Serene Summer Home Tour – Coastal French Elegant Style In Miami

white coastal kitchen design
Hello everyone and welcome on in to my Summer Home Tour today! I’m joining in with an amazing group of bloggers…so read on to see the deets.
I think that probably with the exception of the Christmas season, my home pretty much has a summery vibe to it year round since I live in a tropical climate. There are definitely some things that help to define that feel without being too trendy and keeping totally true to my own aesthetic.
What are they?
Read on and I’ll show you more and explain my summery thoughts:~)

coastal cottage french style kitchen
It starts in the big open floor plan kitchen/dining/family room with the white walls and dark stone finish porcelain tile floors. We have lived in this house 25 years now this Father’s Day and there have been changes of course, but the white walls and white kitchen have been in place since day one. This is my favorite area in our home.
Since we have lived here for so long, raised our kiddos here, gone through a devastating hurricane (Andrew~1992) by now most things have been updated. The kitchen cabinet boxes are heavy old wood so we didn’t want to remove them, and had replaced doors some years back and the hardware as well. If I had my way at the time we would have gone with white Cararra marble counters, but builder husband said no. I think that the look is timeless, summery and happy.
dining room table with peonies
We have no formal dining room in this open plan, so this is it and it looks out to the pool and garden. As you can see…and especially if you haven’t been to the blog before, I love a combination of styles to make my own…
Flowers for color. A definite MUST and in the early summer it’s peony time.
vintage french buffet aqua bottles
I LOVE pale aqua! Did you notice that? My vintage French yogurt jars, old French pickle jar and syphons add just that little pop…
french country cottage style dining room
What’s my signature style? Hmmm, I guess you could say French inspired with a bit of shabby chic, coastal and some elegant glitz tossed in to the mix. I often blog about how I achieved my own style over time and most of what I have here in my home was either free, DIY’ed or low cost.
I’ve rolled that way since forever ago in college when there was no money to decorate my apt and I discovered Goodwill and flea market shopping and became a self taught DIY whiz of sorts…
The “buffet” is a dresser scored for free that I painted white with a pale green waxed top. The mirror is a reproduction piece that I used to sell in my shop some years back. The chandelier is one that I completely remade from a free vintage frame. The table was DIY’ed by myself and the husband. The chairs are a mix from Restoration Hardware and World Market…and I waited for sales:~)
summer dining room decorating
I love old authentic paint finishes on wood, and these vintage stools have that original paint. Although some great paints exist these days and I’ve used them, when I find pieces like these I’m super happy. You can sometimes find pieces like these on eBay (I used to sell there way back when) or flea markets.
summer decorating shabby chic style
The view from the bar in the family room into the kitchen and dining room. Even though we don’t have a huge dining room there are plenty of places to sit and eat and in South Florida we generally entertain outdoors when we have a lot of people over…
The Mason jar chandelier is something that I made a few years ago after the husband brought me the rusty old crusty frame from a trash pile. It became a knock~out success and everyone wanted it, so I started selling them in the on~line shop (made by us). I’m pretty proud that we were the first people to do Mason jar chandeliers that I know of!
peonies in french enamelware
Soft faded shades of blue and pink are my favorite accent colors by far. I collect French enamelware and my dishes are an old set of French Limoges that I bought from a local friend. How pretty are these peonies?!
summer living room beach painting
A side counter in the kitchen that is under a pantry cabinet. Our kitchen backsplash is done with the palest sea glass tiles from Home Depot.
On to the living room, which is the first room that you see when you enter our home. For summer I did a few simple and a few not so simple things…like paint the beach inspired painting that I talked about HERE
pale blue coffee table button tufted French sofa
The coffee table was shopped from my own house and is sometimes in the family room. I got the table for free probably 15 years ago from a friend’s store and cut the legs down from this former store display piece and painted it in milk paint from the Old Fashioned Milk Paint company (back when milk paint was hard to find:~)
The accents in here are again my soft blues and pinks, and the ombre pillows I dyed with some Rit Dye (from Amazon) after sewing them up from a vintage Irish linen tablecloth that had seen better days. I love to repurpose old linens like that.
beach painting in blue and pink
The glitz of a great vintage chandelier goes a long way to bring style to a room.
I really pay no attention to trends and my home may not be the latest…but to me it’s the greatest because I love what we have and what we’ve done…
summer flowers living room
There is not much room in my dining area for furniture, so quietly tucked in a corner of the living room sits this vintage china cabinet filled with extra sets for styling occasions.
vintage garden nesting tables
Over the years I’ve scored some great vintage finds, including this garden table stacking set made of cast aluminum. The paint is original and has oodles of patina and I’ve brought it inside for summer. I love to collect vintage garden pieces and bring them inside.
ruffled bed shabby chic couture
In the interest of time the last room on today’s Summer Home Tour that I’ll share is the master bedroom. I’ll share more over the next few weeks on upcoming posts.
blue bedroom shabby chic style
Again, my favorite things…original paint on furniture, lots of white and a few pale accents. Our bed has a tufted white denim headboard that we’ve had for a few years now. I don’t worry about white…it can be cleaned and we have 3 dogs, so that’s my testimony to those who say that they can’t do white! The bed linens are forever changing and the pink cabinet (free from a friend) holds the extras.
one eyed dog photo
Opposite the bed is this mantel with non working fireplace that we took out of an old home. I accented it for summer with a collection of vintage eBay found McCoy pottery and some sea glass vintage bottles and cut some ferns from our garden. If you’ve never cut ferns to bring inside they have staying power and can last for a couple of weeks in water.
mc coy pottery in aqua
Toby decided to pop in to my shot and his little blue and white striped shirt makes him fit right in to this summer scene.
He wears a shirt because of a skin condition and yes, he is a one~eyed guy…
summer mantel decorating coastal beach style
Sweet summer sea dreams on the mantel right now.
vintage blueberry crate with dried flowers
If you were wondering what’s in the crate on the vintage bench at the foot of the bed, I’m drying flowers. I love the look of dried flowers and so why not in the bedroom so they can be enjoyed!
pale blue prom dress tulle

