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Northern California 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

Swedish-Californian Christmas Style!

December 11, 2012 By kimwheeler No Comments

Do you ever visit someone’s home and get so inspired you want to go home and redo everything? I do!  Last week it happened at my friend Catrin’s new home. We met through tennis and she was gracious enough to host our tennis team for a Christmas brunch. I was excited to see what she has done since moving into this beautiful hillside home. 

 Immediately, I was enchanted with her very Scandinavian style and her holiday look. Catrin is from Sweden and has been living here and in the U.K. for several years.  Her home reminded of my Norwegian sister-in-law Line’s home and her similar clean and bright decor. 
Love her dining area! Catrin’s simple red spread looks elegant and unfussy. Perfect for brunch. If you haven’t had yummy saffron buns before, they are a traditional Swedish food eaten on December 13, Santa Lucia Day. If you are lucky enough to have someone bake you homemade ones they are a treat! Catrin’s on the center plate below. You don’t see them in too many bakeries here. I found a recipe and more details about St Lucia Day here.
 

One thing I love about Catrin’s home is the natural light and abundance of windows. With lovely views of the hills you feel like you are in a grown-up tree house. The dark wood floors, white walls, bare windows and absence of clutter is refreshing. How great are those white painted chairs with a Marimekko print cushions? I like how she uses them with a dark wood table.

This is a home that is family friendly, cozy with a calm feel. There are neutrals and pops of color. Christmas looks great in here. Red and white is more traditional for Christmas in Scandinavia, not so much the red and green as here. 
How is it Europeans always have these wonderful Christmas trees that look just cut from the forest? Catrin’s was no exception with it’s bushy not triangular shape. Paired with the Scandinavian tradition of less ornaments, her tree looks sweet and not over-done like so many trees here. I wanted to run right home and stash half my ornaments away!

A nod to their homeland on the sofa…

And a scattering of these fellas around…

Candles in the window is another tradition.

Besides her darling Christmas decor, and the whole house, I also was envious of Catrin’s home organization. Look at this set-up in her entry. She designed this to hold 80 shoes in the tall cabinet! Each child (she has 3!) has their own cubby and storage space. It makes her home kid friendly yet modern and clean. This was built for her by California Closets. 

This island was the center of her living space. It has wonderfully durable metal counter. The lamp makes the light warm and the sides of this island is equipped with refrigerator drawers! Genius. Which brings me to  another part of her house we all loved, the pantry!

Through the archway behind her kitchen there was previously a washer and dryer. She took that out, added shelves for all her things, cookbooks and wine included. She even glammed it up with a skylight and pendant lights!

The view from her front door…

The path back down to our cars… Just love the Northern California oak covered hills.

Thanks Catrin for allowing me to invade your space! I can’t tell you how inspired I was when I left.
I hope you enjoyed it too!
Kim

Filed Under: great organization, Northern California decor, Santa Lucia saffron buns, Swedish/Scandinavian holiday decor

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I’m super excited because today Juliet and Eliza I’m super excited because today Juliet and Elizabeth and I are starting a virtual brooch/holiday pin party for December and we want you to join us! ✨

I know many of you probably have some lovely little sparkles that are sitting in a drawer or box from your mom or grandma, or perhaps just ones that you haven’t worn for a long time.  Get those lovelies out and let’s see them. 

During the month of December, tag us with #showusyourbling or #christmaspin  and we will share your pretty pins on our stories.

This is another way to get creative with your outfits during this festive month ! It also sparks so many nice comments and conversations. I’ve been chatted up by so many people wearing my mom or grandma’s brooches and I  enjoyed hearing about theirs as well. 

It’s a way to keep those who we inherited them from, close to our hearts at this time of the year . 🥰 I always think my mom or grandma would be so thrilled to know I’m wearing their special brooches. 

Men are wearing brooches now too! So we’d love for the guys to join in as well.

Stop by our blogs today for more ways to wear your pins and links to some good ones if you’re wanting to start your own little collection like I have!

Use the hashtags #showusyourbling #christmaspin 

Links in our bios..
@northerncalstyle 
@pineconesandacorns 
@makemineaspritzer 

#broochthesubject #christmaspin #vintagechristmaspin #vintagechristmas #holidaydressing #holidaysparkle
I just had to put this out as I’ve already had s I just had to put this out as I’ve already had several friends saying they are stressed about not doing anything for the holidays yet -and  it’s not even December!!

Then yesterday my dad said he felt some anxiety because all his neighbors had their Christmas lights up and he hasn’t done his. 
That really made me upset. My 84 year old dad! 

