• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Meet the Girl ↡
    • About Abby
    • Contact
  • Projects ↡
    • Organization
      • All Organization
      • Printables Library
      • Productivity
    • Decorating
      • Our Home Tour
        • Current House Home Tour
        • Townhouse Home Tour
      • All Decorating
      • DIY
      • Furniture Makeovers
      • Crafts
      • Holidays
    • Blogging
      • All Blogging
      • Income Reports
    • Happy Thoughts
  • My Products ↡
    • Impactful Habits, Organized Home Organizing Course
    • Browser to Buyer
    • Blogging Binder Printables
    • Home Binder Printables
    • Student Binder Printables
    • Christmas / Holiday Planner
    • Fitness Journal
  • Free Resources ↡
    • ClarityList for Bloggers
    • How to Start a Blog in 2020
    • 100+ Blogging Tips, Tools, and Resources to Grow Your Business
    • My Favorite Organizing Items
  • Income Reports

Abby Lawson logo

June 11, 2018 By Abby Lawson 26 Comments

Our Summer Home Tour

Pin849
Share1
Tweet
Email
850 Shares

Our plain, builder grade home started out as a blank slate, but we've been working hard to make it our own! Come take our summer home tour to see the progress we've made so far!

Our Orchard House Summer Home Tour, white kitchen, cottage kitchen

Hello, hello, friends! I am SO excited to welcome you to our Summer Home Tour today! In recent months, our house has been in a state of transition, with a lot of half-done projects in most of our rooms, so I shared just a few rooms during the Christmas season and skipped spring tours altogether-- it has been a while since I really showed you around!

My friend Krista from The Happy Housie was kind enough to gather together an oh-so-talented group of bloggers for the Seasonal Simplicity Summer Tours this week, and I am delighted to be a part of it! If you are joining me from Janet's house at Shabbyfufu, welcome! I just love her beautiful home!

Our Summer Home Tour

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.

Ryan Homes Palermo Model, Elevation L, Summer Home Tour

If you're new around here, we built our house with a community builder (It is a Palermo by Ryan Homes.) and moved in in September of 2016. It was a totally blank slate-- all white walls, basic trim work, hardly any light fixtures, no window coverings-- and we have been working away for almost two years to customize it and make it our own.

We are far from finished at this point, but I felt like we turned a little corner recently, and some of the rooms have finally begun to feel like the cozy, welcoming spaces I had imagined! Come on in and take a peek!

Summer Porch Decor on a Ryan Homes Palermo, Elevation L

You can see more details of our summer porch in this post.

Shop Our Porch

Today I thought I'd primarily share the rooms our main living area, since that's the part of the house that has seen the most change over the past few months! Our living room, kitchen, and sunroom are all part of one larger space, and we spend the majority of our time at home there.

Let's start in the living room!

Neutral Living Room with Touches of Pink and Aqua Decorated for Summer, Summer Home Tour

You may have seen a little sneak peek of this room when I talked about how I decorate the shelves of our entertainment unit a few weeks ago. Of all of the rooms in our house, this one started out feeling the most stark and empty, but it is coming together now!

One of the first projects we did in the living room was to use IKEA's BESTA system + some custom trim work to create the entertainment unit around the TV. I love that it gives us some storage space, and I can also change out the decor on the shelves for each season.

Living Room with IKEA BESTA Entertainment Unit and Board and Batten, Summer Home Tour

The board and batten is a more recent addition, and I feel like it totally transformed the look of the space, along with the power of paint! The board and batten is painted Behr Marquee Cameo White, and the gray color above it is Behr Marquee Silver City (my very favorite gray paint color).

I have been wanting to find more spots to hang family pictures around our house, and the area above our love seat ended up being perfect for them.

Family Photos Hung Above the Couch on Board and Batten, Summer Home Tour

I especially love the photos of the boys because they capture their little personalities perfectly-- Connor is giving his "cool guy" look, and Caleb is being silly, per usual! 🙂

Pink and Aqua Summer Living Room Decor Ideas

I went with my usual aquas for this summer, but decided to add a few small touches of pink as well. That's about all I can get away with in my house full of boys, but I am loving the combination!

Wicker Tray Centerpiece with Lantern and Pink Peonies for a Summer Home Tour

We have IKEA's EKTORP sofa, love seat, and chair as our main seating, and I love them. They are slipcovered, so it's easy to pull off the covers and wash them-- I don't need to worry if the boys get stuff on them! I can also switch out the covers when I'm ready for a change. This set is tan, but I also have white ones that I put on to freshen up the look every once in a while.

