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Summer Home Tour & Lots Of Changes!

Today I’m sharing my summer home tour and there are a few changes that you haven’t seen yet! It’s a jam packed post and full of inspiration, so let’s get right into it by starting in the front new entry!

Shabbyfufu summer home tour 2021

Actually wait…let’s start in the front of the house and work our way inside to tell you what’s new.

Summer Home Tour

We finally have had some much needed rain. It’s been very dry, more so than usual and the rain is needed. Living in Miami most of my life I know that rainy season will be starting soon though. We will have daily deluges like nowhere else, but we are used to that in this tropical climate. Plus…mosquitos. Ugh! Here is a view down our street that is elegantly lined with massive 60′ Royal Palm trees. I wish that the power would be buried underground, but that’s not likely to happen.  When we have so much as a minor wind event those Royal Palm fronds sometimes break off, fall on the power lines and and the power goes out. Boom! If you’re unlucky enough to be standing under one when they fall, you are toast because they are extremely heavy! The street is a dead end to one of a series of canals that run through here and drain into the ocean via the bay close by. As you can see…it was raining on this quiet day.

royal palm trees

A view of the front of the house. Pretty typical looking Florida rancher built in the early 1960’s with authentic coral rock on the facade and a circular asphalt driveway. That is NOT A SNAKE 🪱 on the driveway…it’s a piece of a palm frond 🌴 Not many flowers outside in my summer home tour, as it’s too darn hot here for anything other than orchids!

In the last few years we’ve gotten a new roof (it’s tile) and new impact windows and new French doors. Those are a HUGE expense but necessary down here for protection! We just replaced the front doors and you can see the dated old front doors here. You’ll also notice in that older post that we had different tile on the front walkway. We just replaced that as well with a non slip slate look tile.

We LOVE the new front doors and now that everything glass is impact it’s very quiet inside! We painted the doors a deep charcoal grey to coordinate with the roof. The little circles that you might notice around the doors are bolts for installing our hurricane shutters. I’m not a fan of the look, but painted the color of the house they aren’t that noticeable and a necessary evil of living down here. The mat is from Ballard Designs, but older and I’m not sure they still carry it. We did just replaced the mailbox and I found THIS amazing artisan on Etsy in Greece who made it. Check him out!

We also installed new front gates that are wood in a shadowbox pattern. They lock, which is so nice! We painted them the same charcoal grey as the front doors. All of these changes add up to lots of spending, but since we haven’t been traveling we reallocated our normal vacation funds.

black front gates horizontal slat

And now…let’s come inside again, through the front doors! I want to point out how handy it is having a double set of front doors. If we ever design another home I would do the same, as it makes it easy to move furniture in and out. We even had a grand piano at one point and it fit through those doors when we sold it!

Come Inside!

Now we are inside for the summer home tour! The new front doors looking out and we love the amount of light that they bring in. You might ask about privacy, but it isn’t an issue as we are far from the road with bushes in-between. At night we have motorized shades that provide that privacy as needed. The come from our friends at Blinds Galore, who I have worked with before and highly recommend. They even have a remote control as do the blinds in our front window!

Shabbyfufu foyer summer home tour

You know…I always mix new and vintage and that to my eye is what makes a home your own! I recently acquired the pale blue velvet button tufted bench on Facebook Marketplace. Head on over if haven’t read my post on Facebook Marketplace yet! I have the pair of Bamboo Pagoda Lanterns set on a timer so they come on at night. The trio of Ginger Jars in pale blue are perfect for summer…don’t you think? The Quatrefoil Safavieh white garden stool is on sale at under $80 as is the new front entry ceiling light(great deals!). I found the little door mat on Amazon and it has a no slip backing, essential for use on tile by a front door. The console is one that we had made 30 years ago when we bought this house. The brackets are from Ballard Designs (no longer sold) and the glass we designed. The pier mirror was from a local estate sale around that same time. I still love it all and when you go with what you love for YOUR HOME you can never go wrong!

summer home tour 2021 Shabbyfufu

On the right of the entry foyer is the summer home tour in the living room. It’s a large space and filled with select pieces that are continually gathered over time. Here’s my link for the gorgeous rug and you can save 60% right now with the code SUM60. A really grounds a space and sets the tone for the accent colors of pale blue! Find this amazing chandelier here.

summer home tour style living room shabbyfufu

Something new…and before we head to another room in the summer home tour. I just hung the Ikea RITVA drapes and at less than $40 a pair I highly recommend them. They are 100% cotton with the look and feel of linen, and with extra long lengths are a rare find indeed. I used this inexpensive gold rod and these drapery rings and hung the drapes close to the ceiling, measuring to allow a slight puddle on the floor. I would not recommend using Ikea’s hardware and feel that the quality of these curtain pins that I used is far superior.

gold curtain rod summer home tour

The Ikea Ritva drapes have pleating tape and I hung a pair on either side of the bay window. If you don’t know about pleating tape and how to insert the hooks, here is an easy visual for you.

