Since next week I’ll be sharing our 2021 fall home tour (and of course we not only live in a different house now but a different country), I thought it would be fun to look back on my tour from two years ago. Enjoy!
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It’s fall home tour time, friends! Today I’m joining Marty at A Stroll Thru Life and 29 other talented bloggers; we participate in Marty’s tour each season and it’s always one of our favorite series.
I will admit that I’ve been stressing a bit about sharing my tour since we’ve only lived in Magnolia Cottage for just under eight weeks now and I’ve spent more time painting than decorating (I’ve painted eight rooms, the steps, and the front porch–phew!). Plus it’s still in the mid-90’s here in North Carolina, so the bottom line is please be gentle with me.
If you’re visiting from Heather at Southern State of Mind, welcome. We’ve known and loved Heather for years and I love following along as she makes their beautiful new house her own.
For those of you who are new here, my name is Christy and I blog with my dear friend and former college roommate, Amy. As I mentioned above, I’m currently in North Carolina and she lives in Virginia. My husband has been in the Army for 28 years and so we move a lot–so it’s a good thing that I love to decorate and DIY. You can read more about us and our families HERE.
Our little Magnolia Cottage is about 100 years old and located in the sweet small town of Southern Pines, North Carolina.
We’re renting since we don’t know how much longer we’ll be here, but the homeowner is very supportive of all of my DIY’ing {you can see what the interior looked like when we moved in here}. Older homes are so charming–and quirky–and we’re really enjoying our time here. It reminds me of our original 11 Magnolia Lane house , although this one is smaller.
It’s still summer on the front porch, but I’ve added a few small fall touches like a pillow for the porch swing and some lanterns and ceramic pumpkins.
{See more of the front porch here}
We come and go at the side porch that opens into the kitchen; this is rescue kitty Brontë’s favorite outdoor napping spot (isn’t her coloring perfect for fall?).
Our living room and breakfast room are my favorites right now; I do most of my work at our antique pedestal table.
{You can see more of the breakfast room here}
The decorations in the living room are minimal; I just added a few velvet pumpkins.
Random aside: would you believe that the painting above the fireplace is actually our TV? It displays art when it’s not on, and I love it so much. I seem to be choosing a lot of Monet’s paintings recently, but there are dozens to choose from, or you can upload your own photos.
| Art Frame TV |
I almost always have lilies in this vase. While they don’t really say “fall,” they’re in season right now, they smell amazing, and they were in my bridal bouquet when I got married (also in September).
{You can see more of the living room here}
I have to admit that I didn’t do a wide shot of the living room because it’s in a state of upheaval right now. I just ordered two new chairs and am working the space, so stay tuned for another update next week.
So far, all that I’ve shared of our dining room is the stairway, but it’s worth another look because this is what it looked like when we moved in:
I spent quite a bit of time painting those steps! This is what they look like now:
I won’t lie, I’m thrilled with how they turned out.
{Read more about the stair project here}
{Painted table and monogrammed chairs}
In the dining room, I added some dried lavender and burlap pumpkins above the china-cabinet-turned-bar.
Last weekend, I painted the upstairs hall and stairwell and it looks so much better; paint always works miracles.
The kind of sad little plant is my son’s; it’s supposed to live in his dorm room but he forgot it when he went back to school so I’m taking care of it in the meantime.
The bedrooms aren’t quite ready to share, but we’re getting there, slowly but surely.
Now, be sure to head over to visit Deb at Seeking Lavender Lane. She’s incredibly talented and you will love her twist on fall decor. Here’s the lineup for the full week; if you need fall inspiration, you’ll certainly find it here!
Decor To Adore, Southern Hospitality
2019 Fall Home Tour Wednesday Lineup
2019 Fall Home Tour Thursday Lineup
2019 Fall Home Tour Friday Lineup
Life On Cedar Lane, Designing Vibes, TheWoodgrain Cottage,
ThistlewoodFarm, Modern Glam, White Arrows Home
What a gorgeous tour and I’m obsessed with the stair transformation
Thanks so much, Julia! The stairs make me so happy now that they’re done–I seriously can sleep better at night!
Wow, you are amazing. You have done so much and this home is truly turning out to be one of my favorites. Those stairs are such a transformation and I really love the dining room. Beautiful tour. Thanks so much for joining the tour again this season.
Thanks so much, Marty! I felt like I had to jump in quickly since we don’t know if we’re here for one more year or two. We might be moving again in June! Thanks for hosting; I always enjoy home tour week. XO Christy
Thanks for the tour, everything is beautiful. I know that feeling of wanting to get done before the next set of orders comes! Usually the orders come when you complete the last project. Did you paint the wall by the steps? If so how did you do it? How did you handle getting to the ceiling height?
