Fall Home Tour

FallHomeTourFrenchGardenHouse

Autumn. Fall. No matter what you call it, I’ve never met one I didn’t love. By the time September comes, I am more than ready to add just a few autumn decorative touches to our home. Please come in! I decorated a little later than usual because summer seems to want to hang on here. I’m sorry that it’s still so hot, but don’t let that stop you from enjoying a hot cup of your favorite Pumpkin flavored coffee or tea.

AutumnTourfrontgarden

I think our newly planted “Provence” front garden is doing so nicely. We have such a drought here, that we removed our front lawn last year, and planted all drought resistant plants around a gravel center. I chose Little Ollie’s, several types of Lavender, Rosemaries, and Silver Sheen trees. The Salvia Leucantha is providing a great amount of color in our mostly green garden. This is where we sit in the early morning, cup of coffee in hand, to read a devotion, read emails, and get ready for the day.

welcome

I love decorating, although I don’t do as much as I used to when our children were younger. These days, I mostly add natural elements such as pumpkins, and potted mums to welcome the season. I “dress up” our antique collection in autumn colors. Please come in…I’d love to show you around.

Frontentry

This is our small demilune table in the entrance. It holds a faux potted Linden tree that is close to my heart, since our first granddaughter is named Linden. Vintage Scrabble letters spell out “bonjour”, the hand holds an antique sterling hat brush engraved with “Fifth Street Store.” The bowl with antlers is one of my favorite antique brown transfer ware pieces I bought in England.

halltablefgh

From the entry, you step down into the living room. It has the most amazing light, it’s why I fell in love with this house, the back wall is floor to ceiling windows that bathe this room in light during the day. This is where we might sit and have a drink, coffee or tea. If it’s cold enough, there will be a fire in the fireplace.

FGHLivingroom

Our fall mantel. I keep things fairly simple on the mantel, a few velvet pumpkins in an antique marble bowl from Italy, perched on a huge antique French book, a silver trophy holds pheasant feathers. I still need to add small votives, I love the glow of candlelight in the fall. {Everything and everyone looks better with candlelight!}

 

Fallmanteldetail

The santos usually wears an ex voto, for fall he wears a little garland of bittersweet.

FGHsantos

I’m searching for the perfect sofa that is linen, but child and dog proof { I know! I know!!} for the living room. We’ve always had white or off white sofas, even when our children were really small. This one is almost at it’s end..the slipcovers have been bleached to an inch of their life. That little green square behind my pumpkin in the provence planter on the table? It’s an antique children’s chair. At our house, children have tea parties on the coffee table at regular intervals. {The antique French basket under the bench holds toys.} Just because our home is filled with antiques doesn’t mean that our family can’t live and play here.

FGHcoffeetable

Here are two little autumn details in the living room. A little potted pumpkin keeps our antique etchings company on the wall to the left of the fireplace.

smallpottedpumpkin

and this 19th century transferware ink pot is perfect to hold my dried hydrangeas, don’t you think?

antiqueinkpot

Although I love the living room, I have to be honest and tell you that most of the time, if you come here, I will take you into our large kitchen. Our big table is right in the center, and this is where I will most likely sit with you to talk, and feed you scones from the oven or a macaron and great big bowls or cups of cafe au lait. I have had many business “meetings” here too, sales reps, antique dealers, magazine editors, all of them usually end up sitting here with me at the table. I am not an exceptionally great cook, but I do think sharing a meal, or at least a hot drink and “something to go with it” is the perfect way to get to know someone.

FgHKitchen

For this table setting, I layered my Wedgwood Cream Edme Plates with French green majolica plates. I collected the Wedgwood Edme service over years and years – as a young wife and mother, I asked for a few plates, tea cups or cream soups for every birthday or Christmas. The linen napkins are my new favorites, they are embroidered with a beautiful monogram in taupe.

FgHKitchen2

The centerpiece is an antique French wood garden trug I filled with hydrangeas and pumpkins. A few faux antlers I’ve had for years, candles that smell like autumn pears, and I’m ready for a fun dinner with friends.

FgHKitchencenterpiece

 

I am kind of secretly in love with this pig. My family is not convinced that he is a keeper, but other than switching him out (maybe!) for the holidays for a deer head with gilded antlers, he is here to stay, because there is something charming about him that I love.

