After over a week off the grid soaking up undistracted family time, we’re back into the swing of things here at our little beach house. With Fall underway, I’ve been adding some seasonal touches around the house, including some beautiful fiery orange leaves my kids picked for me from our trip in the woods. :-) They make the perfect backdrop to our blue and white beach house palette!

*this post contains affiliate links. I have partnered with Serena & Lily and have been gifted some items. All opinions and photos are my own.

I love how Serena & Lily epitomizes the belief that living well begins at home. They are experts in balancing refined luxury while remaining relaxed, casual, and inviting. When welcoming family and friends into our home, I want them to feel like they can kick back and relax. Serena & Lily helps to elevate the look of our home with quality products while allowing everyone to take a deep breath and enjoy each other’s time together. Win win!

With that said, the Serena & Lily Friends and Family sale is one I look forward to each year, where everything is 20% off from October 2nd- 14th! Some of my hands down favorites are their Sandbar Tray, Riviera Side Chair, Cavallo Linen Bedding, and their gorgeous pillows!

Fall Decor in Blue and White Beach House

Oak view Pillow Cover / Whitley Embroidered Pillow Cover / Avery Alpaca Throw (so incredibly soft!)

Round Sandbar Tray

(also available in square or large rectangle - I LOVE THIS TRAY!!!!)

Beach House Kitchen Nook with Freestanding Pantry

Beach House Stone Fireplace and Pillows in Basket

Serena & Lily Pillows and Throw Blanket

(in above photos)

You guys….let me tell you a little story. When we downsized from our larger custom home to this much smaller beach house, the pillows in the living area became one of those stressful home decor items for me that I honestly wanted to do away with. I know… the thought!! lol :-)

Somehow, the smaller space meant even just three pillows “out of place” (remember we have three kids plus their friends), was enough to make the room feel messy. But I love pillows!!

I decided then and there to be much more particular about the pillows we bring into our home, and choosing the ”Less, but Better Quality” route has made all the difference! EVERY insert and pillow cover we have from Serena & Lily is exceptional, and we’ve been extremely pleased with each and every one of them (and every product of theirs!).

If you’re looking to refresh your home for the upcoming Holiday Season or just in general, Serena & Lily’s Friends and Family sale is the perfect opportunity! Don’t tell, but I have some of their items on my shopping list for gifts!

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12

From the Beach,

Anneke

Follow along on Instagram:

@coastalinteriors

@annekemcconnell

The Look for Less: Master Bedroom

October 14, 2018Bedroom, Coastal Interiors, Edesign, Home Blog Posts, Splurge vs. SaveAnneke McConnell

Hey guys! Many of us know what it’s like to fall completely in love with something that’s outside of our budget. Today’s mood board edesigns of a master bedroom show how you can get the look for less OR at least mix and match whichever items you like! There is over $5000 difference between these two master bedroom designs!

Also a quick reminder that today is the last day of Serena & Lily’s 20% off sale! I chose a handful of items from Serena & Lily for our Master Bedroom Makeover this past Spring if you want to see some of their pieces styled in our home. Their pillows, lighting, and rugs are some of my favorites to design with!

*this site uses affiliate links.

All sources for this edesign are linked below

and are in stock at the time of this post!

SPLURGE

SAVE

I have to admit there were some pieces in the Splurge design that gave me quite the challenge to find something similar. I hope you find this helpful! I particularly love that light tan and cream plaid blanket for fall! If you love being surrounded by neutrals, this is a great affordable option!

PIN FOR LATER!

From the beach!

Anneke

Follow along on Facebook

Follow along on Instagram (lifestyle)

Follow along on Instagram (interiors)

Follow along on Instagram (diypaintedfurniture)

PLACES I SHOP AND RECOMMEND:

......just to name a few!

Disclosure: This website participates in affiliate programs. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Beach House Patio

August 28, 2018Coastal Interiors, Edesign, Home Blog Posts, Our Beach House, Our Home, SummerAnneke McConnell

We have one more week until our kids go back to school, and while summer vacation is winding down, I realized I've shared our patio quite a bit on Instagram, but not on the blog. Better late than never!

I didn't get around to completing the entire plan I blogged about here, BUT it has been an amazing Summer here in the Pacific Northwest none the less and I have no complaints (well....other than we really need a better kayak storage solution!). The kids are healthy and happy and we've had a lot of great fun as a family.

We recently had a progressive dinner on our street with all of our neighbors (walking beach side from patio to patio), which made for the perfect opportunity to photograph our progress on the space. Here's what we ended up with for now!

*this site utilizes affiliate links

The good news for you is that we've had a season to be using all of these items (some more than a few years), so I have some pros and cons we've discovered with daily use. :-)

It's a little tough to capture this space since we are so close to our neighbor's (that we love) and I try to respect their privacy!

SHOP THIS POST

Here are a few things worth noting after using everything for awhile:

1. The adirondack chairs actually have self storing ottomans which we LOVE!! They recline to three different settings as well. I shared this a lot in my IG stories, but forgot to capture it in these photos! We have loved having a set of these on our back deck. They are available in 4 colors, but classic bright white was a winner for us.

