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Simple changes to make your house feel like a vacation home

Ever since we got back from our trip to Port Aransas, I have been trying to emulate the overall feel of the beach house by making small changes around our house. As much as I want to, I can’t go with a full-on beach theme because I live at least two hours from the nearest beach. I live by a self-imposed rule that I must live within walking distance to a beach in order to have a beach theme. And I do want a beach-themed house one day, so you know what that means. #lifegoals.

So while I’m not hanging up wooden anchors and fish everywhere, what I am trying to do is create the same relaxed, vacation vibe in my home. I have two constraints, though: (1) Mr. L doesn’t understand (re)decorating and (2) I’m on a budget. So I’ve focused on a few little things to help my home feel more vacation-like. My changes are by no means groundbreaking and this may not work for everyone, but it worked for me.

My thoughts

I started my bring-the-beach-house-home project by looking back at our trip and reveiwing what I loved most about the vacation home. Note that I did not say “what I loved most in the vacation home.” I said “what I loved most about the vacation home.” To me, this is a higher-level consideration of what aspects of the beach house gave me a positive feeling. Sure, the name-brand furniture and accents were nice (I’m still trying to find a way to justify the purchase of those Serena and Lily barstools), but what I realized I loved most was (1) the overall clean feel of the home and (2) the cozy, inviting bedrooms.

Getting one step closer to cleanliness

I know that with two toddlers running around the house, the “clean feel” that I loved about the beach house is a pipe dream. But I did make one small change that reminds me of vacation and brings me a little bit of happiness every day: I cleaned out our cabinet of mismatched coffee mugs and bought a matching set.

How to make your house feel like you are on vacation

(PotteryBarn Cambria Mug in Turquiose)

This really is an example of the tiniest change, but I’m laying it out there anyway because maybe there’s someone out there like me who appreciates the importance of matching coffee mugs. Note that Mr. L  does not count himself among this select—and I might add “distinguished”—group of people because he is still confused about the sudden mug overhaul. To him (and the other non-believers) I say, thanks for putting up with people like me and it really does look a lot better!!

Here’s how the mugs have impacted me positively: First, I like that when we have company over, we don’t have a bunch of mismatched cups littering the table and countertops. So, in a way, when our kitchen is messy, it still looks somewhat to clean. Second, the super Type-A person in me strangely likes that the matching mugs all line up nicely in the dishwasher. And finally, the beach house had this Gabriella dish set from PotteryBarn, so I am reminded of our vacation to Port Aransas every time I have my cup of tea in the morning.

It’s the little things.

Creating coziness

Another change that has had a big impact on me mentally is a small change I made in our master bedroom. It’s one of the last places in our house to be fully decorated (I still don’t have everything up on the walls), and quite honestly, up until now the room has made me a little sad. I love the individual pieces in the room, even down to our IKEA chest of drawers, but I haven’t had the gumption to put it all together.

The Before

While my vacation overhaul did not give me the energy to hang things on the wall, I did make some changes to the bed that add a level of coziness. Here’s the “before” of the bedroom:

How to add color to a white bedroom

It is by no means awful. However, it is very plain and very very white. I think this look would work if I had a something—anything—up on the wall behind the bed or over the bedside tables. But I’m not ready to make that kind of commitment.

While purchasing my mugs at PotteryBarn, however, I came across four 26″ square natural fiber pillows on sale for—I kid you not—$10 each. I originally intended to use them with our outdoor furniture, but they were way too big. I did keep one in a chair, though.

Adding an oversized natural fiber pillow to outdoor furniture for added comfort

 

With the fact that the remaining three pillows were a final sale item and couldn’t be returned in the back of my mind, I moved the rest inside to try out on our white couch. Same problem—small couch, huge pillows. By this time, Mr. L wandered into the room, saw the GIANT bags from PotteryBarn, and raised one eyebrow. I answered that raised eyebrow with a “These were only $10 each! I’m trying these out on the couch but I bought them for [and this part just came to me] our bedroom.”