IKEA EKTORP Couch with Kitchen in the Background, Summer Home Tour

aqua pillows- HomeGoods, left cream pillow- Hobby Lobby, right cream pillow- At Home, center floral pillow- this Etsy shop

They're cozy too! The perfect place to snuggle up and relax. 🙂

Farmhouse Living Room with Board and Batten and White Curtains

Cottage Living Room Decor, Summer Home Tour

tray- At Home, lantern, pitcher

Neutral Living Room Decor with Aqua and Pink Accents, Summer Home Tour

Shop Our Living Room

If you stand at the entertainment unit and look back toward the couch, you can also see into our kitchen...

Living Room and Kitchen Open Concept, Farmhouse Style, Summer Home Tour

This summer I decided to add some small-but-bright pops of color to our kitchen, and I think they are exactly what it needed. It's just enough to break up the white and gray palette and make the room really shine.

White Kitchen with Pops of Pink and Aqua, Summer Home Tour

rail at end of island

The walls in our kitchen were painted recently too (also Behr's Silver City), and even though it wasn't a ton of surface area, I feel like the paint really helped the space look less stark and more inviting.

We spend so much time at our kitchen island! It's big enough for four stools, so we often eat meals there as a family, and the boys also work on homework, build lego sets, and do art projects at the island. And I use it for meal prep too, of course!

Drink Dispenser on Large Kitchen Island, Summer Home Tour

Large Kitchen Island with Clear Pendant Lights

Believe it or not, this is actually the second set of pendant lights we've had in our kitchen since we moved in less than two years ago. I liked the first set, but they were a bit too dark and angular for the kitchen, so we moved them to the hallway and put in these clear glass pendants instead. It was the right move for both spaces!

Our little coffee station is still going strong! Donnie loves the coffee, and I like the pop of aqua that the coffee maker adds to the counter, so it's a win for both of us. 🙂

Coffee Station with Aqua Keurig in a White Kitchen, Summer Home Tour

corner tray- Target, old; pitchers

Cutting Boards Against Marble Subway Tile Backsplash with Pink Peonies, Summer Home Tour

Donnie brought me these gorgeous pink and white peonies and I just had to incorporate them into our tour! I just love peony season!

White Kitchen with Quartz Countertops- Caesarstone London Grey, Looking into Living Room, Summer Home Tour

Shop Our Kitchen

If you look across the island and past the sink, you can see into the sunroom, one of my favorite rooms in our house!

White Kitchen with Large Island, Quartz Countertops, Marble Subway Tile Backsplash

Neutral Sunroom with Wooden Furniture and Blue and White Ticking Striped Cushions, Summer Home Tour

blinds- we have the Bali Abaca color, curtains, furniture, rug

I gave a full tour of our summer sunroom in this post, but I wanted to give a few peeks of it here as well! This is our little spot where we escape to relax, visit with friends, or just enjoy time as a family.

Whitewashed Wooden Coffee Table in Summer Sunroom

Sunroom / Morning Room in a Ryan Homes Palermo

Shop Our Sunroom

Sunroom with Bamboo Shades and White Curtains

The sunroom is also the best place in the whole house to sit and enjoy the view of the orchard and the farmland and hills across the way, which was one of the reasons we chose this house in the first place!

Beautiful Backyard Deck and View of Orchards and Farm, Summer Home Tour

A little sneak peek of our summer deck decor! I'll be sharing the whole thing next week, so keep an eye out for that!

Well, my "little tour" ended up involving way more pictures than I expected, but I hope it gave you a glimpse of what we've been up to in our main living area these past few months!

If you'd like to see the rest of this year's summer decor, don't miss these posts:

Our Summer Porch

Summer Shelf Decor

Summer Sunroom

Summer Deck Decorating Ideas

Before you head out, be sure to pop around and visit my blog friends' beautiful homes! Laura from Inspiration for Moms is up next, and you can also catch the rest of the tours via the links below.

Sharing with me today...

Monday

The Happy Housie // Maison de Pax // Shabbyfufu // Just a Girl and Her Blog

Inspiration for Moms // Clean & Scentsible // House of Wood // Summer Adams

Sharing the rest of the week...