A little bit of vintage shabbyfufu style in the corner.

pool garden party

Around the pool ~ summer style entertaining.

 

garden party outdoors ribbon chandelier
Down by the water behind our home where it’s quiet but set up for a festive dinner.
aqua pink french coastal style summer home decorating

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40 Comments

  1. I love the backyard setting it's so inviting! Thanks for sharing!

  2. Janet,
    Your home is simply gorgeous! I love it all, but especially the nesting garden tables! Those are fab! By the way, Toby is a cutie!
    Cheers,
    Cindy
    Edith & Evelyn Vintage

  3. Cynthia Weber says:

    Janet… there is so much to drool over in your beautifully styled home! I have enjoyed every scrumptious photo!
    Thank you for letting us all in today and for being part of the amazing bHome tour. I am very excited for my turn up on Thursday.;)

  4. Yvonne @ StoneGable says:

    What a beautiful home!!! I adore your feminine, fru fru take on summer. It is so cool and fresh and just fabulous!!!! Janet, your photography is amazing!!!!

  5. Ann from On Sutton Place says:

    Janet this is amazing…so peaceful and bright. You are blessed to have so much light in your home…it's definitely a very happy place! Enjoy the rest of your summer…Ann

  6. Janet, thank you for the tour of your most beautiful home. You truly have gathered and made the most wonderful things over time to create an incredible home for you and your family….I am truly in awe of your creativity….Now that my brother has come out of retirement (for a little while) and is working in Hollywood, you may never know who may be knocking on your door!….Also, I did not realize you went through Hurricane Andrew…we did too…such a devastating time!…have a great day Janet!

  7. Shannon Fox says:

    Completely smitten with the shabby goodness :))))
    You know I love all the aqua… and those vintage yogurt jars are a new must-have <3
    Happy Summer!!

  8. Debbiedoos says:

    Janet you have such charming taste full of personality and style. I love the mason jar chande! Beautiful tour and photos. It was delightful to see.

  9. Tristan Robin Blakeman says:

    I knew it was going to be be – but, wow, it's so deliciously gorgeous AND comfortable-looking. So many beautiful things to see and rest (and relax) your eyes and excite your soul!