The After

And that’s how the pillows serendipitously ended up on our bed. I loved the look immediately. The natural fiber is a little bit beachy, but not noticeably so. And it added some nice texture to the all-white bed.

How to add color to a white bedroom

I knew the bed needed some color, though, and mentioned this to Mr. L’s mom (aka “Bammie”) when she was visiting one weekend. She had the smart idea of finding a blue coverlet. A few weeks later, I was over at a friend’s house, and she told me about these great quilts from Bed Bath and Beyond. Bada bing bada boom. Done!

I already owned the two smaller blue pillows and relocated them from other areas of the house.

Simple additions to a white bed give it a more sophisticated and welcoming look

To me, the new bed looks a lot more inviting. And it gives me a reason to make my bed every morning. Otherwise, I would trip over a million pillows! Ha. Admittedly Mr. L does not love the fact that I added five additional pillows to the bed. It does require a bit more work to construct and deconstruct the bed. As I constantly remind him, however, I make the bed 95% of the time and Lamborghini considers it his personal duty to remove all the pillows before naps. So new bed wins.

Why I am writing about this in the first place!

There are other little things here and there that I changed (and I’m still working on decluttering!), but the new mugs and bedding had a big impact on me personally. I’ve really debated hitting the “publish” button on this post because, on the one hand, it seems silly that mugs and bedding matter so much to me. But on the other hand, what I think I am trying to impart is that it’s not about the mugs and bedding—your “small changes” could be a simple as a candle scent that reminds you of your favorite place or even a song. The important thing is ask yourself what it is about your getaway that makes you happy. Then try to embrace that in your everyday life.

Simple changes to make your house feel like a vacation home


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🌷🐇 Happy Easter!! 🌷🐇 Truth be told, I 🌷🐇 Happy Easter!! 🌷🐇 Truth be told, I didn’t decorate for Easter this year because the house is in shambles and I can’t imagine adding more things to the chaos (new baby and teething toddler are a tricky combination). However, I did manage to put together a small bunnyscape on our kitchen table. Looking forward to Easter brunch with the family tomorrow ❤️🐰

#easterbrunch #easterbreakfast #tablesetting #easter #easterdecor #eastertablescape #eastertable #eastertabledecor #tablescape #tablescapestyling #bunnies #herecomespetercottontail #familytime #springtablescape #springtabledecor #springtable #entertainingathome #neutralstyle #neutraldecor #neutralhome #carrotcake #mywoodlandslifeblog
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#springisintheair #firstdayofspring #blueandwhite #coastaldecor #moderncoastal #mytradhome #ikeahack #ikeahacks #ikealovers #ikeaideas #topiary #coffeetable #coffeetabledecor #coffeetableideas #grasscloth #grassclothwallpaper #removablewallpaper #lightandbright #chinoiserie #chinoiseriechicstyle #blueandwhitedecor #classicdesign #diydecor #diyprojects #mywoodlandslifeblog
Sharing a pop of green from my wallpaper project. Sharing a pop of green from my wallpaper project. Amazingly this was one of the easiest DIY projects I’ve done, and I loved the immediate results. Plus you can’t beat the Amazon price on removable wallpaper. Click the link in my profile for sources. 

#stpatricksday #wallpaper #peelandstickwallpaper #removablewallpaper #myhome #myhomevibe #myhomestyle #mytradhome #greenandwhite #homedecor #diywalldecor #diyprojects #diyhomedecor #wallpaperwednesday #amazonfinds #herringbone #brightasthetic #brightgreen #wallpaperdecor #diy
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About me

Hi! I'm Lauren. Welcome to my blog, where I write about DIY projects, home decor, and decorating on a budget. With 3 kids under the age of 5, my house not always as neat in real life as it looks on the blog, but I find a way to embrace (and organize) the chaos.

