September, 2022 | A Lovely Living

Monthly Archives for September 2022

September 30, 2022

New Build: Modern Farmhouse

I’m so excited to share with you a home that I was fortunate to be a part of designing this past year. If you are a fan of Modern Farmhouses, you’re going to love this one! I was brought on board with Steve Hackman Builders to help with the colors and design elements of this beautiful home and upon completion it turned out better than we all could have imagined.

The mix of white vertical siding, black roof and windows with wood accents and the addition of the stone brought everything together on this show-stopping exterior.

Now that the grass has grown in and the landscaping has been complete, this home has really come to life. Their gorgeous ferns are the perfect accent to create such a welcoming entry.

Both inside and out, the color palette remains very neutral and simplistic. We used SW Iron Ore as an accent for the doors and mudroom built-ins. It’s a great black that’s just a touch softened when compared to more of a true black such as SW Tricorn Black.

I didn’t want the black accents to overwhelm the exterior, but I love the way their garage doors make such a statement on the side of the house.

You’ll see how we intentionally tied this stone to the interior as well as the exterior as you continue to scroll. I love the addition of the gable accents we did which also ties into their front porch posts. It all pulls together to give a cohesive and intentional feel.

One of the most breathtaking parts of this home has to be the two story fireplace and living room. We added vertical shiplap on the window wall to add interest to the room while at the same time tying in the exterior. It was a great way to add another element to the room without taking away from the stunning fireplace.

Below you’ll see how we again brought in the dark wood tones with some accent beams on the ceiling. It’s difficult to capture everything in its entirety, but you’ll have to trust me that this room is simply dreamy.

The owners ended up purchasing the same sectional that we own at my recommendation and as you can see, it’s perfect for the space. We used BM Pale Oak throughout most of the interior. I pulled the taupe undertone from the stone in the fireplace and it proved to be the perfect neutral backdrop the owners were after. Not to mention it worked perfectly with the upholstery in this sectional.

I love the aesthetic the owners were after. Clean, simple, light and airy. The camel and cognac accents they have added give the perfect amount of warmth to their home.

We went with a timeless and classic white kitchen that is another showstopper. We took the cabinets to the ceiling so that we didn’t waste any space and accented with glass doors. The wood details and brass fixtures help to balance everything out.

I love seeing how the rooms are all coming together for their sweet family to enjoy.

This passway between the kitchen and dining room is proving to be very beneficial. For day to day it makes the perfect coffee bar and when they are hosting gatherings it could quickly be transformed into a bar or prep area.

This room is such a great bonus. It currently serves as a playroom for their young children, but could easily become an office or sitting room in the future.

This home utilizes every space to the fullest allowing it to function the way they’ve always wanted a home to function. I love the mudroom built-ins that we accent with SW Iron Ore.

Last but certainly not least is their serene master bath.

I love the sleek and modern vibe in this room. That tub is a beauty all on its own and I know some little kiddos and going to have it filled to brim with laughter bubbles in no time!

This was such a fun project to be a part of and I’m filled with joy as their family continues to grow and fill this home with many memories to come.

Details:

Contractor: Steve Hackman Builders
Flooring: Anderson Tuftex, Buckingham in Cambridge White Oak 17024
Paint Colors: Wall color: Ben Moore Pale Oak, Kitchen and trim: SW Pure White, Built-ins and doors: SW Iron Ore

September 16, 2022

Fall Home Edit

It always takes me a little bit longer than most to fully get my wheels moving when it comes to jumping into fall. Honestly, it’s probably my favorite season of the year, especially living here in Pennsylvania, but I’m always hesitant to fully let go of the summer weather and all that goes along with it! Here we are, mid-September, which is when I typically start making the transition. It also happens to be our wedding anniversary today. Sixteen years ago we had as beautiful of a day as we are experiencing now. A perfectly sunny and beautiful September day…I’d do it again, year after year <3

When it comes our home, I don’t make any major decor changes around the house, more like small shifts. I change out some florals and bring out my large bin of pumpkins to scatter around the home. I love that these changes can hang around from September until Thanksgiving, until I’m ready to switch to my Christmas decor where I go a bit more dramatic.

Click on images below for shopping details.

Above I have gathered some decor that would transition into your home for fall and beyond. Changing out textures and bringing in a bit of warmth (with blankets, pillows, candles etc.) is all you really need. I love live pumpkins, but I love pulling out my faux pumpkins that last from year to year just as much. Below you’ll see a few images I gathered from around our home.

A large tray is so helpful to use as a base for a centerpiece for a dining room or console table. It also makes it easy to clean around and remove for dining when needed. I simply added a few pieces of eucalyptus from my floral stash to the pumpkins above, which are all from HomeGoods.

This was our porch from last year,the door has since been painted one of my favorite shades of blue. The pumpkins above aren’t real if you’d believe it! They are also from HomeGoods years ago and I love pulling them out each year.

