Expand Your Space...

• Sometimes the rooms we live in everyday offer up options for expansion without major renovation or spending any money...

• This kitchen entrance to this family's home had great storage (see below on the left) but the minute guests came over - there never seemed to be enough pegs for coats and bags...

• There was a closet in the space but it was covered by a set of doors...So I stood back and thought for a moment - "How could I help make this better?"  When I looked inside - I found that the wall inside was painted the same color as the rest of the entryway...and there was even bead board in there too...

• By simply removing the double doors - the room expanded and gave off the illusion of more space... Space that was usable on an everyday basis...

• The top shelf could now act as a display area, some new pegs line the back wall and down below - I thought of doing a bench as in my original sketch for them - but opted for a collection of vintage picnic baskets for additional storage options that look great and are useful...

• I left the option open to put the doors back up later on (I didn't remove the hinges and simply stored the doors in their garage) but the openness of the space gives this family instant options they can use now...

• Sometimes you just have to stand back and look at what your spaces have to offer and see what possibilities are right there....

Brunch : Same Table - Different Day...

• So the same table that I blogged about the other day - also got a new look on a different day for a casual Sunday Brunch...

• The same long table and chairs are gathered - but this time what had been the lining material hung on the French door in the evening - is now repurposed as the table cloth...

• It's always fun to see how the same areas can take on different moods at various times of day...

• Some of the best meals for guests are the ones that are not overly planned out - but just go with the flow of the weekend...So everyone can just arrive at the table when they wish or walk around outside with a cup of coffee in hand...

• Grab several Sunday papers from the local market, some fresh organic milk, fresh squeezed orange juice and a pot of great coffee brewing...

• You can send a guest out to the garden or out for a morning walk to gather some flowers for the table...

• You can visit your local farmer's market for some great bread options for toasting or, as in this case, bake your own home-made version early that morning...

• For an instant jam spread - the night before I stewed some rhubarb cut into small pieces - along with some organic strawberries and just a bit of sugar to sweeten it all up on the stove...The whole thing becomes a big mash with great color...Then, you chill it overnight and you have your jam for the next morning...

• As you can see again, my camera just kept taking shots...Sometimes you just have to set the scene and let the day play out as it will...Have some fun with it...

Casual Weekend Supper...

A simple gathering space

• It seems like a few weeks ago that we were all still thinking about snow and now we get evenings like these where cold is long gone...

• On this evening - it was all about warm, late-day sun streaming in through a vine-covered pergola...Of course, with my camera in hand - I couldn't help but start snapping pictures (as you will see)...

Wooden bowls add warmth to any gathering

• I love when you can create an area for a meal that is unexpected...In this case, in this shaded area under the pergola...I took a folding table from Home Depot, covered it with a great drapery panel in blue and white from IKEA...Gathered some chairs around it to get an instant entertaining space...

A cutting board as a portable work surface

• A casual meal with friends and family should be inviting and not overly formal...You don't have to spend hours in the kitchen on a day like today...

• Keep it simple:  a cool, freshly-made lemon drink or chilled wine, some crusty French bread, a variety of cheeses, a simple salad and you are ready to sit down and relax...

It's all about the changing light for me

A country moment

This is what it is all about:  Simple Moments

• Fun note, the drape panels from IKEA come with a striped blue and white lining - I removed the lining and put it on a tension rod held by clothespins - allowing the French door to remain open to the breeze...

• As everyone went for a late afternoon walk before supper - the changing light of the day was even captured in the mountain view and meadows...

• These supper plates are amazing.  They are made in Vermont out of Vermont Maple Tree wood...This farmhouse collection features various farm animals...Being from Vermont originally, I thought these plates were perfect for children's meals or, in this case, a lazy meal on the weekend...Farmhouse plates...

Is it time to make a peach pie?

Lazy cat enjoying the late-day sun in the background

Made in The USA

French Door without the drape panel

• Walk through the garden, gather some fresh herbs, chop them up and then sprinkle into some good olive oil for dipping the crusty bread into...Herb Chopper

Olive oil with fresh herbs

• Lighting is always a big thing for me...in this case the area has some candles and lanterns - but also, as you can see, the first glimpses of twinkling lights in the midst of the vines...These are great because they are solar-powered LED lights...You can put them anywhere you want some sparkling light...

Beautiful Clutter

• There is something to be said about a table after a great meal...you want to linger there for awhile and enjoy some conversation, maybe some great music and then move out into the meadow to the bon fire...Of course, I just keep clicking away behind the camera...

Simple summer moments

• When winter returns, these are the kind of summer moments that stay with me...the twilight mood and how it captures the essence of this season so well...

• Enjoy the weekend - be creative too...

Bonus Space...

• Making creative use of space in any room is key...In the case of this pantry - look at how the window is built out instead of being flush with the house.  

• It adds a decorative feature to the exterior of the house - but on the inside it makes for a perfect place for plants or other items above the pantry sink (which doubles as a gardener's work sink)...

• This is a simple solution if you are renovating a kitchen and want to make sure you have space that is more than just a window ledge for plants or gathering those green tomatoes to ripen in the sun...

• It's all about being creative with what you have to work with or learning to see new possibilities...

A Quiet Retreat...

• I am all about using outdoors spaces as an extension of your home.  In a friend's garden area, a shaded apple tree makes for a perfect casual seating area for an outdoor living room...

• I like that the area is away from the house and allows your eye to be drawn over to the shady spot...

• What makes this grouping fun is that you can leave it there or move it around the yard as you wish...I appreciate this furniture style with a slightly modern flair to it...Plus, you can keep it outside all year long...they get better with time!

• The cushions that the furniture comes with are chocolate - but are also available in various colors...I chose chocolate brown base pillows only (no back pillows) to allow the clean lines of the furniture structure to come through.  These pillows are perfect for outdoors...if it rains, the water will bead right off of them...  

• You can add comfortable throw pillows in fabrics designed for the outdoors or just gather ones from inside for added support - just don't forget to bring them back in after each use...

• I was pleased to see that the collection offers up a rocking chair option for seating...I like the way it looks without a pillow...

• So in a short amount of time - an instant outdoor living room can be created for you and your guests to retreat to and enjoy...

• Since we are talking about outdoor living - one of my favorite things to have around the house are Mason Jars...Yes, the good, old-fashioned jar that people use for making pickles and jellies...I use them as drinking glasses all year round...Great for iced tea or a perfect way to keep up with your daily supply of water drinking!  A great American classic, but with great use for the modern family...

• The furniture collection is available here:  OUTDOOR LIVING