Modern French Farmhouse Summer Home Tour

A summer home tour with modern French farmhouse style using inexpensive decorating tricks and ways to stretch your dollar to look luxe on a budget.

There isn’t much that a bundle of supermarket flowers can’t fix.

That’s pretty much what I’ve decided in the midst of spilling coffee and diffusing temper tantrums and sitting in traffic running late for preschool for the um… 4th day in a row.

Flowers are the unsung hero of any hot mess kind of day, even if sometimes we just buy them for ourselves.

I’m not even going to pretend like you just rang my doorbell and I answered in my best June Cleaver outfit with pumps and pearls to sweep you into our spotless breakfast nook for a cup of coffee.

Because generally, if company shows up unannounced, I’m dumping dishes in the sink and tossing toys in closets and shoving laundry in rooms you can’t see.

So I hid all of the dirty laundry just for you today. Feel special.

If you don’t usually follow this little blog of mine, about a month ago, my husband Robert and I closed on our new-to-us 1960 Colonial house in the suburbs of Charlotte, North Carolina, so this spring has been much more hectic than usual with lots of painting and makeovering and more adulting than I’ve done in years.

This summer, I’m so ready for a bit of a slow-down, so we kept the summer decor on the simple side. With all we’ve had going on lately, I really wanted to keep our home calm and peaceful for this time of year.

Sometimes a pitcher of flowers is all you really need to brighten an entire room.

A few weeks ago, our breakfast room looked nothing like this…

We’ve been painting our little hearts out to make it a space that reflects more of our style, which somehow is starting to lean toward the modern French farmhouse side. We still have a little ways to go, but I’m amazed how far we’ve come.

Once June hits, our house usually sees a couple of cookouts per month until September, so I know this space is going to see a whole lot of action very soon with friends and family visiting. I love that it’s a space that feels quaint and elegant yet still like we can put our elbows on the table.

We scored this antique farm table for $110 on Craigslist, which we plan on giving a little makeover to freshen it up soon. I always love using banged up tables because it means my 4 year-old and I can color and sprawl out with craft projects and give it even more “character” without having to baby it.

I also found these French bistro chairs for $75 each on TJMaxx.com recently that are so cute and comfy but still durable against Olivia’s spills at mealtime. They’re meant for outdoors but who says you have to obey the rules, right?

(Some affiliate links are provided below for convenience.)

The other day, Robert hung up this gaslight style lantern that we picked up at Lowe’s for about $90. To add some texture in here, we put up this pair of chippy antique banisters I found while out junking, and we turned it into a wall planter and filled it with artificial greenery. (You can read more about our planter here.)

Our living room is still a work in progress, but I’ve kept it fairly simple so far with just this pair of blue print pillows. (They usually end up on the floor anyway. Why fight it?) You can see more about the transformation of this room here.

We’ve absolutely loved our IKEA furniture for movie nights lately since we’ve had a regular round of evening thunderstorms. It’s one of my absolute favorite things to hear the rain pattering on our roof while snuggling up as a family with giant bowls of chocolate ice cream.

Last week, I shared this set of botany printable art that I framed in these wood-look plastic poster frames. You’d never know how inexpensive they are!

They’ve worked out perfectly for this space above our $35 Craigslist bench. #dealofthecentury

Now that we have a pool right outside of our back door, I’m sure this spot will be filled with beach towels and flip flops and chaos for the next few months. I’m so excited for it, mess and all.

If you want to know about where to find any of our decor, here’s a whole list:

• French bistro chairs (similar since unfortunately ours have sold out)
• Lantern pendant light
• Jute rug
• Driftwood charger plates
• Aqua blue napkins
• White pitcher
• Cement planter pots
• Ceiling fan
• Blue overdyed rug
• Blue print pillows
• Cream medallion pillows
• Cream fringe pillows
• Woven tray
• Under bench baskets
• Coffee table

Thank you so much for popping in for a visit! I hope your summer is a little bit of relaxation, a little bit of chaos, and when it gets to be a little bit stressful, buy yourself a bundle of supermarket flowers just because.