Coastal Collective Co.

Transition into Spring! One Dress. Three Ways.

Fashion Blog PostsAnneke McConnell

Happy Fashion Friday friends! With Spring just around the corner, I've brainstorming ways to get the most use out of my wardrobe, and hands down layering is going to be key.  I want to get the most use out of my boots, faux fur vests, and cardigans, and I'm sure many of you do as well!

Since I'm not one to wear a dress unless its a maxi dress or cocktail date night dress, I like to figure out multiple ways I can wear one or two pretty spring dresses as the weather warms up.  

 

LOOK ONE:

FLORAL DRESS WITH CASUAL CARDIGAN AND KNEE HIGH BOOTS

I'll be the first to admit I LOVE this cardigan and also own it in navy (no surprise there!).  It is currently under $20, but even at full price it's a great layering piece!

When it's chilly in the mornings, but warms up by the afternoon, it's nice to have a casual cardigan to put on or take off with weather changes.

LOOK TWO:

FLORAL DRESS WITH FAUX FUR VEST AND TAUPE SUEDE HEELS

One Dress. Three Looks

I love how this still has a bit of a Pacific Northwest Winter vibe to it with the touches of black, but that the heels and dress will transition nicely into spring.  The lower heel on these is nice for everyday wear to when you want to look dressier, but are looking for something more than a flat shoe to wear. ;-)

LOOK THREE:

FLORAL DRESS WORN AS SHIRT WITH WHITE DENIM

One of my favorite tricks is to tuck the front of a dress into denim for a completely different look! You can't do this with every dress obviously, but if it's flowy like this swing dress and falls nicely, it can work and nobody will know the difference. ;-)

And by the way, I am LOVING those sandals! Pretty sure they are going to be my go to sandal for Spring. I love my high heel pumps, but when you have a heel like this that wraps across the top of your foot, it makes it easier to walk in. Plus the height on these isn't too crazy, so they still feel "mommy friendly" when on the go with the kiddos. 

Photography via: Kayla J Photography

I hope this helps you as you are planning outfits and transitioning into Spring weather, not to mention wedding season!  

 

xo,

Anneke

P.S. If you're new to Coastal Collective Co., I'd like to invite you to take The Make It Happen Challenge! It's a FREE 5-Day Video Series I made to help people meet their goals.

>>>>If that sounds like something you're interested in, click HERE

 

Let's Connect!

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Coastal Interiors: Cozy Reading Nook

Coastal Interiors, Edesign, Home Blog Posts, Interiors, Living Room, Valentine's DayAnneke McConnell

Today's design is Valentine's Day inspired with the month of love just around the corner. No matter what your plans are, a cozy nook to curl up with your favorite magazine or book is always a good idea.

When it comes to seasonal decorating, I love throwing in blankets (there's usually a stripe involved!), changing pillow colors, and hanging up some artwork that our kids make.   :-)

xo,

Anneke

P.S. If you're new to Coastal Collective Co., I'd like to invite you to take The Make It Happen Challenge! It's a FREE 5-Day Video Series I made to help people meet their goals.

>>>>If that sounds like something you're interested in, click HERE

Let's Connect!

NOW on Periscope! @annekemcconnell

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@annekemcconnell

@coastalcollectivestyle

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Coastal Kitchen Update: The Island Light

Coastal Interiors, Home Blog Posts, Interiors, KitchenAnneke McConnell

Last fall I decided to tackle the finishing up of our coastal kitchen makeover after a semi-grueling painting of the cabinets in the summer.  That's slightly dramatic, but if you're considering painting your cabinets yourself, yes, you'll definitely want to read through and learn from our experience. 

 

Here is a recap of each week:

Week 1: The Vision and Before Photos

Week 2: Painting the Cabinets

Week 3: Purging, Storage and Organization Solutions in the Kitchen

Week 4: Herringbone Tile

Week 5: Evaluating Progress

Week 6: Kitchen Reveal

 

Today's post is all about the selection of lighting for our island.  This is not a sponsored post, but I am fortunate to have been able to work alongside Lamps Plus who provided the light for our makeover.

