Dining

My Fave Instagram Accounts to Follow

April 1, 2016Interiors, Dining, Coastal InteriorsAnneke McConnell

Hello friends! We are enjoying some crazy GORGEOUS sunny weather here in Seattle and I'm instantly happy and excited for summer - yes summer!

Surrounding yourself with people who inspire, motivate, encourage, and teach about a particular area of life that you really connect with takes time and effort but is so worth it in the long term. Over the years, I have found instagram to be an incredible way to find people who do just that in my life.

I have some recent designs shared below that were on my @coastalinteriors account on Instagram, but I wanted to change it up a bit today and share who I personally love to follow on Instagram.

Of course this is difficult with SO many talented friends within the DIY and Home Decor space. This is definitely personal, and people that I literally look up to see what's new and to help balance out my life. ;-)

FASHION

@alyson_haley - Sequins and Things

I love Haley's laid back casual, chic, and simple style. We have similar values and I love how she brings great fashion ideas, but never talks about how obsessed she is with this or that. She is constantly inspiring me and I love pretty much every outfit she shares! #literally

How cute is this recent outfit she shared!

@laurenkaysims - Lauren Kaysims

Lauren is also on the more casual, chic side, and I also relate to her perspective and the world of fashion. She has a calm presence on social media which seems rare when it feels like people are shouting at you from their posts sometimes. It's a tough balance as a blogger in this social media driven world! I love that she says she is "Striving to live every day on purpose and for a purpose".

One of my fave recent outfit posts from her is this one below. Cute am I right?!

FITNESS

@kayla_itsines - Kayla Itsines

There are not ENOUGH words for this woman. I LOVE her!!! Sure, she has almost 5 million followers on Instagram right now, but I've actually been following her on Instagram before she was even at 100,000 followers which to be honest, feels pretty special. Lol

I've stuck around with her because she is down to earth, pushes you with honesty and tough love, doesn't make it about her and her body (which is clearly healthy and strong), and you can see how passionate she is about helping women gain strength and confidence through fitness.

Just to note, I have purchased and completed her guides and the #deathbykayla hashtag is legit. There are a lot of plyometric, jumping type moves which is not for everyone, BUT I believe her guides are still effective even when exercises are modified.

I'm getting ready to start another 12-week round - wish me luck, or better yet, join me!

8 Moves For Flat Abs That Aren't Crunches

@AlexaJeanFitness - Alexa Jean Brown

I love, love, love Alexa and her sweet little fam. It helps to relate to another mama and getting back into shape after having kids. I love that her guides are affordable, and include to the point, classic and effective moves. When I want to switch it up and be doing less HIIT or plyometric training, I come to her guides which feel like a good challenge at an even pace. I love that she also speaks into people's lives about mindset, which is a huge part of positive change. :-)

Summer Ab Challenge

FOOD

Because I have lived with and through Hashimoto's thyroid disorder, kidney disease (minimal change disease), and have a rough family history of medical issues, I personally lean toward whole foods, more Whole 30 type recipes, etc. I'm still learning what works for my body and honestly believe every person's needs are different. I struggled through this A LOT at first, especially what to feed our kids. Thankfully I'm in a better place now and LOVE all the food I can eat.

@wholenourishedlife by Emily of Whole Nourished Life

I connected with Emily on Instagram and immediately fell in love with her and her recipes. How yummy does this Lemon Ginger Shrimp meal look?!! It can be found on her blog HERE. I feel confident getting recipes from Emily as some who not only "gets it", but is a trained professional striving to help others improve their lives through nutrition.

@TenleyMolzahn - Sweet and Free Life

I love how transparent Tenley is about her struggles with nutrition over a long period of time and how she is now helping others as a nutritionist and educator because of it. I love when people share their answers and help others get unstuck!

I'm still looking for good accounts to follow for hair and beauty if you have recommendations! I'd love to know your favorite accounts in general too!

To wrap up today's post, I'm sharing the sources for recent designs on my @coastalinteriors account and a few style finds. This sunny weather has me craving bright and flowy outfits lately!

Coastal Dining Room with White Table and Capiz Shell Chandlier

white dining table / bamboo chair / capiz shell chandelier / border pillow / leaf pillow / faux philodendron

HOME FAVES

STYLE FAVES

xo,

Anneke

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Coastal Interiors: Navy and Neutral Dining Room

November 19, 2015Dining, Interiors, Home Blog PostsAnneke McConnell

With Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner, I'm like most people and thinking of the fun parties, dinners, and social gatherings that happen this time of year. I can't help but have those dining spaces on the brain!

With that in mind, here is today's design!

If you follow along on my @CoastalInteriors Instagram account, I put it out there asking input on these two end chairs for today's dining room edesign. The feedback was a good mix between the two!

For the design itself, I went with the Navy Captains Chair. It has a chair texture with a pretty linen look. Either would look GREAT! The larger wing chair is a little more formal and comfortable while the captains chair adds style while not become obtrusive. The white farmhouse style table is pretty long at 94" with the gorgeous Pottery Barn chandelier hanging above. Going with a natural rug can offer a lot of versatility for other design pieces and be used in other spaces in the future if necessary.

chandelier / white dining table / end chairs / parsons chairs / rug / sideboard / mirror

Between the crystals in the chandelier, the natural rug and pattern in the side chairs, I'm in love! I love mixing wood elements in a design with whites, blues, and a little sparkle.

