Little Touches of Fall
Hey there, friends! Happy Wednesday to y’all! We are having the most beautiful weather here in Georgia lately….cool evenings and mornings, with a high of 70’s in the afternoon. Just perfect Fall weather! I finally got all my Fall decor up ( now that it’s mid-October!!) but who’s counting? 🙂 Today, I’m welcoming y’all into The Robinson Home for a little Fall Tour. Thanks for dropping by…I’m so happy you’re here!
Before I start, let me say that I have never been a “blue” girl. It’s funny, because my china that we chose when we got married almost 21 years ago is Lenox ‘Federal Cobalt!’ I did what every sweet, proper Southern girl does, and let my husband be involved in the ceremonial “picking of the china!” We compromised and I chose the salad plates in Royal Doulton ‘Floridora Gold,’ a beautiful pattern that I love to this day. I don’t think I have ever used the blue and white Lenox in those 21 years, except for maybe once. I had major regrets,too!
Now let me back up a bit. I am Mother to 3 wonderful young men, so actually I have been a “blue” girl, but I limited it to the boys’ rooms,etc. My first falling in love with blue recently was when I painted a glass cabinet in Behr’s Mermaid Net. When I saw that blue can be warm and inviting in an aged, neutral way, it made me love it more. Which leads me to what I wanted to preface this tour with and say that I have been finding myself drawn to the blue/white porcelain dishes that I’ve seen in magazines like Veranda, House Beautiful, Country French, and Traditional Home, amongst numerous other shelter magazines for years. I have always loved green Majolica-style cabbage and leaf plates, but never anything blue and white. So this tour shows how I found a way to incorporate blue and white porcelain into my existing home decor, and can work in just about any home’s existing color scheme!
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Living Room
Recent changes to this room were new decorative throw pillows I made, an Italian tapestry pillow I got at a thrift store for $.99, the blue and white porcelain pieces found at various thrift stores, a brass bamboo-style tray from a thrift store, and the little birds I found at Hobby Lobby.
Foyer
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Simple changes for Fall to the foyer area were faux pumpkins painted with homemade chalk paint in Promenade by Behr, then clear and dark waxed with Annie Sloan waxes, grapevines, a little gold owl from Walmart, some acorns in a clamshell, and some peacock feathers in a thrift store brass vase. I also casually draped a leaf garland over a family portrait taken by my Dad about 4-5 years ago in the foyer for another simple Fall touch. On top of the glass bookcase, I added some hydrangeas from my yard, and a few pumpkins I already had.
Kitchen & Family Room
In the kitchen and family room, I added berries and leaves to a blue and white vase ( that beautiful, old desk was Mark’s Grandmother’s ), pumpkins in an old dough bowl my Mother gave me, a beautiful crewel patterned linen Fall runner I found a few years ago at Home Goods, and antlers, pinecones, and berries to a soup tureen that belonged to my Texas Grandmother. On the mantle, I repeated what I used last year which was berries and faux sticks from Hobby Lobby, pinecones, and Martha Stewart black crow diecuts I found a few years ago at Michael’s.
Upstairs Hall & Master Bedroom/Bath
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In the upstairs hall, I added a blue and white square flower vase to an existing table, and in the Master bedroom, another blue and white water jar piece to an antique vanity given to me by my Mississippi Grandmother ( who was an antique dealer), new Fall pillows ( I always keep the 2 center pillows and change the surrounding pillows seasonally) on our bed, and yet another blue and white vase in the Master bath. See how I sort of became very blue and white obsessed?!
Side porch
I always keep this little side porch area decorated throughout the year, so that there is something pretty to look at, instead of a big garage door! For years I’ve had the iron wall decor and planter, and that helps alot. I was so excited when gray hoses came along to replace the old standard kelly green ones! After planting my Fall plants, and adding pumpkins, I felt like it still was lacking in something, so I went and cut some honeysuckle vines that are ample back in our woods. I asked Mark if that was indeed what it was, and his reply, “Yes, unless it’s poison ivy!” Thanks, hon…..;)!!
Front Porch
Disclaimer: I stand corrected. My lady head in the blue and white bowl are 10 years old, so I forgot about THAT blue and white. I found both pieces at a Birmingham, Alabama antique shop and knew they should be a fountain, so we drilled a hole in her mouth and inserted clear tubing and a water pump. Voila! A fountain!!