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🌷🐇 Happy Easter!! 🌷🐇 Truth be told, I 🌷🐇 Happy Easter!! 🌷🐇 Truth be told, I didn’t decorate for Easter this year because the house is in shambles and I can’t imagine adding more things to the chaos (new baby and teething toddler are a tricky combination). However, I did manage to put together a small bunnyscape on our kitchen table. Looking forward to Easter brunch with the family tomorrow ❤️🐰

#easterbrunch #easterbreakfast #tablesetting #easter #easterdecor #eastertablescape #eastertable #eastertabledecor #tablescape #tablescapestyling #bunnies #herecomespetercottontail #familytime #springtablescape #springtabledecor #springtable #entertainingathome #neutralstyle #neutraldecor #neutralhome #carrotcake #mywoodlandslifeblog
Happy first day of spring! It’s a doozy here in Happy first day of spring! It’s a doozy here in Texas. Sixty-four degrees and not a cloud in the sky. The kids went to the park, had a “hot dog fire” outside for lunch, and are playing in the backyard this afternoon. I stayed up late last night finishing up a blog post on one of my favorite projects: my Serena and Lily inspired modern coastal coffee table. We took an inexpensive Ikea Lack coffee table and wrapped it in textured vinyl peel and stick wallpaper to get a designer look for less. Check out the link to my blog in my bio for step by step instructions and sources.

#springisintheair #firstdayofspring #blueandwhite #coastaldecor #moderncoastal #mytradhome #ikeahack #ikeahacks #ikealovers #ikeaideas #topiary #coffeetable #coffeetabledecor #coffeetableideas #grasscloth #grassclothwallpaper #removablewallpaper #lightandbright #chinoiserie #chinoiseriechicstyle #blueandwhitedecor #classicdesign #diydecor #diyprojects #mywoodlandslifeblog
Sharing a pop of green from my wallpaper project. Sharing a pop of green from my wallpaper project. Amazingly this was one of the easiest DIY projects I’ve done, and I loved the immediate results. Plus you can’t beat the Amazon price on removable wallpaper. Click the link in my profile for sources. 

#stpatricksday #wallpaper #peelandstickwallpaper #removablewallpaper #myhome #myhomevibe #myhomestyle #mytradhome #greenandwhite #homedecor #diywalldecor #diyprojects #diyhomedecor #wallpaperwednesday #amazonfinds #herringbone #brightasthetic #brightgreen #wallpaperdecor #diy
So very excited about St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow So very excited about St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow!! We have a well-stocked supply of green food coloring and drinks. Plus I have a lineup of activities for the kiddos that I think they will enjoy. The kids and I made this St. Patrick’s Day themed snack board a few weeks ago as a test run for the blog, and I couldn’t have been happier with how it turned out. Totally tricked the kids into trying cauliflower (they were not fans). But they ate everything else. Cookies first of course 🍀. 

#stpatricksday #stpattysday #stpatrick #snacks #snackideas #snacktime #snacksforkids #healthysnacks #healthysnackideas #fruitandveggies #charcuterieboard #holdthemeat #shamrock #rainbowfood #partyideas #appetizers #foodart #stpatricksdayfood #stpatricksdaydecor #fruittray #veggietray
Playing a bit of catchup on Instagram this week an Playing a bit of catchup on Instagram this week and realized I never shared how my daughter's purple bedroom turned out. While it pained me to paint over her blush flower wall, her love for purple won me over. She is thrilled with the final result and is so excited to have her big girl room just the way she wants it. All the details are on the blog (just click the link under my profile to go check out the post). #purplebedroom #nomorepink #purplebedding #bedroomdecor #purpledecor #popofpurple #catart #homedecorlove #bedroomrefresh #bedroommakeover #bedroomdesign #kidsroomdecor #kidsroominspo #girlsroom #kidsfurniture #toddlerroom #purpleroom #benjaminmoore #lavendarice #mywoodlandslifeblog
When I made this flower arrangement a few weeks ag When I made this flower arrangement a few weeks ago, little did I know that all of the camelias would freeze. I'm thankful to have this winter storm behind us. We lost power for 12 hours and luckily do not have any damage to our pipes. But I know a lot of people who were without power and water for days. Praying for Texas's speedy recovery and so very grateful for all of the linemen and other field personnel who worked tirelessly to restore power.⁣
⁣
#prayfortexas #staysafe #flowerarrangement #flowerpic #blueandwhite #diyhomedecor #entrywaydecor #camelia #pinkandblue #flowerlove #flowerpop #flowersofinstagram #chinoiserie #gingerjar #chinoiseriechic #palmbeachstyle #readyforspring #springinspo #springinthesouth #touchofpink #springflowers #traditionalhome #mywoodlandslifeblog
Now that 2021 has officially begun, I’m starting Now that 2021 has officially begun, I’m starting off the week with fresh linen. Have downsized decorative pillows to three, which makes the husband happy. Drawback to bedding refresh: getting out of cozy bed every morning is a challenge. 