Even as someone who LOVES design and decorating, I was running into some challenges (which I share more about in a bit) and the people at Lamps Plus were very kind and helpful in making a decision. Just sayin'! #greatcustomerservice

Here is the island light we ended up with!

So here just some design parameters we were working with when we were trying to find the "perfect" light.

  1. We wanted to have as many bulbs as possible. We went from 4-5.
  2. We wanted the light to be visually light so as not to block our view of the water, but also make a statement. This is super tricky in such a small space!
  3. The ceiling height of only 7.5' combined with the standard bar height on the island made the dimensions we had to work with very limited.  We needed something long and skinny, that remained as close to the ceiling as possible. Some island lights were visually perfect, but the way they mounted were not feasible so that's something to consider!
  4. Also, we did not want to rewire anything and stick with the single hole mount that was already there.
  5. Of course, we wanted a light that fit our beach house style, was easy to clean, and blended in nicely with the other textures and finishes. Our entry, living, dining, nook and kitchen are all one space!
  6. I love, love, LOVE how the light we chose has two metal finishes! The main metal portion is a dark bronze and the light socket is an antique bronze that ties in REALLY well with our hardware.

 

See it up close.  It really is the perfect fit!

Here you can see a better view of how the mount fits well with what we already had in place. 

The light comes with extension rods, but we just don't have the vertical space for that.    Extension rods are a great thing when you have taller ceilings and want a light with a straight clean line versus a cord.

 

You can see how it would look here installed with the rods.  I love knowing that it is an option to add them if we moved or did a major renovation.

 

So here you can see the progression of lighting.

Before Painting: a simple bronze 4-light

After painting: we switched out the bronze for this simple silver 4-light when the bronze one had led lights that were an absolute PAIN.  We were also waiting on our new Roman Shades, which we now LOVE.  The shade below is actually a curtain panel I just tacked up for photos. That's blogger TRUTH right there! We currently use these curtains in our home office and master bedroom.

So there you have it!

Thanks again to Lamps Plus for a great experience working with them.  I've purchase their lighting over the years and truly love the variety of options they offer!  They have some great videos on Facebook to help show you how to bring all design elements together.  Video makes all the difference for me, so I really appreciate when brands make things easier and make videos to help us all out.

xo,

Anneke

P.S. If you're new to Coastal Collective Co., I'd like to invite you to take The Make It Happen Challenge! It's a FREE 5-Day Video Series I made to help people meet their goals.

>>>>If that sounds like something you're interested in, click HERE.

Let's Connect!

NOW on Periscope! @annekemcconnell

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@annekemcconnell

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Valentine's Day Outfit Ideas

Relationships, Valentine's DayAnneke McConnell

Valentine's Day is by FAR one of my favorites!  I love, love LOVE dressing up whenever I can, and Valentine's Day is the perfect occasion to go out on a date with my husband.  After 13 years of marriage, I can say with confidence, "Keep dating each other!".

So even when our kiddos were little and it was a "date night in", after they went to bed we could have a fancy dinner to ourselves, usually involving salmon!  It meant a lot to me even in those years with toddlers to get all dressed up.

We do a lot of fun things as a family, but today's blog post is all about outfit ideas for YOU, with a little casual outfit thrown in there too, because yes, movie marathons and strawberries and chocolate on the couch together counts as celebrating Valentine's Day. 

 

 

 

A Lighter Pink Look For Valentine's Day

SOME OTHER OPTIONS

Wherever you celebrate Valentine's Day this year, I hope that it is filled with love, and that you have the confidence to be yourself with those who love and care about you!

 

xo,

Anneke

P.S. If you're new to Coastal Collective Co., I'd like to invite you to take The Make It Happen Challenge! It's a FREE 5-Day Video Series I made to help people meet their goals.

>>>>If that sounds like something you're interested in, click HERE.

Let's Connect!

NOW on Periscope! @annekemcconnell

Follow along on Facebook

Follow along on instagram at:

@annekemcconnell

@coastalcollectivestyle

@coastalinteriors