This is not a race. 

The person with the most things done is not the winner in fact, that person may not be enjoying the season as much as somebody else who’s taking it slowly and going at their own pace, and doing less.

Remind yourself to enjoy the little things this season that matter to you. Also say no to things . You don’t need to do all you think you do. Let things go that aren’t bringing you joy. 

This holiday season shouldn’t be about stress! 

That’s the end of this PSA from a person who has bought two gifts and still has Thanksgiving decor up! 

Is anyone else feeling overwhelmed?

Tell me below, have you made the season better by doing less?  Are you a late shopper or card writer? That is okay. 

Do you know people used to shop and decorate the tree in the days before Christmas just a few decades ago?? 

#holidaymadness #simplechristmas #holidayzen
Hope you’ve had a great long weekend! If you mi Hope you’ve had a great long weekend!  If you missed the Weekend Meanderings with Juliet and Elizabeth pop on by for some good holiday ideas!
On my weekend post…
-A Thanksgiving table hack
-Pretty wrap from California
-Beauty gift ideas on sale
- J. Crew silver holiday looks
-Part I of my Edinburgh trip 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
Including Holyrood Palace and @thebalmoral hotel, in Edinburgh.

It’s all on the our blogs -links in bio:
@northerncalstyle 
@makemineaspritzer 
@pineconesandacorns 

#weekend #edinburgh #edinburghtravel #holyroodpalace #balmoralhotel #roccofortehotels #scotland_insta #scotland
Finally got my table together ! I added some flowe Finally got my table together ! I added some flowers from Trader Joe’s after picking up Griffin from SFO this afternoon. I found these green napkins at @worldmarket and added some velvet ribbon I had with our @anthropologie dishes… and my favorite candlesticks from my pal Juliet! 

I have my mom’s tureen and my grandma’s platter out and the recipe binder is open to my mom’s beautifully written instructions on how to cook a turkey made for me and other tips. 💛

It will be me and all my guys including dad, but I’ll be thinking of mom and grandma and all the Thanksgivings they did. I am missing them especially at this time of year. I know a lot of you feel the same. 

I’m thankful to all of you sweet friends here on Instagram too.  It’s been a joy to connect with so many kind people. 

Now I am off to trim Brussels sprouts!😅

Wishing you all a very happy Thanksgiving!

#thanksgivingtable #thanksgivingtablescape #thanksgivingtableideas  #californiathanksgiving
It’s the weekend blog time and I’m sharing the It’s the weekend blog time and I’m sharing the fourth part of our travel to the UK with our visits to Chatsworth House, Bakewell and the medieval walled city of York! I loved this area and if you are a Jane Austen fan, you know 500 year old Chatsworth was her inspiration for Mr Darcy’s Pemberley and in many of the films. It’s amazing it’s been in the same family for 16 generations and you can have the best day there walking the house and grounds and lunch..

October was a magical time to visit these places with foggy days and fall weather! We absolutely loved it and York has to be one of my favorite cities now. The walls were so fun to walk and we stayed at the most charming hotel..@grayscourtyork 

More on the blog ! 

Please visit Juliet and Elizabeth’s blogs too! 
Links in our bios..
@northerncalstyle 
@makemineaspritzer 
@pineconesandacorns 

#uktravel #visitbritain #york #chatsworthhouse #bakewell #falltravel #prideandprejudice #pemberley #grayscourtyork
It’s November’s Signature Style so Cindy and I It’s November’s Signature Style so Cindy and I are sharing great coats and outerwear!  We’ve got fun ideas on how to wear your coats and jackets and the coolest options out there!

I snapped a few pictures of people in the UK in their coats, and I’m sharing a little inspiration from the trip..

Stop on by our blogs if you need a fresh look or maybe a new coat for this year! We are finally getting some real weather, and I love it! 

You can comment LINKS to be sent the post by DM or find the posts in our bios..
@northerncalstyle 
@cindyhattersley 

#winterstyle #coatinspo #coatseason
Did you get to read my post on the Cotswolds? I’ Did you get to read my post on the Cotswolds? I’m absolutely in love with this part of England that includes Oxford University where we began, Stow on the Wold, and Stratford-Upon-Avon! 

All three are places of incredible history and charm! We even did a little side trip to the teeny village of Lower Slaughter.. More about all of it, and the sweet shops and restaurants and our cute hotel on the weekend post..