Our wraparound porch is probably my favorite “room” in our home! In North Georgia, we can use it almost year round. I created seating areas many years ago because it’s such a long, narrow space. This year, I wanted to use more of the pale turquoise and magenta color scheme with my plants, cushions, and throw pillows, so we painted our Valspar La Fonda Geranium red front door to a more neutral Duron Caribou gray brown. I’m not loving my front door completely, but I do love the way the flower colors, cushions, and pillows no longer have to compete or work around the red. La Fonda Geranium Red is a beautiful rosy red, and I loved it for years in the Fall, and at Christmas time. I must admit, I kinda miss my door having that WOW factor, but I think I’m going to bring that in with some brass hardware. What do you think?
Well, sweet friends, thank you for checking out my Fall Home Tour at The Painted Chandelier! It means the world to me that you came by! Please leave a comment with your blog or website’s name so I can check your site out, as well! There are so many incredibly talented women & men in the blogging world…I just love seeing all the amazing talent and projects posted!!
Have a Wonderful Wednesday!!!
xxooxx
Robin says
October 24, 2013 at 9:37 amI love love love your gorgeous home! It’s warm and welcoming and you have such an eye for detail. That blue cabinet in the entry is scrumptious 🙂
xo
Robin
Melanie Robinson says
October 24, 2013 at 4:56 pmAw, thank you Robin!! I appreciate that so much! I never thought I’d have anything large & blue-green in my home, but it has worked as such a great neutral. Never say never in design…right?!
Kelley Wilson says
October 24, 2013 at 12:16 pmWhat great pics, your house is so pretty and put together you are never coming to mine LOL
Melanie Robinson says
October 24, 2013 at 5:02 pmHey, Kelley! My home has been through SO many changes over the years, from pale yellow walls with red floral curtain valances and panels to red walls and everything in between; it is forever evolving! It is probably the most “liveable” now since I went neutral on all the walls and large furnishings with colorful accents that are easy to change. Thanks, friend, for your kind words, and you better have me over to yours!! LOL
Sara says
October 24, 2013 at 2:59 pmBeautiful! Can I ask where you got the round topiary frames in your front door pots?
Melanie Robinson says
October 24, 2013 at 5:04 pmHey, Sara~ I got the garden orbs at a place in TN called Trees & Trends! It’s a wonderful store full of good stuff! Maybe you can search their locations on the Web? Thank you for stopping by, and for your sweet compliment:)
Sara says
October 25, 2013 at 3:49 amThank you!! We have a Trees and Trends here in MS–will check it out.
Elizabeth @ Southern Color says
October 24, 2013 at 4:17 pmYour fall touches are great! They really compliment the style of your home. Very warm and inviting 🙂
Melanie Robinson says
October 24, 2013 at 5:06 pmElizabeth~ so sweet of you!! Thank you so much! Our home is 11 years old, and is showing definite signs of wear especially with 3 boys and 2 big dogs, but we have enjoyed it over the years. House upkeep is alot of work, huh?!
Recreate and Decorate says
October 24, 2013 at 7:42 pmYour home is beautiful, and I love John Grishom too!! I love the simplicity of your mantle, it speaks volumes!
Melanie Robinson says
October 25, 2013 at 2:15 amThank you, Wanda! Appreciate your kind words! xo
Luci @Bungalow At Home says
October 26, 2013 at 12:30 pmI really enjoyed your gorgeous home Melanie! Your Fall touches here and there really created such a warm inviting home.. My favorite is your porch! Love it!
And I always thought I was not a Blue girl but find myself pinning one photo after another with lots of blue! So maybe I’m becoming one:)
Melanie Robinson says
October 26, 2013 at 3:51 pmLuci~ I appreciate your kind words, and thank you for following me! Is there a place on your site for me to follow you? I don’t remember seeing it. I would love to see your great info daily! Very much enjoyed reading about the wall colors and kitchen cabinets! Glad you are loving the blue & white, too. It’s really everywhere, isn’t it?
Kristen @ It Comes Full Circle says
October 27, 2013 at 9:49 pmEverything looks lovely! I love the peacock feathers with the white pumpkins!
Melanie Robinson says
November 10, 2013 at 6:08 pmThank you, Kristen!! I never thought I’d like peacock feathers in my house! My Mom had a huge floor arrangement of them when I was growing up…they were about 5 ft tall…..evidently, she was ahead of her time!! lol 🙂