How to Create and Enjoy Your Outdoor Space

I don't know about you, but I basically live for all things outdoor. I thoroughly embrace each season (okay, that's a lie...I think I hate winter!!) so when they shift and each one makes room for more opportunities spent outside, I take every chance! When we moved into our new house last summer, the first thing we noticed was how empty the back deck felt. We already had a gazebo with globe lighting, but I dreamt of outdoor furnituture; preferably some that I could comftorably lounge and get sleepy on. We knew that realistically we couldn't afford to buy anything (buying a brand new house is *kinda* pricey all on its' own.....) so we waited until the time was right. 

See this sectional? You better believe this is where I do the majority of my ME time. Sometimes I let my husband join me... kidding, kidding, kidding! We spend a LOT of time talking and cuddling right there. I remember the first night he set this all up. It was still cool and crisp outside (not 103 degrees as it CURRENTLY is) and we completely dozed off under that Opalhouse blanket. Thank you, Target, for generating a brand new line that basically resembles Anthro, but is way more affordable, am I right, Girls?! 

All of the pillows can be found yet this season at Target. The long rectangular one is not technically an 'outdoor pillow,' nor is the throw, but I decided to risk it anyway. They didn't have many options that I loved that are considered 'outdoors,' so when it rains I just do my best to grab them and put them on our living room couch. 

The sectional is an amazing Amazon find! It is seriously SO comfortable and very easily washable. It IS considered an outdoor couch, so yay. It came with the table, and we went with the Nature Brown option. Honestly the table came broken, with a piece of wood split open on the side. We decided to fix it ourselves instead of shipping it back, and Amazon was great to refund us $100 for the trouble. 

The two side chairs were also purchased on Amazon, but are technically Walker Edison Furniture pieces. They came in a set of two, and while the wood doesn't match 100%, it's very, very close and looks great with the sectional. We love that we can host 6+ people easily on this patio, because one of our biggest passions is gathering and fellowshiping with our friends and family. It's not just us who love lounging in this space, clearly our pets spend a lot of time here as well. Our grey cat, Manny, starts to howl around 6 in the morning to be let out and when I actually get UP for the day, I always smile when I see him curled up in a ball either on the couch or in the circular tray on the table.

My biggest advice for designing your outdoor space, is to create it around your family's needs. Sure, cute things are great, but they're not always functional. We made sure that we had a couch large enough that we could host, but made sure to choose one that could be cleaned and would [hopefully] last a long time. The outdoor rug is also easily sprayed off, and can still be found at Target.  

Pops of color are always great in a neutral space, which is why I went with the Opalhouse line of products that I did. I am obsessed with those salmon, and light pinks, and they look great on that cream colored sectional! And lastly, I am a firm believer that fresh flowers make *every* space better and more appealing. So at least whenever we host or plan to spend a few hours on the deck, I like to buy some and fill a vase. 

I would love to know what your dream deck looks like! Or what projects you're currently working on! I am so grateful to have this space and look forward to many cozy nights spent outside because of it. 

Gather with Havertys: Finger Food+ Charcuterie Style

Sometimes fancy meals and extensive dinners are fun, but other times you crave simplicity. This past Sunday we had so much fun sitting on the floor, eating in our newly designed living room (thank you, Havertys!!!), and laughing with dear friends. My husband enjoyed choosing the foods for this meal, and my big requests were pesto, a fresh baguette, and a variety of cheeses. Guess what, Y'all? He did NOT disappoint!! 

I've had so many compliments on this cocktail table from Havertys, so go ahead and click here to see more details. It definitely served us well this warm autumn afternoon. We had refreshing cranberry mock-tails mixed with Asa's homemade simple syrup--keep reading for the recipe! 

We did a mix of charcuterie boards and antipasto. Fresh baguettes, peppered salami, roasted red peppers, Swiss cheese, gruyere, prosciutto, grapes, sun-dried tomatoes, (I may have begged for a cheese ball) fresh mozzarella (aka HEAVEN), and, you betcha--pesto! Ha ha!  

Oh, you see that NAVY BLUE SOFA up there behind all that delectable food? Don't worry--you can have one too! Click here to check it out, and remember, you can design your dreams away with H Designers through Havertys, and ALL the employees are super helpful. And the insanely plush and comfy rug that my sweet senior dog is on? Check that here! 

We try to have special Sunday meals regularly throughout the month, and to make them a really memorable event. It's one of my favorite days of the week because all of this, right here, is unforgettable. What you can't hear through the photos is our son Pierson writing letters to Santa and asking us how to spell certain words. And our daughter Reese laughing and walking around with her backpack on, getting ready for 'work.' 

