Looking for some simple ways to bring those summer vibes to your home? Today I’ll take you on a tour of my 1920 beach cottage and share some summer decorating ideas that will not only brighten up your home quickly but are easy to add to your existing decor mix.
Summer 2022 Home Tour
Summer is here in just a couple of weeks…which is hands-down my favorite time of year.
For those of you that are new to my blog, I am a bit of a gardener, so summers are when I finally get to enjoy the benefits of all of that hard work that started clear back in January.
It’s also the time for eating al fresco, kayaking and swimming in our bay, and just kicking back outdoors while enjoying some much-needed Vitamin D.
Before I take you on a tour of our 102-year-old beach cottage, I want to give a shout-out and special thanks to Marty from A Stroll Thru Life. She is an amazing blogger who has organized this Summer 2022 Home Tour, hosting 30 bloggers who have been sharing their homes with you throughout the week.
I can’t thank Marty enough for inviting me to join her annual summer tour this year. It’s quite an honor and I have been introduced to blogs that I am seeing for the first time here on the tour. So much inspiration!
If you’re joining me from Shand’s blog, Quarter’s One, welcome! I’m so happy that you took the time to stop by. I know you enjoyed Shand’s Lost Bay Cottage summer tour just as much as I did. She has the most beautiful little home at the beach and is so inspiring.
Be sure to visit all 30 home tours on the summer tour. You can find every blog link at the end of this post.
Our Summer Beach Cottage Home Tour
If this is your first visit here, welcome to my home. I’m Kim and you can find out a little more about me HERE. Shiplap and Shells is a lifestyle blog where I share my Pacific Northwest home, gardening, our Puget Sound boating adventures, and so much more.
We moved into our “forever home”, a 1920 beach cottage, ten years ago and literally renovated, refurbished, refreshed, and remodeled every inch of the house.
The picture above is the view as you walk through the front door. There is no formal entryway. (Try not to pay too much attention to the dusty ledge on the front door).
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The Cottage-Style Living Room
This summer season’s decor style is all about simple, relaxed, and casual.
There’s too much fun and relaxing to be done during the summer months so why not make it easy when it comes to decorating. Are you with me?
SHOP VINTAGE OARS
HOW DO I DECORATE FOR SUMMER?
For me, it’s all about bringing the outdoors in and creating a light, relaxing, and airy vibe to each space in my home.
- THE FEEL OF NATURE: bring in both fresh and faux flowers and greenery.
- ADD SUMMER COLORS: use decorative pillows, rugs, and accessories.
- LIGHTEN UP YOUR TEXTURES: change out your wool fabrics and rugs for lighter textures.
- ADD CLASSIC SUMMER ACCENTS: beach shells, glass jars, and fresh herbs are all great additions this season.
SHOP BEACH HOUSE PILLOWS
LIVING AT THE BEACH
We live on the Puget Sound in Washington State. If you’re not familiar with this body of water, it’s basically a sound of the Pacific Northwest which is an inlet of the Pacific Ocean and part of the Salish Sea.
Every summer I feel compelled to add some extra “beachy decor” to my cottage since we are literally at the beach. But there is such a thing as going overboard. I try my best not to over-clutter, but when you live in a 1600-square-foot house, it’s not always as easy to reach that objective.
Back to the cottage summer tour. Above, I added a few vintage oars and a sunhat in the corner for more of that beachy feel.
NAVY AND WHITE FOR THIS YEAR’S COTTAGE SUMMER COLORS
In past summers, I’ve done turquoise, yellow, coral, and fuchsia. I’ve done it all. But this year I wanted to just go with a classic navy and white in the living room and let the summer flowers and greenery be the “pop of color” in our living room.
Celebrate Summer Home 2021 Tour with Coastal Cottage Touches – CLICK HERE.
SHOP BLUE AND WHITE PILLOWS
This would not be a proper house tour without the 2 favorite boys in my life, Ollie and Jax.
THE SUMMER DETAILS
I will admit I have a bit of everything in this view. The vintage cabinet you see here is one of my favorite pieces in my house.
It does get a bit cluttered because it’s the only real space I have in the house to display anything. So I tend to take full advantage of it.
FLOWERS & HERBS
For those of you that are new to Shiplap and Shells, what you might not realize is that I grow a cut flower garden every summer so I can have fresh flowers ANYTIME I want during the season.
Here are a few of the cut flowers I grow every year… and the list goes on.
But it’s June as I’m writing this and my flowers here in the Seattle area are not blooming yet. Check back in a month, you won’t be disappointed!
