Patriotic Summer Cottage
Last year, when I redesigned my living room space, I wanted to go with a simple, neutral palate to allow for me to adapt the room to the seasons. My first “season” that I really designed for was summer. Going with a patriotic theme felt right because Memorial Day and Fourth of July fall in such close proximity together.
I was inspired to decorate in in patriotic decor mostly because I was throwing my son’s first birthday party in May, and I wanted the house to match the theme: Red, White, and Two (how clever is that?!).
My mantle was my starting point. This is in what I affectionately call my “fireplace room” as it’s essentially a second living room, but we don’t really use it all that often. What do people call a room like that? Parlor seems stuffy and reminiscent of days of old (and not in an endearing way).
The design theme of this room is Old Florida. The decor, colors, and general vibe of the room celebrate the areas of Florida overlooked by the tourist industry. Because the mantle needed to blend in with the surrounding decor, I kept the red toned down to a minimum.
I had created a chalkboard shortly beforehand, so I wanted that to anchor the space. I worked outward, trying to incorporate a variety of textures and sizes in order to get the feel right.
About three years ago, my mom gave me a vintage George H.W. Bush for President sign. It’s honestly one of my favorite gifts, but I don’t really have a permanent place to display it. My patriotic theme seemed perfect for giving it a prominent spot on my mantle.
When I graduated from high school, mom gave me an old 1965 Florida Press license plate. At the time, I was an accomplished high school journalist on my way to the University of Florida to pursue a degree in journalism. The license plate followed me through two dorms, two college apartments, and two post-college houses before I purchased my cottage. It’s really special. What could be more patriotic than celebrating one of the freedoms guaranteed in the First Amendment: Freedom of the Press?
I rounded out the space with an old red, white and blue Life soda bottle that my brother gave me a few years ago and fill it with a few handheld flags I found at Target. I stuck a couple red candles into some mismatched candle holders to give a little visual variety to the space as well.
The mantle isn’t bursting at the seam with activity. Honestly, I’m at a place in my design life where less is more. Because of that, I wanted to celebrate that premise by keeping it simple.
In my neutral living room, I visited JoAnn Fabrics to secure some fabric for my husband to create pillow covers. I refuse to buy new pillows for each season, so he graciously sews new covers when the Spirit moves me to change it up. I threw an old wool red and blue blanket onto the back of the couch to finish.
On my coffee table (an old chicken coop, actually), I wanted to also keep it simple. I found a neat faux vintage iron tray that I filled with red white and blue vintage books, a succulent, a couple American flags, and a few candles for height. It was clean and crisp, everything I love to celebrate about summer.
As much as I loved my patriotic touches, it will be hard not to replicate the decor whole-cloth next year.
