Styling The Southern Bookcase

We recently moved into a new home and have been slowly unpacking and making the space our own. This past week, I inherited a white Crate and Barrel bookcase from my sister. Even before we brought it into the house, I knew it belonged in our sunroom. I had some ideas on how to style it, but before I started moving things around, I surveyed the room and considered the personality of the space. A very comfortable couch (which arrived the same day as the bookcase) beckons us to lay down with a good book and a glass of sweet tea while two ceiling fans whirl overhead. Three of the four walls are covered almost entirely by windows that offer a great view of the backyard. The wall and floor colors are muted and soothing.

As the room feels soft and beach-inspired, it would have been easy to fill the bookcase with jars of shells, but instead I decided to focus on sweet tea and ceiling fans and devote the bookcase to Southern writers -- several of whom who live or have lived in Oxford, Mississippi, where we fell in love. By choosing a specific genre for the bookcase, we were able to highlight some of our very favorite authors as well as the South's rich literary history.

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Gathering the books was the most challenging part of the styling process. Some of the authors aren't well-known Southerners, so I checked inside the dust jacket of every book in question. After piling them up, I arranged them by color and then by height. I stacked some in rows and others in piles. This particular bookcase gives us room to add some future titles, but in the meantime, I placed a few vanilla candles and a porcelain urn on the middle shelf. Glass vessels filled with seashells serve as additional placeholders. After all, the beach is an important part of Southern life, especially this time of year.

I was pleased with the results. The bookcase immediately became a collection and added personality to the room. More importantly, it will inspire us to spend more time reading and writing instead of watching TV or checking Facebook on our phones. After all, if our home doesn't inspire us, what will?

Summer Light

Have you ever noticed that the light looks different in the summertime? It's more inviting...and almost lures us out to play. Back on Mackinac Island in Michigan, there are so many reasons to get outside and soak up the carefree days of July. You can visit the ice cream shop, take a bike ride, walk along the lake and enjoy all of the lovely historic homes. The yellow, blue and turquoise homes with their crisp white trim look dreamy year round, but in that summer light they belong on a postcard or in a painting.

Now how about that bike ride? We could stop for a hotdog or ice cream....

Summer on the Deck

 

Despite the soaring temperatures, we're in the mood to spend some quality time outside on the deck. While our deck is not a five-star resort, we recognize any space is what you make it. Here are our tips for making your patio or deck a space you'll enjoy all summer long!

1. Invest in wooden furniture: Our Adirondack chairs were purchased five years ago from a local craftsman for a great price. By giving them a fresh coat of paint every other year, they look inviting and they're protected from the elements!

 2. Add weatherproof cushions and pillows: Decorative pillows (we chose solid green and white, khaki and black stripes and florals) give the space personality and make the furniture look more inviting.

3. Protect yourself from the elements: Our umbrella was passed down to us by my mom, but we've spotted similar umbrellas at Target and Wal Mart for good prices. Umbrellas add height to your space and keep you cool when the sun is strong.

4. Don't forget the little extras: A simple side table, a foot stool, a pot of flowers (or sweet-smelling basil). These details soften the space and make it feel more like home. 

When it comes to outside spaces, we believe simple is better. Regardless of how much money you spend, the elements make all furniture and accessories funky after a season or two. By selecting wood furniture, you can easily freshen it up with a little paint and use the rest of your budget on fun accessories.

Here are some other outside spaces we love.

American Summer

These images, which were taken by my dad all around our great country, epitomize everything that is great about summertime in America. They conjure up thoughts of apple pie, white picket fences, lightning bugs and freshly sliced watermelon. With the Fourth of July just around the corner, we hope they will remind you to stop and remember all of the little things that make an American summer so special. We know it's easy to forget about the joys of summer when you're toiling away at work! Need more American summer inspiration? Visit us on Pinterest to see even more images that make us think of good ole summertime.

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