    It's no wonder you are THE Shabby Fufu!

  10. Debi Coules says:

    So shabby beautiful Janet! You are such an inspiration!

  11. Anita at Cedar Hill says:

    It's so lovely Janet. It's feel very open, cool and tropical as you say but with a French vibe.

  12. So lovely and welcoming! I know I could really relax in your home! xo

  13. Your home is simply beautiful with the touches of aqua. Thanks for sharing with us.

  14. www.mysoulfulhome.com says:

    Oh so stunningly beautiful & so very summery Janet! Love it all!!

  15. At The Picket Fence says:

    Janet your home is just so, so lovely and overflowing with gorgeousness! It's all so light and bright and perfectly summery. So fun to be part of the tour with you today!

  16. Janet your home is just so beautiful! Thank you for always inviting us in.

  17. I love the suttle colors of summer. A breath of fresh air, truely.

    bHome username Mardi

  18. Stephanie from GardenTherapy.ca says:

    What a beautiful home – it's hard to believe it was all free, DIY, or low cost! That outdoor chandelier is so perfect for your space! Thanks for opening your house.

  19. Spoonchik says:

    Thank you for sharing your house tour. It is absolutely delightful. I love your little dog. He looks like a sweetheart. I am sure he is very loved and adored!

  20. Petite Michelle Louise says:

    Absolutely STUNNING! sigh….

  21. Stunning…love all the blue mason jars
    bHome Username; ginette4
    anger_family @yahoo dot com

  22. Oh Janet, it's such a wonderful year around home, even at Christmas.
    I comment on your sea painting, I love how transparent it feels when you look into the waters, and the sky of pink is so perfect for your home.

    There is so much to comment on that I love, those iron nesting tables wow! And your French sofa, the little touches here and there pure and good.

    Beauty to your JUNE and the start of Summer.

    Xoxo
    Dore

  23. Amy Stafford says:

    Your hoe is so lovely Janet. The colors truly are beautiful and peaceful. Thank you for taking me on the tour!

  24. Kerryanne @ Shabby Art Boutique says:

    I absolutely adore your beautiful home Janet. Everything from the soft hues to the chandies… to four legged friends. I want to come live in your home!! Thanks for the beautiful tour xx

  25. Linda Willson says:

    Absolutely gorgeous, especially for an aqua lover like me! You have so much talent and sharing it with all of us is genuinely appreciated. Thank you!

  26. Hi Janet! Your home is always so beautiful! I love the light, soft colors and all the natural light that comes in! Little Toby the photo bomb is looking quite handsome in his shirt, too! Love the peonies as well! They smell so wonderful! Thank you for sharing your special and lovely home! Hugs, Leena

  27. Michael Wurm, Jr says:

    What a beautiful home. Love all the pops of beautiful color. Excited to be on this tour with you!

    xo Michael

  28. DD's Cottage says:

    Love how bright and cheerful but relaxing your home looks-I want to come visit!

  29. You have a truly beautiful home. Love the relaxed and serene feeling it gives to look at your home through your beautiful photos. Such an inspiration! ?

  30. Mary Beth says:

    Your home is so beautiful….it is everything shabby, vintage and fabulous and I love that you create the look without clutter (I need some lessons!). I am absolutely thrilled to have been a part of the first bHome tour with you ~ hugs mb

  31. Heather SettingforFour says:

    Gorgeous! I love the way you use neutrals with soft colors to create such an inviting, relaxing home! So thrilled to be a part of this fun bHome tour with you! Happy Summer – Heather

  32. I adore your home Janet…everything you’ve done, and all you have! oxoxo

    1. Awwww, thank you so much Susan for the lovely compliment. I really appreciate you taking a moment of your day to let me know! xoxo

  33. Hi Janet,
    As I scrolled through your pictures my heart was just melting with the beautiful colors you use. You really know how to make pastels pop. Love, love it! Pinning and pinning!
    xoxo Jo

    1. Thanks so much Jo…I posted some more today that hopefully you can draw some inspiration from! xoxo