What do you think?

I'd love to know if you add any of these pieces to your home or the entire design. Feel free to share a photo on social media and use the hashtag #mycoastalinteriors so I can see it!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

xo,

Anneke

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Coastal Interiors: A Thanksgiving Inspired Dining Room

October 20, 2015Dining, Home Blog Posts, InteriorsAnneke McConnell

If you are looking to add gorgeous lighting to your home, Horchow is having 25% off for the next couple of days, not to mention some steep discounts on their mirrors. As for lighting, this is where I find so many lantern style pendants and chandeliers, antique brass finishes and overall is hands down a fave site of mine for lighting sources. You can see their selection of lighting HERE.

These are just a handful of my favorites below, but their selection is stunning. They have everything I love in design ranging from beaded chandelier, antique brass, capiz shells, jute rope and even lucite. Gorgeous!

Today's design was inspired not only by these beautiful lighting options, but also this gorgeous brass silverware set. I fell in love at first sight! It has a slight hammered texture to it that I love. What do you think?

It's a bit busy around these parts with furniture makeovers and the One Room Challenge, but be sure to browse the blog for recent blog posts including the Make It Happen Series and fashion for the season! OH!!! Which reminds me that Ann Taylor is also having 40% off Boots and Booties!!! Eek - hold me back! #pnwbootlover

Ok that's it for today! I hope you're week is going well!

xo,

Anneke

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Want to learn how to refinish your own furniture? Click HERE .

DIY Whitewashed Table: Before and After

October 1, 2015Dining, Home Blog Posts, InteriorsAnneke McConnell

Hello friends! Be sure to follow along on Instagram and Pinterest for all the behind the scenes!

So long story short, when we moved into our little beach house a couple years ago, we slowly have been making it "us" versus a vacation rental, but as a family of five in such a small (poorly designed layout) space, the decorating and function has been quite the challenge. I really miss my oversized solid wood farmhouse table! I've really missed not having really any definitive dining space at all. Cue the sad music...

With that said, I am also a firm believe that you are not a "victim" to your circumstances and to make the best with what you have and go for it. Our layout isn't ideal for everything we'd like to enjoy and has to be multi-functional. I decided to trade the lower lounge chairs and view for a dining table we could all sit down together at and enjoy our meals, game nights, etc. No more splitting between the bistro table nook and bar seating, especially now that summer is over and we are not sitting on the back patio for meals.

I was excited to find this table on Craigslist locally for $80 and have it delivered to me. With a couple day's of focused work, I was able to turn it into a table with that Restoration Hardware like look that we all know and love.

Here is the Before and After!

The process isn't too crazy difficult, and I just worked right in our home where the table was going to be. Here's the step-by-step run down. Most products can be found at your local hardware store.

I placed a dropcoth under my table to protect my rug and floor.
I applied Citristrip (a product stripper) on the table top and base (with basic, cheap chip brushes).
I used a scraper to remove the stripper and gunk from the table top. This gives you clean, raw wood to work with.
I had to do two rounds of stripper to get the table prepped, and then afterwards cleaned it with Odorless Mineral Spirits. This is what I had on hand, but you can also use Citristrip's Paint Stripper Afterwash.
Now for the FUN part! For this makeover, I used Vintage Market Furniture Paint in Dove White and mixed up a simple "wash" with roughly equal parts paint and water. There is NO set formula for this! The more water you add, the more diluted and lighter or washed out/opaque the color will be. Two alternative white colors I recommend are Rustoleum's Chalked Paint in Linen White OR Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Pure White. **Update: Since this post, I painted the apron and base of this table in Annie Sloan Pure White. :-)
Apply the wash in sections of the table. Wipe away immediately or let it sit for a minute or two and then wipe away. I used staining pads for this and they work beautifully! Much better than the old days when I used old t-shirts or rags. Lol
When you are wiping the color away, I suggest finishing out by wiping in one direction. On a table like this, I finished removing excess paint in the direction of the grain. This is NOT necessary every time to use a paint wash to makeover a piece of furniture!
Move to the table apron, then the base in sections.
Let paint wash fully cure.
Seal using staining pad and Vintage Market and Design Matte Finishing Creme (which is amazingly beautiful and durable!) I suggest applying 1-3 coats in a similar manner as the painting process. Apply, let sit, then wipe and buff out.
Let the table dry/cure for a few days before full use.

Overall, I LOVE the way it turned out and am excited to keep working on the dining space. I have a cabinet for the wall I am working on, and am planning to get a nice lantern light up above the table. I really like this style with black metal and glass panes. We'll see.....I may not be able to hard wire the lighting and am brainstorming a work around. ;-) There's always a work around!

I hope you found this makeover helpful! If you'd like to stay in the loop about how to refinish your own furniture and create your own masterpiece, Click HERE.

Have a beautiful day friends!

xo,

Anneke

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