If you’re planning a trip to the Cotswolds save this reel..
On this clip-
@oxford_uni 
@thesheepstow 
@cutterbrooksshop 
@lucystearoomstow 

Link to my full blog on this in bio
@northerncalstyle 

#stowonthewold #cotswolds #cotswoldstravel #oxforduniversity #stratforduponavon #uktravel 

@lambsrestaurant
Today I joined my blogging friends to share cozy b Today I joined my blogging friends to share cozy bedroom ideas and inspiration for the season. 

Do you have a  bedroom that could use some cozy?  Mine needed help.. I used fuzzy rugs, plaid throws, velvet pillows, plus a touch of black to give my own room some depth and warmth during these darker months!  I added a faux wreath above the bed for a festive feel. ✨It feels like a little retreat now and I’ve been reading and having my tea here.

All of us have unique bedroom ideas for this collaboration, so stop on by our blogs!

@northerncalstyle 
@classiccasualhome 
@cindyhattersley 
@most_lovely_things 
@mysweetsavannah 

#cozybedroom #cozyroom #wintervibes #holidayhouse
If you missed this weekend’s post, with Juliet a If you missed this weekend’s post, with Juliet and Elizabeth, I shared my favorite things to do in London in fall and winter! 

I’m breaking my UK/Scotland trip into regions, and this week is all about London, where we stayed, some good spots to eat, my favorite museums, and shops. I also shared a few good things I bought, and the boots I wore everywhere that were fairly inexpensive and very comfortable .

The link to this post is in my bio or you can comment below for it and I’ll DM you. 

On this Reel:
-Our beautiful hotel @hamyard_hotel in Soho
- My favorite museum the @vamuseum which is having the Chanel exhibit until Feb. and don’t miss the gift shop totes! 
- The best place for tea and beautiful tins of it to take home @fortnums 
- The historic and coolest department store in the world, @libertylondon. Must do!
- Max’s favorite museum @thebritishmuseum 
- I always find something at @hmhome 
- Two Italian spots we love @circolopopolare and @_boccadilupo &gelato @gelupogelato 
MORE on the blog!

Save this post if you’re planning a trip.

More on the blog! 
@northerncalstyle 

Please visit Juliet and Elizabeth’s blogs for more fun too:
@makemineaspritzer 
@pineconesandacorns 

#london #londontips #londontravel #londoninthefall #prettycitylondon
I haven’t posted much as we’re on a trip in th I haven’t posted much as we’re on a trip in the UK! 🇬🇧❤️ 

I’ve been trying to share everything on my stories, and saving some of them in my highlights in case any of you are planning a trip! 

I’ve been so overwhelmed with the pictures,  I actually let Instagram make this Reel from the highlights of London and Oxford.. 

I just did a little postcard post on the weekend blog with a few fun pics and details, especially about our stop to visit my friend Rosie who lives in Stratford Upon Avon,  which was so lovely.

You can follow along on my stories, or if you’ve missed any, look at the highlights ! I’m trying to categorize by area.

Please visit Juliet and Elizabeth blogs too. I know they had a great weekend posts!!

 Our links as always, in our bios or stories:
@northerncalstyle 
@makemineaspritzer 
@pineconesandacorns

#uktravel #uktraveltips #londontravel #oxfordtravel #visitbritain
I am finally getting to share a bit of the fun sho I am finally getting to share a bit of the fun shopping event at the Stanford @rails store. I felt like the luckiest girl getting to try all these beautiful clothes on! 

Thank you to everyone who came.. A special thank you to my pal Jeanne who was a great sport and modeled for us.. The Rails team is so sweet too.

This fall collection is gorgeous and my style. My favorites were the jackets, knits and the new denim! Did you know Rails also has a great men’s line? I bought Max a shirt for our trip. 

I wanted one of everything! On the weekend post I’ll share what I picked to add to my fall capsule…One of them is a dress I’m taking with me on my UK trip. 

This California company makes standout pieces. If you get a chance visit the Stanford store or the Hayes Valley to see the whole collection up close and you’ll see why. 

#bayareashopping #rails #stanfordshoppingcenter #northerncaliforniastyle #californialook #falllooks
Join me for a special fall shopping event at the P Join me for a special fall shopping event at the Palo Alto @rails
store this Saturday! 
 
These are just a few of the gorgeous things they have in their fall collection. 

They also created a special pink Hunter shirt for Breast Cancer Awareness Month and will give $40 for every Hunter shirt sold. 🩷

The event will be 10-6 
Light bites & pink drinks too. 
 
I will be there 11-2 to help style looks and share the new collection! 

I really hope to meet some of you and also share more of what I love about this wonderful brand.

#rails #fallfashion #bayareashopping #paloalto #stanfordshoppingcenter

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