So for now, I’m sharing some bright and beautiful bright gladiolas and heavenly fragrant-smelling lavender from Trader Joe’s.
June is always that pesky transitional month between showing off those stunning spring bulbs and the summer annuals from the garden. So I use faux flowers a lot during this month.
MORE SUMMER DECOR
I’ve added a few coastal pieces in my living room and changed up the candles so the fragrances are citrusy and lavender, perfect for the summer. I LOVE the smell of candles and use them all through the year. CLICK HERE to shop my favorite Antique Candle Co. candles.
GREENERY AND SEASONAL FRUIT
Confession time. Everything you see on this coffee table is faux.
I may be a pretty decent outdoor gardener but I don’t do well with houseplants. I think it’s because I never can find the perfect place for them where they’ll be happy and healthy. Oh…and I forget to water them. I think that’s probably the main reason.
There is one live ivy in my kitchen. That’s it.
But there are so many great choices for faux plants right now so that’s the path I have chosen going forward.
The green apples are faux as well, but that’s because I can’t bear to watch fresh fruit wither away while I’m using it for decor.
SHOP THE LOOK
OTHER DECOR USED FOR THE SUMMER
We changed our area rug out for a more summery feel. I love having a more neutral-colored option during this time of year.
The olive tree in the corner is also faux. You’re not surprised, are you?
Glass jars were set on top of the black cabinet where we keep our ironstone pieces to add another pop of color to the room.
SHOP NEUTRAL AREA RUGS
THE VIEW FROM THE KITCHEN
Here’s a fun fact.
There used to be a wall separating the kitchen and living room.
The corbels and vintage columns were added to the opening last year and I am loving the interest they provide. I have a true love for anything vintage.
Now that we have removed the wall, the entire space feels so much bigger with this open concept we’ve created.
Here’s another view from the kitchen. The stairs go up to my office-studio and a guest room.
Can you see the front door to the right of the bakery sign? That is where you started the tour.
As I said, we don’t have a formal entryway but there is enough space between the kitchen and living room where we were able to place cabinets on either side for more storage. I am always looking for strategic ways to store things due to the lack of closet space.
The gray vintage glass cabinet is used for all our quilts and vintage blankets. I guess you could say that our linen closet is basically in our living room. But you have to do what you have to do.
Summer Kitchen Tour Next Week
Here’s a sneak peek of my cottage kitchen all ready for summer.
Make sure you come back next week for part 2 of our beach cottage summer tour featuring our kitchen, along with some other spaces in the house.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the summer home tour of my beach cottage. I loved having you along and hope to see you again soon.
Leave me a comment below, I’d love to hear from you.
Next up on the tour are my friends Anne and Ann Marie from Simply 2 Moms. Whether you’re looking for simple ideas on home decor, healthy cooking, raising kids, organizing your home, or photography, they’ve got you covered! And today they have some simple ideas for styling your fireplace for summer.
Be sure to check out the other blogger’s home tours below.
Until next time,
Happy Decorating!
Summer 2022 Home Tour – 30 Bloggers
Monday – June 6th Lineup
A Stroll Thru Life – Our Southern Home – Grace In My Space
Hymns & Verses – Southern Hospitality – Chalking Up Success
Tuesday – June 7th Lineup
Calypso in the Country – StoneGable – 11 Magnolia Lane
White Arrows Home – RemodelaCasa – Pink Peppermint Design
Wednesday – June 8th Lineup
Designing Vibes – Cuckoo4Design – Whispering Pines Homestead
Decor to Adore – Thrifty and Chic – Clean and Scentsible
Thursday – June 9th Lineup
CitrineLiving – Southern Home and Hospitality – Worthing Court
The Stonybrook House – Southern State of Mind – This is our Bliss
Friday – June 10th Lineup
Follow The Yellow Brick Home – Country Road 407 – Quarters One
Shiplap and Shells – Simply2Moms – Pasha Is Home
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Let’s Connect on Social Media
- Follow me @shiplapandshells on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook
- Join my Facebook Gardening Tips & Tricks Group.
Your garden and home is just stunning! You have such a green thumb! It’s so summer! It’s got to be so relaxing sitting out there enjoying the water.
I always love when you share views of the water. So magical! And you’ve decorated so beautifully for summer. From the blues and whites to all the relaxed coastal touches, it’s all so pretty and welcoming! Thanks for sharing your wonderful home with us all!
Shelley
So many gorgeous and inspirational ideas! I adore your two fur boys. It’s truly a joy to be on tour with you!
Kim your home looks beautiful! Love all the gorgeous summer vibes!