Mums are the quintessential fall flower and I love finding them in all the shades to spread around our exterior. I plant a few in the front yard, and add them to our back deck as well since all of my summer florals have since bit the dust.

If you haven’t ever tried a DIY wreath, let me encourage you to do so. With a basic grapevine wreath you can simply poke your florals in without having to use hot glue or floral wire if you don’t desire to do so. Mine always hold tight and then I’m able to reuse the wreath with the change of each season. I’ve acquired quite a bin of faux florals over the years, so often I don’t even need to purchase anything new in order to design a new creation.

I hope you are all enjoying the shift in seasons too and are able to draw a little inspiration from any of the simple ideas I’ve shared!

September 9, 2022

Fall Shoe Roundup

As the weather is ever so slightly beginning to shift for us here, shoes have been one of the first things I’ve started to adjust when it comes to my outfits. I wasn’t overly inspired by anything new over the summer months, but fall is another story. There’s something about all the cute loafers, booties and sneakers that have me adding to cart like crazy. I’m obviously gravitating towards the browns, taupes and neutrals as you can see below, but that makes them easy to pair with almost anything.

In terms of sneakers, a classic pair of Converse is always a go-to for me. I recently got this pair and love the change from my typical white ones. I also have a pair of high-tops similar to these and love having them as another option to give an even more playful vibe. I love a good athletic sneaker that works with everything from an athleisure look to jeans and a sweater as well. This pair arrived recently and they are so comfortable! I did size up a half size as I typically do in athletic shoes to get a perfect fit.

When it comes to loafers/booties/mules I feel like many of them can be interchangeable with various outfits. Depending on what heel height you’re after, you could go for a slip on like this just as easily as you could use a heeled mule like these. The Sam Edelman loafers are a classic go-to of mine that I own in a few colors. They are sleek, classy, comfortable and won’t go out of style. A great shoe worth investing in. And if you need to update your booties, I love both these and these. The have a great shape and would look adorable with skirts or straight leg jeans.

(Click on images below for shopping details)

One of the best parts about fall shoes is that you can make the most of the cute styles without the worry of winter weather ruining them! But we aren’t there yet, so you can nix those snowflake images from your mind ;) Hope these help to provide a little fall inspo for your closet this season!

September 2, 2022

Loft Style: Dress-Up

Hello all! It’s September! One of my favorite months of the year. I love the weather, football season, and the fact that it’s our anniversary month to name a few reasons. We had a wonderful summer and although I do miss having the kids home and enjoying our laid back days, it’s refreshing to get back into a routine and have more time to commit to work and upcoming projects. With Labor Day weekend before us, I’m guessing some of you will take advantage of the sales going on, Loft being one of them. I stopped in the other day and was drawn to so many of their dresses, which isn’t always the case. I wanted to share them with you as they’d make great options for anything from work, church, weddings, date nights to everyday paired with sneakers. Scroll on to see what I loved…

To be honest, the colors in this dress feel more spring/summer to me, but we all know that the warmth of summer carries well into September and it’s such a beautiful dress! I think grey heels or booties would help it to lend more towards fall but you could also through on a cardigan over top like this…

This sweater also comes in a few other colors. It has a great fit and is incredibly soft and comfortable. I’m wearing a 2 in the dress (it fits well, maybe ever so slightly large) and a small in the sweater, and I’d say they run pretty TTS

This is another similar dress in a different print and material. It comes off as more casual and could pair well with booties and a denim jacket but you could also do loafers and a blazer for work. I sized down to compare the 0 in this dress and it fit but I think I’d prefer the 2 (which is more TTS for me).

I probably have 5 similar jackets in my closet which goes to say this is a great staple to have on hand if you don’t already. It’s a great length to pair over dresses (in addition to wearing it with denim/pants) as the cut is more flattering. It runs TTS, I’m in the small.

This adorable dress is so preppy-chic, I adore it! The ruffle detail and tie waist pair perfectly on this shirt-dress. I love it with my Converse, but can also see it with heels/wedges as the weather allows and then with a denim jacket and booties when it starts to cool off. I’d say it runs slightly large, I’m wearing the XS here.

The print and colors on this drop-waist dress are spot on for fall while at the same time they don’t feel like your typical fall colors. The deep teal is striking and this dress style is another one that could easily be dressed up for down based on your destination. It runs slightly large as well, I’m in the XS and still had enough length to feel comfortable.

This dress is such a classic-chic with strong Jackie O vibes. Black and white is not really my style, but gosh it’s adorable. It’s rather fitted and I’d say it runs TTS, I’m in the 2.

(skirt / cardigan / pullover / printed top)

Obviously not a dress, but I had to include this gorgeous skirt. The print is screaming fall in the most beautiful way, pulling together so many beautiful colors. Here are a few ways you could wear it; with a cardigan, a light-weight pullover, or going bold with a matching printed top. The skirt does run small, so I’d size down. All of the tops are pretty TTS (the pink runs a bit small in the sleeve), I’m in a small in all three.