Tuesday

Sincerely Marie Designs // House by Hoff // Rambling Renovators
Town and Country Living // Newly Woodwards

Craftberry Bush // On Sutton Place // Designthusiasm // Zevy Joy

Wednesday

Bless'er House // Finding Silver Pennies // Rooms for Rent // Amber Tysl

Deeply Southern Home // Two Twenty One // A Burst of Beautiful // Making it in the Mountains

Thursday

The DIY Mommy // The Turquoise Home // Nina Hendrick // Home Made Lovely

So Much Better with Age // Maison de Cinq // Paint Me Pink
Southern State of Mind // Jenna Kate at Home

Thanks so much for taking the grand tour! Have a wonderful day!

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.

Filed Under: Decorating, Ryan Homes Build Tagged With: palermo, ryan homes, ryan homes palermo, summer home tour

Pin849
Share1
Tweet
Email
850 Shares
Free Printables Library at justagirlandherblog.com

Get 200+ pages of free printables!

Become one of our VIP newsletter subscribers and gain access to our exclusive free printables vault!

I want in!
Previous Post: « Free Printable Chore Charts to Help Kids Get Organized
Next Post: How to Organize Every Room of the House with Storage Bins »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Janet - shabbyfufu says

    June 11, 2018 at 7:50 am

    I'm a huge fan of all of the white Abby and you've added such beautiful seaside looking summer touches!

    Reply
    • justagirlabby says

      June 11, 2018 at 11:15 am

      Thank you so much, Janet! You are so sweet! So fun being "on tour" with you this week!

      ~Abby =)

      Reply
  2. Krista says

    June 11, 2018 at 9:54 am

    Absolutely gorgeous tour, Abby! I love how your new home has come together - it's so light and airy and welcoming! And your view is really amazing; so calm and peaceful!! So glad you could be part of this summer series, friend!

    Reply
    • justagirlabby says

      June 11, 2018 at 11:15 am

      Thank you so much for your sweet words, Krista! And thanks for keeping us all organized for this fun series!! <3

      ~Abby =)

      Reply
  3. Laura says

    June 11, 2018 at 10:46 am

    I just love all your summer touches throughout your home, Abby. Love the family pictures over the sofa too...so precious!

    Reply
    • justagirlabby says

      June 11, 2018 at 11:14 am

      Thank you so much, Laura! I'm love seeing the boys' cute faces too... but I may be a little biased! 🙂 So fun being "on tour" with you this week!!

      ~Abby =)

      Reply
  4. Jen Woodhouse says

    June 11, 2018 at 12:28 pm

    I just love how airy, welcoming, and homey your home is, Abby! All the updates you guys have done are beautiful - those pendants are perfect! And I'm still so in awe of that amazing deck!

    Reply
    • justagirlabby says

      June 11, 2018 at 8:43 pm

      Aw, thank you so much, sweet friend! Hope you have the best week! <3

      ~Abby =)

      Reply
  5. Jenna @ Jenna Kate at Home says

    June 13, 2018 at 1:06 pm

    Abby, your home is so beautiful! It's certainly not builder grade any more! The colors you have chosen are so pretty and soothing...and summery! I love everything but YOUR DECK is amazing! I'm so jealous 🙂

    xo Jenna

    Reply
    • justagirlabby says

      June 13, 2018 at 7:16 pm

      Thank you so much, Jenna! The deck is definitely going to be our favorite hang out spot this summer. Hope yours is off to an awesome start! <3

      ~Abby =)

      Reply
  6. Caitlin says

    June 13, 2018 at 1:59 pm

    Abby, I love your summer home decor, especially your bright living room! We also built our home recently and are working on adding personal touches. Your board and batten is so pretty and really gives a custom look. I'm hoping to add some in our dining room someday! Thanks for the inspiration 🙂

    Reply
    • justagirlabby says

      June 13, 2018 at 7:13 pm

      Thank you so much, Caitlin! Hope you are having a wonderful week! <3

      ~Abby =)

      Reply
  7. Jennifer Lifford says

    June 13, 2018 at 3:00 pm

    So pretty Abby! I love the board and batten in your living area - such a beautiful space to relax in. {and I totally relate to trying to fit in a little pink when you can!} Enjoy your summer with your boys! xo

    Reply
    • justagirlabby says

      June 13, 2018 at 7:11 pm

      Aw, thanks so much, sweet friend! Hope your summer is off to a great start! <3

      ~Abby =)

      Reply
  8. Danielle says

    June 14, 2018 at 5:17 pm

    Wow, you've done so much with your home. LOVE all the blue and white.