It's always a good day when the kids enjoy the food too--and as you can see, ours did. There was one dilemma... all of the animals felt that the table was perfectly at THEIR level? So keeping them away was quite the struggle. Don't judge me on this photo below ;) 

The rest of the afternoon was spent pretty much outdoors, or else running up and down the stairs and playing all sorts of silly games. One of Pierson's favorites is to dangle his legs out of the banister to get Asa to jump up and grab them. The living room has been our spot, where we sit and mingle and talk and catch up. It's also where we ended the night to start The Grinch; truth be told the weekend had me exhausted and my KIDS had me exhausted--and just sitting in quiet to watch a Christmas movie was really divine. (#momlife)

Okay, and now for the sweet twist to this blog post: Asa's Cranberry Simple Syrup Recipe: 

-Combine 1 cup of sugar, and 1/2 a cup of water.
-Bring to a boil. Add in 6oz of fresh cranberries, and the juice from two oranges.
-Toss in the whole oranges (rind and all). Add 1 tbsp cinnamon, and 1 tsp each clove and allspice. Simmer until thickened.
-Pour everything in a blender and let her rip. Strain the pulp reserving the syrup for your mocktail.  
-For the mocktail fill your shaker with ice. Its very important you shake this drink. Add in 1oz of the cranberry simple syrup, and 4 oz of sprite or club soda. (I suppose you could always add a little rum or bourbon it that's your thing.) Shake well.
-Serve with a little twist of orange. 

Now I'd love to hear from YOU! What is your favorite FOOD memory; it can entail something that you cooked, your mom cooked, or that you would die to know HOW to cook. And you know that I adore Shauna Niequist, so I'm leaving you with one of her endearing quotes: 

"Gather the people you love around your table and feed them with love and honesty and creativity. Feed them with your hands and the flavors and smells that remind you of home and beauty and the best stories you’ve ever heard, the best stories you’ve ever lived."

Working with Havertys: Our New Living Room!

Gaaahhhh! I can't even believe this is real life, y'all! The time has come and I am SO pumped to show you this post. Havertys Furniture has literally been a dream to work with, and it is thanks to them that our new living room is as gorgeous as it is. There was a LOT of time and effort in making this happen, and if you missed the shopping post, you may want to jet back and read that.

 December will mark my husband and I's ninth year of marriage. We have been really blessed to have some beautiful second hand pieces, but this is the first time we've been able to design a room AND fill it with coordinating furniture at the same time. For the last couple of years I have dreamt of owning a blue couch. I'm not exactly sure why? And trust me, a lot of people ask, ha! I think it may have been some design ladies I follow on Instagram that sparked the idea in me? But really, from the old raggedy brown sectional that has suffered through five pets and two kids, I mainly knew I wanted something brighter and more classic [and more appealing to photograph, duh.]

Ta DA! There's our new living room! Okay, okay you know I'm kidding. Not funny? It's been a long day, y'all. Anyway, that couch has served us very well over the last MANY years, but let's face it: its' squeaky springs and slunk in seating just really isn't ideal for hosting company [or for a main living space period.] The minute we walked into this house, we knew we wanted the sectional to go upstairs in the GIANT third bedroom [aka, our new family room.] The console felt WAY too small for the grand living room wall, and speaking of the wall; IT made our 50-inch TV feel TINY. The rug is just old, and while I think it's still beautiful, I've really wanted something that blended with the space better.  

Havertys was really gracious to send their H designer Macey over TO our house, and she helped us set things up. I said it in the last post, but Macey seriously is such a gem. AND she has a beautiful eye for design! [If you're local and go the Hurstbourne location, ask for her!]

I told another H designer recently that this space has made me feel like a grownup. My friends have all asked, "Do you love your new furniture?" and I tell everyone that frankly, I just can't believe it's all OURS.

SEE THE BLUE COUCH!?!?!? When the delivery guys brought it, I almost cried. Legit. Speaking of, I wish I had THOSE photos to show you; the ones of everything being delivered and arranged? I TOOK them, but made a huge mistake and formatted the card without backing them up. Huge nightmare for a professional photographer and while I did everything to try to get them back, I'm out of luck. You'll just have to take my word for it that Havertys delivery team is as great as all the other departments! Friendly, professional, protective of our home and the furniture pieces, and FAST. 

The console is one of my favorite pieces, it is elegant and classy, and I LOVE the classic distressed white finish because it goes so well with the house. We went with the matching cocktail table, and one of the things we appreciate the most is all the newfound storage that is had with both pieces. I had no idea that having matching furniture would feel SO good, but oh my goodness, guys...my heart! 

Obviously the pets (much like our kids) aren't having a difficult time adjusting to the new furniture, but don't get me started on that...I swear Sammy [the fat black cat in the swivel chair] watched the delivery guys the entire time and then went all manic mode sprinting from piece to piece when they left! No way, Jose! I'm determined to keep these beauties at that--BEAUTIFUL! But from time to time I do allow him to take a cat nap there ;) Our old golden girl Elsa loves the plush rug as much as we do, never in my life have I stepped on a more comfortable area rug.

I have now spent all of my nights editing my photos and writing blog posts from this gorgeous velvet sofa, or else you can find me in the giant overstuffed chair you also see in above photos. We moved to this house at the end of July and it's safe to say that it finally feels like HOME SWEET HOME. 

