahoe? Well someone asked me today and  actually there is a lot to do and it’s one of the best times to go! 

Last weekend it was a cool 48 degrees and it felt like November even though it was Labor Day weekend. We enjoyed some sun and breezes so being layers!

You can pack a lot in the two days with great hikes and walks..and food!  Two good hikes- one at Ward Creek, another at Sugar Pine Point.. are perfect for now! Have some lunch by the river @riverranchlodge, take a walk on the lake and a drive on 89, end it by playing games and have a cozy dinner in with pot pies from Tahoe House bakery. ( SO good!) 

Tahoe when it’s shoulder season is the best kept secret. Though normally Labor Day would be hot here. Make some plans to enjoy the fall here! 🍂

Here’s to an early fall! I added a few autumn touches to our tiny cabin while I was there..

Yes I snapped that 🐻 bear! He was crossing the road. This is their season to bulk up so you leave no food in your cars..

#tahoe #westshoretahoe #sugarpinepointstatepark #wardcreektrail #shoulderseasontravel #ourgoldenstate #californiatravel #tahoeweekend #westshorebestshore #tahoetravel #fallintahoe
I can’t let this date go by without a tribute to I can’t let this date go by without a tribute to Princess Diana, my original style idol.  I recently found this book my dear mother bought me way back in the 80’s. Tucked inside was this torn page from American @vogue about this new girl’s style….Oh if they only knew what this young woman would be to the world. …

She was so much more than what she wore. She was a real life princess in her heart as well as title- touching so many lives. Who didn’t she care about or show kindness towards? She had it in her heart and that radiated in her face. 

These are a few photos that are my favorites and a few that show her fun personality that always shines through.. 🩷 Of course everything she wore is back in style again like this vest - the caps, the blazers, and floral prints. 

This day makes me hugely sad. 
If it wasn’t for the nasty British press ( who are still horrific), and paparazzi she would be here. 

#dianaspencer #princessdiana #ladydi

Copyright © 2023 · Northern California Style· Blog Design by Little Blue Deer