Summer Home Tour 2021

In collaboration with 30 other fabulous bloggers, today I am sharing a summer tour of my fixer upper. You don’t want to miss out on all of the diverse decorating inspo this blog hop has to offer below…
While I wouldn’t say that I am much of a seasonal decorator, I can never turn down a good blog collaboration.
So …when my super classy friend Marty of A Stroll Thru Life invited me to participate in her 2021 Summer Home Tour Blog Hop along with 30 other gifted bloggers, I knew I had to: 1.) get to cleaning my nasty a$$ house and 2.) recover from my design paralysis and freshen my decor up a bit for the warmer months.
I am happy to announce that I did get it together for you guys. Somewhat!

If you are coming from Alicia’s over at Thrifty and Chic, welcome!
I have been renovating my 1980’s fixer upper, on the cheap, for over six years now (You can view the before/after tour here).
When I am not writing DIY hacks, I am sharing beauty, health and soul hacks.

Here in my living room, I stored away the chunky knits and furs of the winter months to make room for some lighter-feeling fabrics.
*For your shopping convenience, I have included affiliate links. As an Amazon and RewardStyle Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. *

After a really odd source of inspiration, I also added some earthy green hues to the mix. You see..
One rainy, yucky day, being too much of a slob to hang my army green parka back in the coat closet, like the slacker that I can be, I instead draped it on a chair in my living room. Then…BAM! I was inspired.

In that moment, I decided olive green was just the extra pop of color my otherwise neutral, minimal living room needed.

I also traded out some of my Pampas stems for sand dollar eucalyptus(which I stock up on every time I am in the dried florals section of Hobby Lobby). With rambunctious young boys running around the house, I am still not entirely comfortable with anything too finicky resting on my coffee table.

In an effort to add a little more texture and warmth to my all-white living room (paint color is Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace and you can read all about it here), I also recently invested in some bamboo shades for the windows.

Moving on to my dining room which also doubles as my office (you can read about the room transformation here), a recent trip to Mexico inspired me to incorporate some global textiles with this Falsa blanket keepsake which I simply draped over a bench.

For some contrast among all the white and wood in this space, I replaced an old cheap, oak-colored armoire with a nicer, black liquor cabinet (click here for the affiliate link). While the assembly was a pain in the rear, the piece was such a bargain of a deal that it all ended up being totally worth it…

Now for my favorite part of summer in my 1980’s fixer upper…

Our private backyard oasis tucked away in the woods!

After two years of exposure to the elements, my DIY outdoor dining table got a fresh coat of stain. I also replaced a weather-worn rug with this new Opalhouse beauty.

In addition to the table getting a new coat of stain, our pool deck and fence got a fresh coat as well. It had been over three years since we had last stained it. Which is pretty crazy as it seems like just yesterday we were in the process of building this above ground pool deck.

Next week on the blog, I am going to share a very simple tutorial for this faux hedge wall which my family and I just installed on the back of our house to hide nasty, vinyl siding. (Yes….this tutorial was so easy, kids can do it!)
And because I just lost over 20 lbs over the course of about 9 months, this summer was the first in pretty much a decade that I willingly shopped for bikinis. So i’ll be damned if I don’t document my hard work. Actually, I shared some details about my journey in this post a few months ago.
Thank you so much for stopping by and spending a little time with me.

Be sure to come back tomorrow for the next round of home tours starting with Stephanie of Casa Watkins Living. Her eclectic style and photography is amazing, so you don’t want to miss it! **Below you can also find the entire blog hop lineup…**
Now get out there and design some good vibes along with a fabulous life!
Monday June 7th Lineup

A Stroll Thru Life – Worthing Court – A Pretty Life – Pink Peppermint Design – StoneGable – Hymns & Verses
Tuesday June 8th Lineup

Southern State of Mind – This Is Our Bliss – Up To Date Interiors – It All Started With Paint – Decor To Adore – Cuckoo4Design
Wednesday June 9th Lineup

Remodelando la Casa – Whispering Pines Homestead – Cassie Bustamante – Inspiration For Moms – Making It In The Mountains – White Arrows Home
Thursday June 10th Lineup

Our Southern Home – CitrineLiving – The Wood Grain Cottage – Grace In My Space – Thrifty and Chic – Designing Vibes
Friday June 11th Lineup

Casa Watkins Living – Follow The Yellow Brick Home – Chalking Up Success – Bloom in the Black – Quarters One – Clean and Scentsible
One of my favorite things about your home is that it is so eclectic and the combination of minimalism with boho looks so unique and awesome! With that said, if I had your back yard I wouldn’t leave it! That chunky table is awesome:)
Thank you so much, Maria. Yeah….my backyard is one of my favorite things about this fixer upper.
Your home looks incredible- I love all of the changes you’ve made and am obsessed with the dining lighting! SO good! Also, you look fantastic! After reading your post I started adding more weights again. I run because it helps with anxiety and I can’t let that go, but I even cut that back to three days a week. I am seeing a little difference, but . . . I like snacks.
Thank you so much, Cassie. Ugh…the snacks! I get it. I live for snacks and wine. haha!
Gah I love your home so much! Always do and that pool gets me every time! And let’s talk about your legs in that bikini, shall wee?!?!?!
Well thank you so much, Julia. That means so much coming from you.
Such a lovely and inspiring tour. The faux hedge wall is fabulous. I can’t wait for the DIY!
Thank you so much, Laura! I am super excited to share that tutorial.
I love your style, so clean and fresh and I adore how you arrange the most interesting accessories and wall art. You look fabulous too and good for you on losing 20 lbs, that is fabulous. I definitely think you rock a bikini, so stock up. Thanks tons for joining the tour again this season, your home is always full of inspiration and your are inspiring too.
Thank you so very much, Marty. I really appreciate your support, and feel honored that you thought to include me on this. Thanks for all you do!
Great job . Keep up the beautiful work. I like the modern edge keeping it welcome an comfortable. Awesome pictures. Stay Cool !! MikeyK
Your home is gorgeous Erica and so are you!! I love touring with you my talented friend! Love that gorgeous faux hedge! Happy Summer!
Really liking your style. As a local Chattanooga real estate broker, Rehabber, and investor, I wish many more people would take hints from your blog to increase the value of their homes.
Love the changes you’ve made in your beautiful home and swooning over your back patio and pool!! You look amazing btw.