You are so right, Monica! We might be moving again in June (or we might get one more year–who knows?!) so I feel the pressure to get things done quickly. I did paint the wall above the steps and it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I used my HomeRight PaintStick and when the handle is full of paint, it’s super long, so I was able to just lean over the railing and paint the whole thing easy as pie. I only stood on the ladder to roll sideways up to the top edge. (I had visions of falling down the steps but thankfully that didn’t happen ;).
Thanks for writing and take care–Christy
Those stairs turned out so GREAT!!!! I am always amazed at how quickly you can make any house your home. Well done!
Well, you know the deal, we might be moving next June so I don’t have time to waste! 😉 In all seriousness though, thank you. It’s nice to collaborate with you again, my friend! XO, Christy
I just love that house it’s just perfect! What kind of TV is that that displays a picture? We are looking for a new TV. Also I have a chair like the first picture that you have the harris chair and I was wondering what material you have a covered and I have one just like it with the footstool and I need to have it reupholstered. I would like to reupholster it in a slip cover but I can’t find anyone to do it. I am in Raleigh North Carolina!
Hey, Rachelle–
Thanks so much! We’re loving this little house, too.
OK, the art frame TV that we have is a Samsung and it is seriously amazing. My husband likes an enormous high-def TV and I would rather not see the TV in the room at all. In addition to it displaying beautiful art when it’s not on, it’s really thin and light and there’s only one tiny cord that then plugs into all of your accessories and peripherals. You can also buy different magnetic frames to change the look of your “art.” I’m thinking about getting one and spray painting it gold but haven’t had time yet so the black frame you see in the pictures is how it comes from the factory. We have THIS exact one (55″) and we really shopped around for the best price first.
For the chair, I bought mine at a local thrift shop and had it reupholstered. If you take a look at this blog post I wrote about it, I link to the exact fabric I used. It’s held up beautifully and I highly recommend it. Since you’re in Raleigh and it’s only an hour or so from us, do you want me to send you the number of my upholsterer? All you do is text him a picture of your project and he’ll tell you how much he would charge and how much fabric to buy. They’ve done several pieces for me and they’re wonderful. They can also sew slipcovers, of course.
I hope that helps!
Christy
so many pretty fall touches. your stairs turned out so good!
Thanks so much, Ashley. I’m in love with how they turned out!
Your home tour is absolutely charming! I love how you show that even renting you can create beautiful spaces.
Thanks, Laura. I will admit that I’m looking forward to owning again, and maybe even getting to stay in one place longer than a year or two. Soon, I hope!
Your house is turning out Gorgous as usual! I love how you have only hints of fall. Great job Christy! By the way, where did you find dried lavender?
Thanks so much, Heidi. It just didn’t seem right to go full-on fall at this point; it’s still in the mid 90s and I can’t find pumpkins anywhere! The lavender was from our local Harris Teeter grocery store, but I know you can also buy bunches of it dried on Etsy because we’ve done that before for an event.
Hope that helps! Christy
You’ve done wonders with your rental and turned it into a beautiful home. I am sure you are the dream renter! Love the wall colors.
I try to be! We kept our house in Nashville and rented it out for years and I always try to be the kind of renter I’d like to have in my own property and leave things better than I found them. This one is a lot of fun to work on because it’s so quaint. It was fun touring with you again!
XO, Christy
Those stairs are amazing! I would love to this with ours but I know I would not have the patience. I’m sure they’d end up partially painted for years. lol! Sounds like you’ve done so much work already – it’s looking beautiful.
Too funny! I’m sure you’d finish the job. I promise it wasn’t that bad with a good book to listen to and plenty of motivation to get them looking elegant again.
So fun touring with you again!
I love Magnolia Cottage! So far it’s my favorite. You’ve made every room so fresh and inviting and those stairs are absolutely stunning now! It’s all so beautiful.
That is a lovely compliment, Nita–thank you so much! This house has been so much fun to work on because it’s so quaint and charming. Next on the list is the downstairs bathroom.
Have a great weekend–Christy
I always enjoy your tours! This one is especially lovely and charming! Everything looks so perfect for this time of year, you have used just the right colors and accessories to introduce fall while it ‘s still so hot outside! Love the porch too!
So happy to join you on this tour. Happy almost fall!
Oh Christy….your Magnolia Cottage is giving me all of the feels. What a charming place to rent! I cannot believe what you have been able to accomplish in just 8 weeks. That’s impressive, my friend.
Love whAT you did with your stairs! So pretty! So are all your fall touches! The centerpiece on the table is such gorgeous colors!
Christy, you are any landlords dream tenant. I am sure you have carte blanche to do whatever you want. love the cottage and how cozy you have made it feel.
Thanks, Laura! Yes, she has let me do pretty much anything I want, which is so nice. This house has great potential and the location is perfect, so we’re going to enjoy it as much as we can during the next year or two.