Thank you so much, Havertys Furniture, for taking care of us and making our furniture dreams come true. Really though, it goes above the furniture aspect for me...this was a team of people who GRACIOUSLY handled my mistakes and mishaps, who laughed with me, planned with me, and who got things DONE. A lot of people have had questions about the types of companies I work with and what I feature here on this blog. Guys, I won't try to sell you something that I don't believe in, and I mean that. And it's because of great companies like this one that I get to DO what I do. 

If you have any questions about items that you see here, don't hesitate to ask! And let's all give Havertys some love in the comments below and tell them how amazing they are! 

Working with Havertys: Let the Shopping Begin!

The time has finally come! I get to share my incredible experience with Havertys and I'm starting with the basics--SHOPPING! I have a LOT of positive things to say, so I guess lucky for me, (and y'all!) I will be spreading these Havertys Furniture posts out throughout the course of the month. Really guys, I am so pumped to share this with you today, I have been itching to show you all the pictures and to tell you just how in love with this brand I honest to God am. 

We moved into our brand new house this past July, and there is quite a bit of extra space here (thank you, Lord!) One of the perks and selling features, was that there is a large bonus room on the second floor, and we knew the second we walked in that we wanted to use it as the family room. Our [very old] sectional would fit perfect, and it would function both as a family room and my office, very much a win win for this mama! Well, if we moved all our furniture, then we would be left with absolutely NOTHING in the main living room, which is a wonderful great room on the first floor. I decided to take a leap and send my look book to Havertys, in an effort to partner with them to help decorate our new house. I have always been a huge fan of their furniture, and I really wanted new pieces that would not only LOOK amazing, but last for a long time. 

As you can imagine, when I began to hear back and the e-mails began to trickle in, I was ELATED. We brainstormed what this would look like, had several phone conferences, and through this all, I have met THE best women (and people!) within Havertys. After hanging up from our first phone call, I said to my husband, "Okay, I love them all already."

Okay though, let's get to the fun [for you] stuff, shall we? The first part of this process was to go TO our local Havertys to get an idea of what we wanted design and comfort wise. My husband came with me, and we had a great Saturday morning shopping and planning. 

The H Designer, Macey, met us there, as well as the store manager. They were so kind to allow us to come a little bit before their doors officially opened, and I can't sing high enough praises about how helpful they were. Right away, I clicked with Macey; she was genuine, funny, and knew WAY more than we did about all things furniture. We had to figure out what was the most practical for us, since we do have two very young kids and FIVE pets, and she was the perfect help. 

Macey talked us through which fabrics would clean the easiest, and described the differences between styles of furniture; such as contemporary, modern, mid-century, etc. One of my design dreams has been to have a navy blue sofa, so she had a few different samples pulled for us based on what I had told the ladies at Havertys. We went and sat on numerous sofas, and I realized as much as I LOVE mid-century modern, a sofa such as that is really not practical for our family at this time. We wanted a sofa that is extra comfortable--you know the type, one where we could spend Saturday mornings lounging on, and one that would not be too difficult to clean. 

Havertys helped with putting together a look book for us, based on the design of our living room, and thank God for that because honestly I didn't really know where to begin prior to all of this. We picked the sofa pretty quickly; all that would need to be changed was the color of fabric [Can you tell based on any of this what color or style I chose? Wink, wink!] We gave some dimensions to Macey and she helped us choose two arm chairs based on the size of those numbers. It was so cool to watch her work and tweak things in her software--and it was especially cool knowing that it was OUR living room she was helping design!! 

One of my non-negotiable's design wise, was creating a living space where the TV was NOT above the fireplace. The way our house was built, it's very obvious that the TV was 'supposed' to go above the mantle, but both my husband and I agreed that wasn't what we wanted. It was a little tricky to configure the space where a console would be against the wall, but Macey made it happen! After we had all of our pieces picked out, the last thing we needed to do was choose colors and fabrics. It was so much looking at all the different swatches, and even MORE fun when I found one that would compliment the pillows I previously bought (that I was kind of building the rest of colors around!) 

It feels incredibly surreal to sit back and think about the many different pieces that went into making all of this a possibility. Coordinating between the local store manager, H designer, childcare on our end so we didn't have our rugrats running ramped through this very nice store, the e-mails, phone calls, gah! There has been SO much poured into making this dream a reality, and I really can't thank Havertys enough. Louisville and surrounding areas, if you haven't yet BEEN to the store on Hurstbourne, you need to change that. They have furniture pieces for every single person, and beautiful sets for all your home needs. And if you didn't know, there are over 120 retail stores throughout sixteen states, and you can ALWAYS purchase online. 

So many of my friends have told me that they have something from Havertys, and whenever I told someone that we were working with them, the feedback was always positive. "Oh I LOVE their furniture!" was the most common response I had, and seriously, I couldn't agree more. 

**If you want to see what we chose, you will just have to stay tuned! There will be another blog post SOON announcing the big reveal, and even after that, I don't think I will ever be quiet about the goodness of this company. And I would love to hear from y'all--what is your dream furniture piece? Anyone else obsessed with bold sofa colors these days?! Leave a comment below and give Havertys some love! And to my friends AT Havertys, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for working with me and helping my design dreams come true!**