*Correction: Neither one of us “has.”
Still in teacher mode… haha
It’s funny how we are both avid gardeners…(literally obsessed with gardening) and neither one of us have indoor plants! I can’t have them because the soil often grows mold and I am highly allergic to it. I am okay in the garden on drier days but have to be careful after a lot of rain and in shade gardens. Indoors I just can’t risk it. Anyway, I am with you on using the faux plants indoors. They have come a long way. You might have noticed that faux pothos in my kitchen corner. I actually think I love it more than a real plant because it is beautiful and I don’t have to worry about it. I have enough plant babies outside that need constant care!
Okay now to the good stuff. I. LOVE. YOUR. HOME! Everytime I “come over” I become more attached. I am a beach girl at heart and am looking forward to having my own coastal cottage within the next ten year span. I love how your home has all the vintage goodies and cottage character but with just enough coastal vibes to authenticallly tie in to your surroundings without being “beach themed.”
Great choice to open up that wall! It all looks great. Can’t wait to see your kitchen and garden in a few weeks!
*Correction: Neither one of us “has.”
Still in teacher mode… haha
Your garden and view are absolutely breathtaking! I definitely understand why you love summer so much! All of your summer touches in your home are beautiful too. Thanks for sharing!
Kim,
You summer beach cottage tour is so stunning. Everything so fresh and relaxing.
I always love stopping by and taking a look around your cottage, Kim! Your home is so inviting and I love how intentional your decorating is: everything has a purpose and reason. An outdoor dinner on your deck looks absolutely amazing! So happy to be touring together this week. Happy Summer!
Thank you for the kind words, Anne. It means a lot. I always enjoy doing these tours together.
Now that I’ve picked my jaw up off of the floor, I can leave a comment. WOWZA! I’ve always loved your cottage and drool over each photo. This year with the new pieces and super colorful surroundings, I’m overwhelmed with smiles. Everything is fantastic. What a dream life. And I’m totally jealous of your green thumb. So glad to have seen this and toured with you today. JUST AHHHHMAZING!
You are just the sweetest Cindy. I can’t tell you how much your kind comments mean to me. Thank you so much for making my day.
I am blown away by this home! What a dreamy place to spend time in – that water view is incredible…one day I hope to have a home on the water too. I absolutely love your styling and the welcoming feel in every detail!
Thank you so much, Tamara! We pinch ourselves every day when we see this water view. Summer is always so much fun when we can be out there more. It was so nice to “meet” you this week. You have such a beautiful home.
Everything about your home is beautiful, Kim! I love the corbels and vintage columns you added to the kitchen divide last year and all of your vintage furniture pieces. Ollie and Jax are such sweeties, I’m sure they enjoy that spot on the window seat. I’m looking forward to seeing your famous garden in all its glory soon! Thanks for the tour, have a lovely weekend!
Hi Jayne! Thank you so much. I’m really happy with how the columns and corbels turned out as well. I am impatiently waiting for the summer blooms as well. They can’t come fast enough. Happy summer sweet friend.
Your home is amazing and your gardens are truly legendary. I have enjoyed seeing them for years. I loved the tour inside your living room, such an inviting space filled with some lovely antiques. You have created such a warm and welcoming home. Thanks so much for joining the tour this season, your home is a delight to tour.
I can’t thank you enough for the opportunity to join all of these talented ladies on your tour, Marty. I have had such a great time and met SO MANY new bloggers here this week. Thank you for the kind words. Happy summer!
Oh Kim your house is my dream! That view and the flower garden. I’ve always wanted to live by the water. I too like to garden but most of my garden is shade, so I love seeing a beautiful sunny flower garden. Also loving the inside of your home. So cozy, collected and pretty! I really enjoyed your beautiful tour.
Thank you for the kind words, Julia. Our backyard is all shade and on a hill so we have a very unique situation of having the garden, greenhouse, and deck all in the front yard. But luckily it all works. I’m so glad I got the opportunity to be on the tour with you this week. Happy summer!
Talk about Charm with a capital C….dang! This is so incredibly dreamy, Kim. So happy to “meet” you, and I would be honored for you to share my home. 🙂
Thank you, Erica! I can’t tell you how much I loved your gorgeous home. Can’t wait to follow your blog going forward.
Kim, what a gorgeous home you have😍😍😍 How you have incorporated the costal feel is very naturally authentic – if that makes sense☺️ There’s so much to love, and I can’t wait to see your kitchen😍😍
Thank you, Anita. I really appreciate it. Looking forward to following your blog this summer.