#whitebedding #whitebedroom #neutralbedroomdecor #newyearnewbedding #dontwanttogetup #mypotterybarn #pickstitch #serenaandlily #percaleduvet #diyeurosham #whiteandbright #bedroomrefresh #beddingdecor #beddinginspo #homedecor #brightbedroom #mywoodlandslifeblog
Just finished putting together our mini holiday ho Just finished putting together our mini holiday home tour on the blog and realized that while Christmas is almost here, it is almost over too. I will miss all of the ornaments and reindeer and excuses to eat Christmas cookies. I’m looking forward to spending the next few days with family and especially with the kids. I’m also looking forward to 2021 and am hoping it brings some peace and resolution to this confusing year. I hope too that everyone has a safe and joyful holiday and a Happy New Year. 

#merrychristmas #happyholidays #christmasishere #enjoythemoment #holidayhomedecor #vibrantchristmas #blueandwhite #flocked #christmaslivingroomdecor #mywoodlandslifeblog
What’s for Christmas dinner? I have no idea, but What’s for Christmas dinner? I have no idea, but we will have a cute table setting 😂. I made these pink, green and red charger plates out of $2 plastic chargers from Hobby Lobby and acrylic paint. Check out today’s blog post for more detailed sources/instructions. I’ve also uploaded a step-by-step to my story highlights. 

#christmastablesetting #christmastabledecor #diychargerplates #diycharger #handpaintedchargerplate #christmaschargerplates #pinkandgreenchristmas #worldmarketlinens #holidaycharger #holidaytable #holidaytablesetting #agapanthus #hollyberries #decoratefortheseason #merryandbright #pinkchristmas #mywoodlandslifeblog
I made these little Santa cookies today to go with I made these little Santa cookies today to go with the trees and couldn’t be happier with how they turned out. Packaging them all up with some #traderjoes chocolate covered pretzels to deliver to the neighbors as Christmas goodies. 

Cookie cutters and design inspiration from @hol_fox 
She has the cutest Etsy account with such clever cookie ideas. 

#christmascookies #royalicingdecoratedcookies #santacookies #neighborgiftideas #diyholidaycookies #cutoutcookies #holidaycookies #sugarcookiesfromscratch #hollyfox #christmasgiftidea
A few years ago, I made these piped Christmas pill A few years ago, I made these piped Christmas pillows for our master bed. Well the husband won the pillow battle, and I will humbly admit that having 11 pillows on the bed is a bit much. I think the pillows look cuter on the couch anyway.

#plaidchristmasdecor #plaidpillows #stewarttartanplaid #diypillowcovers  #howmanypillowsistoomany #neutralholidaydecor #redandgreenandwhite #whitecouch #diychristmaspillows #pipedpillows #livingroomdetails #christmasdetails
Tree confession: Not only does our tree have the p Tree confession: Not only does our tree have the party in the front, naked in the back thing going on, it’s also rocking the high water look. The baby (now toddler) keeps absconding with the lower ornaments. Plus our three and five-year-old wanted to show us how tall they are by putting the ornaments as high as they could reach. So we have some nice ornament clumps at arm’s length 😂. Wouldn’t have it any other way though! 

#christmastreedecorating #christmastrees #silverandgoldchristmastree #neutralchristmasdecor #christmaswithtoddlersismagical #treesofinstagram #christmastrees #christmastreedecoration #homedecor #neutralstyle #stockings #boxwoodwreath #mywoodlandslifeblog
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