Summer Eclectic Home Tour 2017

Hello Friends! I’m Sandy, the creative soul behind the blog Whimsical Blue Living and our exciting home restoration projects!

Welcome to Whimsical Blue Living, where I share our adventures restoring our 1927 tudor home, affectionately referred to as “The Castle.” We bought it at an auction three years ago and have been busy fixing it up ever since! I’m so excited to share our home with you as part of the Eclectic Summer Home Tour, hosted by the fabulous Jessica from Domicile 37. Be sure to check out all the other summer home tours listed at the end of this post!

I always laugh when trying to describe how I design my home. My style is full of vintage and whimsy with my signature color, blue! I call it “French Farmhouse Boho Vintage Glam.” In reality it’s a combination of things I’ve found in my Grandma’s old farmhouse and barn, on Craigslist, in antique shops, and picked up off the curb. I see beauty in the dusty, broken pieces and love giving them new life! It’s like creating a work of art within my home. Each piece adds another layer of interest, and I’m surrounded by antique items with stories and soul.

The stone, copper gutters, deeply slanted roof, and leaded glass windows remind me of something out of a fairy tale or a castle in Europe! Summer at our little castle is especially beautiful with all the greenery and flowers.

 

We are on a mission to preserve the original details of the home and add many authentic vintage items as we fix it up. The foyer has the original stone floors, as well as the arched front door. We switched out the builder grade flush mount light that the previous owners had installed with a vintage chandelier to add more sparkle!

The arched doorway leads to the living room, where we added another vintage crystal chandelier that I found for an unbelievable price at a yard sale! I love mixing vintage pieces like the chandelier with the newer ceiling medallion that I painted my signature blue. The combination adds whimsy to the space and gives the room an unexpected pop of color. I designed the fireplace screen from old wrought iron gate pieces discovered at an antique store, and my amazing father-in-law welded them into a one of a kind screen. It adds to the castle atmosphere, don’t you think?

The window nooks on either side of the fireplace have beautiful raised plaster designs that are original to the home.

French doors lead to the sunroom that I currently use as my office. It’s such a bright, happy place and a dream to work in. We recently gave this room a mini makeover by ripping out the old carpet and brightening up the paint, and the before and after pictures are amazing!

We gave our little half bath a makeover shortly after moving in. The vintage sink was a $25 Craigslist find and is perfect for the teeny tiny space! I love how the white beadboard brightens up the space. The mirror was actually installed in the 1970’s the last time the bathroom was renovated, and I loved the look of it, so I decided to keep it!

The kitchen has been quite the ongoing project for us. The previous owners removed the entire kitchen before they sold the house at the auction, so we had to repair the crumbling plaster and giant holes in the walls, as well as add cabinets, counters, lights, and appliances. When we first moved in we installed this “temporary kitchen” while we collect vintage pieces and plan our dream kitchen, and I love the touches of blue in this space! We’re still on the hunt for a few more perfect pieces for my kitchen design, and in the meantime I’m really loving this cute space! The breakfast nook is right off the kitchen, which is where we have all of our meals. We turned the formal dining room into a play room for now since we have young kiddos.

I love all the original details in our home, like the way the door follows the slanted ceiling in the upstairs hallway, and the built in cupboards for the phones. The original doorknobs and light switch covers are pretty amazing as well!

One of my favorite things about summer at our little castle is watching the gorgeous sunsets over the river!

Thank you for a taking a tour of our little castle! You can follow Whimsical Blue Living on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for more vintage charm and castle updates. And be sure to sign up for our newsletter to receive an email every Sunday morning with the posts from the week. That way you never miss a blog post!

For more summer inspiration, hop on over and visit Jen at The Striped House and check out her beautiful home! And be sure to check out all the other inspiring homes participating in this summer tour throughout the week!

 

Monday

Domicile 37 | Whimsical Blue Living | The Striped House | Bright Green Door

Tuesday

Cassie Bustamante | Jest Cafe | The Rath Project | Emmerson & Fifteen

Wednesday

Natasha Outside and In | Up To Date Interiors | Designing Vibes | PMQ for Two

Thursday

Jessica Brigham | This is Our Bliss | CAD Interiors | French & French Interiors | Maker of Home

 

Have a beautiful day!
Sandy