FgH Kitchenpig

The pig will soon be available in my shop, I love him that much, and I’m pretty sure you will too! {edited on 9/29/2015: He’s going fast!! Estate Stone Pig }

FgHKitchenchair

FGHkitchensink

Every season I freshen up the kitchen with a few new towels, this year I was so excited to find these Bon Appetit towels. They are all linen, with black embroidery. {if I don’t keep all of them for moi, these will be available in the shop too!} The highchair was bought for our first daughter, I painted it black for our grandchildren to use. I might take the “table” part off later to keep it as a handy stool.

FGHKitchenseating area
The other side of the kitchen looks like this. It is supposed to be the dining area. But we have a seating area, an antique French armoire and the television there instead. That way I am still part of the action while cooking, since this is where our family loves to be!

fghkitchenseat

 

A little autumn decorating makes this antique tea set fit right in with the season!

fghkitchendetail

and the chalkboard in the kitchen wearing its banner for autumn.

chalkboardFGH

 

 

I hope you have enjoyed this little tour of our home! Wait, just a few more things to show you before you leave.

frenchMajolicacollection

A tall armoire filled with antique French majolica on display. The colors are beautiful, all the greens, browns, golden yellows and purples make this collection perfect for autumn.

frenchMajolicacollection2

 

fghplacemarker

guestbathroomFGH

The guest bathroom gets just a little autumn color, a nest filled with eggs and fall soaps, and an antique squirrel. {along with pigs, I have a thing for squirrels..although we have two very pesky squirrels in our back garden this year that I’m not always a fan of ~ they screech at Bentley, our labrador!}

Guestbathdetail

 

I’m so happy you were here to visit!  I hope you come back, I’ve loved having you. You can take a peek in the back garden before you go….

AutumnSwanFGH
AutumnTourbackgarden

 

I hope this fall tour has inspired you, and maybe given you some easy ideas you can do at home! Are you decorating for autumn, or are you already done?

Please leave me a comment to let me know. Soon, I will have an exciting give away to share with all of you! I hope you will sign up to get my blog posts via email in the little box above right so you won’t miss it.

Happy Weekend!

 

38 thoughts on “Fall Home Tour”

  1. Caroline

    Wow, I have so loved taking your tour! Thank you, I’m inspired to decorate at home. This weekend I can do some of the things you’ve shared in your home. Happy weekend, Lidy!

  2. Allison

    Thank you, Lidy! I LOVE your home!! I love all white with just special things different colors. What color are your walls? You have displayed your “things” with such good taste and graciousness. We will always have a small house wherever we are so I need to use the white to show whatever space we have. Love it! Thanks!!

    1. Allison, thank you so much for your kind compliment. I love white, or neutrals. The color on our walls is Grey Owl by Benjamin Moore, it’s a soft grey. It is a little darker than how it looks in these photos, and is the perfect background for all my neutrals.

  3. Oh, Lidy! I loved your home tour, no wonder we connected so quickly! I felt at times I was looking into a space in my own home. I do know California has suffered with such a drought but your front garden is exquisite! Thank you for sharing
    Happy Atumn to you!

    Pam

    1. Thanks so much Pam! I am so happy with our front garden, when the lawn was taken out, I had a moment of “oh oh…that’s going to be a whole lot of gravel”, but it is growing in so nicely. I love it! And – ulterior motive – it makes me feel less guilty for watering my rose and hydrangea filled back garden.

  4. Thank you for sharing, loved your home I love to decorate just like that, such a joy to see~Happy Fall to you and everyone else~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  5. nancy el

    pretty sure i’d love the pig. been looking for something for ages.. he looks so authentic and charming.. could i pre order him? if so let me know the price.. so i don’t bite off more than i can chew..

    i love the little urns i ordered from last year and am getting ready to put them out..

    hope you are not suffering too much from the heat..your friend Nancy

  6. What a pretty tour! I love the red of the chairs and that chalkboard is AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!

    Happy day friend!
    karianne

  7. Vicki Chrisman

    Oh Lidy….. SO beautiful!!! I went thru all the photos time and time again. Just stunning! Sharing your link in my blog post

    1. Thanks so much, friends! Vicki, thank you for sharing, too. xo

  8. Your home is just gorgeous! I love how it is full of antiques, but it feels welcoming and comfortable.

    I love your squirrel! I have a thing for squirrels, too! I have a couple of lamps I had made out of ceramic squirrel figurines!