Ikea Ritva pleated drapes

On the opposite side of the living room is the breakfront that I got for FREE from Facebook Marketplace! It’s been really years since I’ve had a dark piece of furniture in my home. I painted the inside white though, and filled it with some favorite things. Whether I’ll get a wild hair and paint the cabinet one day I don’t know for sure.

summer home tour style

It’s a bit difficult to see inside of this cabinet with the doors closed due to the old bubble glass. So for this summer home tour I flung them open to see what’s inside. A little bit of everything and it’s needed for storage!

summer home tour styled breakfront

summer home tour styled breakfront

In The Kitchen & Dining Room

Didn’t do much here, just cleared things out and added an orchid on the buffet!

Summer Home Tour 2021 Shabbyfufu dining room

Shabbyfufu dining room summer 2021

Summer Home Tour Continues In The Bedroom

I have one major update in the master bedroom to share today! It’s this new to me cabinet that is from Arhaus and I bought (once again) on Facebook Marketplace! We do not have a linen closet down on the side of the house where the master bedroom is. I had a previous cabinet in here but didn’t really care for it. When this cabinet came along I knew that I could make it more ME! Below is the before…

Facebook marketplace Arhaus cabinet

As it was, just too farmhouse distressed for my style, but I had a vision for this $149 piece in great condition! I saw the fretwork as being Chinoiserie inspired and it just needed a fresh coat of paint and hardware. Two coats of a gloss paint were applied by brush. I use Benjamin Moore Advance (as in this post) and the gloss settles well. Just say NO to chalk paint! 🤣

And here you go…I’m super pleased!

summer home tour master bedroom 2021 Shabbyfufu

Here’s where to find these amazing Chinoiserie Pulls. Note that I used this shade of Rub N Buff to get them to the gold that I envisioned. I also used it on the hinges that were previously dark.

Another shot of my bedroom in the summer home tour and we are done for now! Simple and plain and I didn’t change anything else.

Happy summer and please leave a comment and share!

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42 Comments

  1. Everything is so beautiful. Love the way you recreated the cabinet for linens. Thanks for the drapery tip. I too live in Florida and in search of better drapes for my bedroom.

    1. Thank you so much Bonnie and those drapes are really better than I expected them to be!

  2. Everything is so fresh and beautiful. I am sure you have written before , but what shade of white did you use for walls and trim? And what white is on your kitchen cabinets ? I love your blog.

    1. Thank you Frances! My home is almost all done in Benjamin Moore White Dove and the cabinets are the same, just a different sheen.

  3. All stunning Janet! I have been waiting for the look of the breakfront. Very clever to paint the inside white as it lightens and brightens. The piece for linen storage is so beautiful. I want one! lol.
    Linda

    Love the gate!

    1. Thanks so much Linda and I really meant to post the cabinet before, lol! I’m enjoying the extra storage and it was much needed here!

  4. I love your Facebook Marketplace finds! Your motorized blinds gave me an idea for our front door – I love the light our glass double doors let in, but we do feel very “exposed” at night. This might be what we need!

    1. Those blinds are working out so well for us Donna. No one can see in during the day really, but with the lights on at night it solves that issue!

  5. Margie Mortensen says:

    Just lovely to see your home on your beautiful street. Thanks so much for sharing – you have done a great job!

    1. Awww, thank you Margie…much appreciated and gosh we have been here for 30 years now!

  6. Lori Anderson says:

    Absolutely beautiful! Thank you for sharing your lovely home. All of your marketplace finds inspires me to be patient and keep looking and save $.

  7. Miche Ortega says:

    Thank you so much for having us in, Janet. Everything is simply BEAUTIFUL! I don’t think I have ever seen your entrance. Now I have a better feel for your layout. I love your new FBM find. It looks great in your bedroom.

    1. Oh thank YOU Miche for touring today and the lovely comment! We really love our home and the recent changes have been so worth doing. Hope you enjoy the rest of your week.