2. We've really enjoyed having an expandable table wood dining set for larger gatherings with friends and family. We previously had an older metal and glass table that was a stand in until we could get something larger. Most of the time we have three of the chairs on each side and the ends have an outdoor wicker chair (ours are sold out, but for similar ones look HERE and HERE).

3. The HUGE umbrella is actually a rectangle. I love that it is large and covers the entire set, along with the solar LED lights built in, but unfortunately we deal with enough wind that it will spin and get out of alignment. With a round umbrella that's no big deal, but a rectangle is something else. If it's windy enough to spin the umbrella, it's not likely we are eating outside anyhow, so it's been okay.

4. The blue outdoor trellis rug underneath the dining table has unfortunately not been the best fit for our location. It has faded pretty quickly with the sun beating on it everyday and whenever it gets wet from watering our plants or kids running around after swimming, it takes forever to dry and is just squishy under our feet. :-( It's such a bummer because it is a really beautiful, soft rug and I'm certain it would work in other settings beautifully, like a covered dining patio or seating area, but it didn't work for us. From other experience, we will only buy rugs for our patio that are like THIS RUG because we know they dry fast and don't fade as easily.

5. The fire columns are a BIG YES!! They are so easy to use and move around. Plus, they put out just the right amount of heat and ambience with the adjustable flame. Ours were from Target, but are sold out. HERE is a similar one.

6. Last to make mention of is our patio sectional. We've had it a few summers now, and other than someone stealing one of our ottomans, it has been a great fit and held up to the elements. This is actually the first summer we had cushion storage, so I think that says a lot for holding up well to kids and bird fly-bys, snacking, sand, seaweed, and more. We love that it is modular so it has seen a few arrangements over time. It used to be where our dining set is now! :-)

I hope our little beach house patio gives you some ideas and inspiration for your own space and these reviews help answer any questions you may have!

Cheers the the last few weeks of Summer!

From the Beach,

Anneke

Follow along on Facebook

Follow along on Instagram (lifestyle)

Follow along on Instagram (interiors)

Follow along on Instagram (diypaintedfurniture)

PLACES I SHOP AND RECOMMEND:

......just to name a few!

Beach House Dining Room Progress

August 23, 2018Coastal Interiors, Dining Room, Home Blog Posts, Home Decor, Interiors, Our Beach House, Our HomeAnneke McConnell

*disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links and all opinions are my own.

You guys have requested to see more of the process of updating the rooms of our beach house, and after a recent poll on Instagram, the majority of you voted for an update of our dining nook first.

I have to say I'm pretty happy with the progress so far! The lighting arrived yesterday and the new rug should be here any minute. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited for today's deliveries!

The most recent addition was this white buffet cabinet (also here) and it is even BETTER in person than I though it would be! I was a little concerned at first with the white on white and all of the lines, but it works beautifully. Since the space is both small AND open, adding new white curtains, painting the door white, and adding the white buffet has created a really cohesive look, making the room feel bigger and brighter.

Our beach house is relatively small at about 1900 sq. ft. and when you walk into the house you basically have an entryway, a small living and dining space, and the kitchen and nook by the window on the water side. Minus a laundry room/bathroom and lower guest bedroom and bath, that's the entire lower floor.

Here is a BEFORE PHOTO of the home when we had it listed as a vacation rental. It's changed SO much since then, in particular, when I painted the cabinets a glossy bright white and added hardware.

Here's where we are now!

1. The table is a thrifted piece I painted and refinished. I did a tutorial on it awhile back about how to whitewash furniture. Since then, I've painted the base with white chalk style paint.

2. The gray tufted settee sits in front of the window with the water view. Even though that door leads to our garage (aka major foot traffic), and the placement of the settee isn't ideal, it's a favorite spot for everyone in our house at different times of the day and gets used a lot.....and I mean A LOT!

3. I updated that small wall to the right of the garage door with horizontal planks from, believe it or not, repurposed wood blinds. What can I say? I had an impulsive idea (not uncommon), and went for it! We had some previous wood blinds just laying around, so I cut them to various lengths and installed them with a brad nailer. Then I filled the holes and painted them Benjamin Moore's Simply White in Semi-Gloss. That's the same color as our kitchen cabinets, doors, and trim through our house.

My last post about Coastal Dining Chairs was because one of our last steps (after installing the chandelier and rug) is to choose our dining chairs. There are 5 of us in our family, the foot traffic from the garage, the settee, and to the right of it all is our living room. Needless to say, there's not a lot of space and I don't want it to look cluttered, so comfy, discreet, and low profile is essential. I'm still debating what to go with so any insight from you guys is welcome and very much appreciated!!

And yes, that is a Mitsubishi Electric ductless mini-split system and we LOVE it! Should I do a blog post on it? We've had ours for over 5 years so I can attest to long-term satisfaction!