  9. Love, love , just love every inch…Next time, lots more pics, never can have too many pictures of perfection!!

  10. Sheila

    Very inspiring and beautiful. Think I will do some fall decorating. Great job…thanks for sharing.

  11. Loved it all. It is just beautiful. I especially love your red pillows on sofa. Thanks for getting me motivated!

  12. Mary J Cunningham

    Thank you for sharing such beautiful rooms in your French inspired home! Such gorgeous décor & cozy garden. So inspiring & motivates me to get busy with my autumn decorating. Loved it all!

  13. Nancy Pianfetti

    Dear Lidy, As usual, your home looks absolutely exquisite!!!! You certainly surround yourself with things you love which is obvious in the way you speak about your home!!! My grandchildren are older now, but oh my, how they loved tea parties!!! They were two little boys who would flood the coffee table with their “tea” (plain water, thank goodness) and have everyone in the family join in…such fond memories!
    Enjoy your beautiful Autumn setting and may the aromas of Autumn fill your home…ahhhh, Pumpkin everything!!!
    Take care,
    Nancy

    1. Dear Nancy, thank you so much for your kindest compliments! I love those tea parties, and love that you have such fond memories of them, too. Happy Autumn, friend.

  14. I really enjoyed your Fall home tour! I love all the antiques in your home, don’t you love decorating with them? The Fall touches are reall nice too! I vote ms. Piggy stays!

    1. Thank you Angelina! And thank you for voting for Mr. Pig….he’s a keeper!

  15. Lidy, your home is really beautiful and I love all your fall decor. I am so glad to hear that you raised your kids in the thick of all the antiques. I’ve never believed in putting things out of the way. The kids have to learn. I have two plateaus like you show in your bath. That is really a great way to display them..Happy Weekend..Judy

    1. Thank you Judy, so nice to see you here. I hope you have a beautiful weekend, too!

  16. Hello Lidy! This was such a visual treat! Your pictures have inspired me to get busy bringing some natural elements into my home for fall. I’m slow in doing it this season but a trip to the farmer’s market is planned for tomorrow afternoon.

    From the first pictures of your Provence courtyard that is a perfect place for beginning the day with your devotions to the peeks into your garden, I enjoyed your fall tour so much. I especially loved seeing your kitchen as we have a table instead of an island in ours so I’m constantly looking for how others handle this. It’s so convenient, I love an eat-in kitchen, and yet my own so quickly becomes a catchall or work space. I need to set mine as pretty as yours and then it wouldn’t become a place to put down the mail, etc.!

    I am going to enjoy exploring your lovely blog, and oh yes, I hope the pig is a keeper. He is so stately!
    Dewena

    1. Thank you Dewena! Mr. Pig is staying…because I’m the cook, that’s why! 🙂

  17. Just lovely, I could sit right down at your pretty table and have dinner, I so enjoy seeing all your nice things and get so much joy seeing everything you have and so well placed, hope one day to visit your shop, your home is so inviting and cozy and warm, Happy Holidays.
    Jean, Ca~~~~~~~~~~~

  18. Thanks so much, Jean, it would be lovely to have a dinner with all our blogging friends, wouldn’t it? I don’t actually have a “brick and mortar” shop, my online shop is where I sell all my curated goods. 🙂

    Hope you have a beautiful weekend!

  19. Marilyn

    I try to have something French in each room of my Home; a desk in the Master BR; Limoges plates & Crystal bowls in the Dining Room;
    Fr. Blue in the Guest Room; a coral tablecloth in the Family room; and a beautiful high back Louis XVI chair for my Husband in the Living Room. I can’t forget the Rooster in the Kitchen, too.

    Thank you for your beautiful inspirational photos & products!

    1. Marilyn, it sounds like you have created a beautiful home!

  20. Lidy: Thank you so much for the tour of your beautiful home. I have become a copy cat…. Just had the large country sink put in. (Also put in a plate rack to show off my blue/white china) Love the Bon Appetit towels. Nancy

  21. I would love to know your paint colours in your dining room (greige & white) and the finish you used. Merci en avance!

  22. Just seeing “grey owl” by Benjamin Moore. What about the white paint?looks just beautiful

  23. Kathi Bonney

    Thank you for sharing…truly a beautiful and warm inviting home…

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