    1. Thank you so much Donna Marie!

  8. Janet…I have been following you for years – since the the ‘original’ blogging days. I have always found you to be an amazing inspiration and this post did not disappoint!!! I love the pieces, and adore your collections (trophies!!!). I have those same drapes in my NJ beach townhome….I have never regretted putting them on…every. single. window….in that house! I look forward to your posts…keep ’em coming! <3

    1. Susan…that really makes me happy and it has been 15 years now that I’ve been blogging! A lot has changed, but I still love to inspire. Enjoy the rest of your week…Janet

  9. It looks fantastic, Janet! Crazy about your exterior updates – that roof and entrance gate are terrific – and the doors really set the whole thing off to perfection!

    I’m just crazy about your entry way! You’ve done so much to make that smaller area look luxe and welcoming and elegant – really successful.

    I’ve always loved whatever you do to/with your living room – and this is no exception. Looks just smashing. But this inquiring mind really wants to know … since I’m so enamored with your candleabra lamp on the sofa console table, I tried following the cord in a couple of pictures. Just WHERE do you plug that sucker in?!

    1. Thank you Tristan…I really love the entry now and was never fond of the doors blocking the light before!
      I tucked the cord behind the throw that’s draped on the back of the sofa. Then I hid the rest of it under the rug and it’s plugged into an outlet behind the fireplace screen! Honestly I don’t use that lamp a whole lot because it’s pretty bright, but I love that blingy old thing.

    1. Thank you so much Susan!

  10. Simply beautiful. Thank you for the home tour.

    1. Thank you for stopping by Mimi!

  11. Jina sheppard says:

    Beautiful home! Love the shade of blue on your living room pillows, they may be the thing that turns me into a fan of the color blue after all my years on earth! So pretty.

    1. Jina…thank you and blue is such a peaceful color!

  12. Amy Mullen says:

    I just love your style, stunning as always Janet, my screen comes to light when I view your interior prowess, wonderful inspirations, I love the Linen Cabinet / the gold pulls, and of course the blue/white ceramics – staples for sure.. greetings from Ireland 🙂

    1. So nice to hear from you Amy and I thank you so much! xo, Janet

  13. thank you so much my home is in Vancouver canada . your livingroom is the same layout as mine. thanks for the drape. idea and drapes from Ikea. we live in a rancher tp. its 2063 square foot
    I love French country decor
    .you have done a wonderful job

  14. Beautiful, I love it all.

  15. Cheryl Melanson says:

    Stunning, Janet

    Would not change a thing.

    Enjoy this summer house for sure!

  16. Your summer decor is so lovely! Thank you for sharing your lovely home. One question: Where did you get the french chairs in your living room. They look like they would be the perfect size for my small bedroom.

  17. Fantastic! I also love seeing some darker wood pieces! The contrast is fabulous 🙌🏻💕

  18. So beautiful and peaceful! And I’m a huge fan of quatrefoil so thanks for sourcing your ceiling fixture and garden stool!

    1. So glad that you enjoyed the tour Jean!

  19. Linda Kirby says:

    As usual everything is elegant. I noticed the lamps on your fireplace mantle. I didn’t see any cords and was wondering if they were run by batteries. Do you have a good source for cordless lamps? Ps. As you might have guessed I hate cords.

    1. Thank you Linda! The lamps do have wire and cords and I simply tucked that part to the back. They are plugged in under the mantel on a timer to come on in the evening!

  20. Like the Asian vibe creeping in.

  21. Love the mix of light with some darker woods. I also love that you kept you kitchen gadgets out! So many images I see the canvas lacks real life living! And lastly, hooray, the cabinet had what I think are trophies, my husband has golf ones won with his father, I can fearlessly take them out of hiding now!

    Thank you! Lovely ideas.

  22. JoAnn McM says:

    Your home is beautiful and inviting. We just moved to a coastal home so your tour was also inspiring. Question: we too have those same hurricane bolts around our doors and windows. What shutters did you buy to use with them? (Trying to plan ahead for hurricane season)

    1. Thanks JoAnn! We ordered them custom from a company that comes out to measure, etc.

  23. Anne Marie says:

    I love how you see the palms and the Floridian tropical plants through the windows. Beautiful house and I love how you mix vintage with new.

    1. Thanks Anne Marie! We planted every single tree ourselves after losing them all years ago to a Hurricane. We are proud of how it looks now!