    Reply
    • justagirlabby says

      June 15, 2018 at 2:17 pm

      Aw, thank you, Danielle! Happy Friday! <3

      ~Abby =)

      Reply
  9. Jamie says

    June 14, 2018 at 11:06 pm

    Your home is so pretty, Abby. I love all your summer touches and I LOVE your sunroom.
    Hugs, Jamie

    Reply
    • justagirlabby says

      June 15, 2018 at 2:17 pm

      Thanks so much, sweet girl! Have a wonderful weekend! <3

      ~Abby =)

      Reply
  10. Daisy Lawson says

    June 15, 2018 at 4:41 am

    Your home looks just gorgeous! I love how bright is everything and your style is awesome.

    Reply
    • justagirlabby says

      June 15, 2018 at 2:15 pm

      Aw, thank you so much, Daisy! Have a great weekend! <3

      ~Abby =)

      Reply
  11. Norma says

    June 15, 2018 at 7:52 pm

    I love all the white and light blues, Abby! Your home looks so calming, relaxing and ready for summer!

    Reply
    • justagirlabby says

      June 18, 2018 at 12:43 pm

      Thanks so much, Norma! Hope your summer is off to a wonderful start! <3

      ~Abby =)

      Reply
  12. Diane says

    June 16, 2018 at 1:11 pm

    You've created such a restful and peaceful home, Abby. Everything flows together so well. And I must say that the tan sofa covers give your living room a wonderful sandy coastal feel for summer. You should be very proud of your decorating accomplishments! Well done, my friend! xo

    Reply
    • justagirlabby says

      June 18, 2018 at 12:41 pm

      You are so sweet! Thanks so much, Diane! Have a wonderful week! <3

      ~Abby =)

      Reply
  13. Laura says

    June 17, 2018 at 10:38 pm

    So beautiful Abby! Love your blues and new pictures of your family. It is all gorgeous!

    Reply
    • justagirlabby says

      June 18, 2018 at 12:39 pm

      Thanks so much, sweet friend! Have a great week! <3

      ~Abby =)

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You have to agree to the comment policy.

Primary Sidebar

Hey there, friend! I'm Abby, and I'm so thrilled you stopped by! I love working to create a beautiful, thriving home, life and business and helping others do the same.

Read my story→

Let's Connect!

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Let's Get Organized!

Impactful Habits, Organized Home organizing course | https://abbylawson.com/ihoh
Deluxe Home Binder Printables | https://www.abbylawson.com/deluxe-home-binder-printables

Stick to your fitness goals!

Deluxe Fitness Journal | https://www.abbylawson.com/deluxe-fitness-journal-printables

How to Start a Blog

How to Start a Blog: The Definitive Guide

Our Course for Bloggers

Blogging: Organized

Deluxe Blogging Binder Printables | https://www.abbylawson.com/deluxe-blogging-binder-printables

Favorite Posts

Free Printable Library | 50+ Free Organizing Printables

50+ Free Printables to Organize Every Area of Your Life

home- cozy office nook, feminine home office, organized home office, small office, decorating, farmhouse office

A Cozy Office Nook

Ryan Homes Palermo Before and After Home Tour 2.5 Years In

Before and After Home Tour: Two and a Half Year Update

Free Printable Budget Binder Cover

Budget Binder for 2021 (with FREE Printables!)

Home organization- How to Organize Every Space in Your House, declutter, organizing, small space organization

How to Organize Every Space in Your House

Student Binder Printable Organizing Pages

Printable Student Binder

Personal Posts

Breast Cancer Awareness Month My Story by Just a Girl and Her Blog

Breast Cancer Awareness Month: My Story

This girl started out knowing nothing about blogging or online business and made 6 figures last year. Time to start that blog I've been thinking about!

From Hobby Blog to Thriving Business: My Blogging Story

Archives

Post Categories

Copyright

I love it when you share! Please keep in mind that all images and text on this site are property of Just a Girl and Her Blog. Feel free to use one or two photos provided that a link back to my original post is included. Please do not remove any watermarks, crop, or edit any of my images without first obtaining written permission from me. All free printables offered are for personal use only. Pinning is always welcome and appreciated! Thank you!

Privacy Policy & Disclosures

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Read our privacy policy and disclosures →

© 2021 Twenty Three Publishing LLC