Country Modern

We thought we'd share the photos we recently used to to add a little country flavor to the styling of an ultra modern home. My favorite is this one of the motel just off the highway, riverfront. Yes, I made the husband stop the car so I could take a picture when I spotted it (those "motel" letters are yellow, how could I not?). I also couldn't resist getting a bit of the road sign in there for the graphic punch and to illustrate the "side of the road" location of this motel. Doesn't it look great hanging in this modern space?

And the bull, of course (he had me a bit on edge to be honest. How do you gauge mood on a face like that?).

Gorgeous scenery for miles... plus a great rustic fence.

 

 And a fabulous old barn. Classic Americana.

A little creative cropping also helped to give these images a fresh, edgy feel (each was cropped into a vertical 8x10 to fit the frames). We love finding beauty in the simple things, and the fact that these locations are near and dear to our hearts make these photos even more meaningful.

Modern Cottage mailbox

Love at first sight. To make it perfectly Modern Cottage, I'd paint the flag pale blue or white. Can you imagine??

Modern loft-style office

We recently styled a truly exceptional modern home and one of my favorite spaces is this unassuming little office nook at the landing of the upper level. The desk is from Crate and Barrel and it came with traditional-style oval knobs. A quick hardware swap and it feels much more stylish and mod. The art is comprised of a simple white metal frame with a photo of a contemplative bull taken a few summers back at my uncle's property in Salmon, Idaho (a stop on our road trip).

We mixed a bit of country modern into this home with additional framed photos from our trip and other decorative elements which we used in unconventional ways (like these vintage French fruit crate lids as an art installation). It added a lot of warmth and character and nicely contrasted the modern details and finishes in the home; the juxtiposition is both interesting and playful.

Of course we were sold instantly when we saw these lids with the black printed numbers (finds from treaure hunting :) Sometimes unexpected pairings give the best results!

Happy workspace

We decided recently to freshen up our office. It had become a bit cluttered and messy, and just wasn't a place we looked forward to using. So I did a super edit! Anything that wasn't serving a purpose or that simply felt busy/distracting/clutter-y, I found a new home for. I also plan to have a long shelf added in the closet for easy access to papers and such that require immediate attention, and this way they won't stack up on my desk! And I got the husband one of these cool boxes from Container Store for his desk, so that when he's done working for the day, he can stow any papers and notes inside and have an instantly cleared off desk. And he uses it! Bonus. I mentioned wanting to create a little collection above my desk here, and this is how it turned out. We rigged the two-photo hinged frame to hang vertically and think it's really fun this way. A couple of similar but not matchy frames keep it fresh. And the mossy piece of 'art' was a little project we completed a few years ago (husband couldn't believe I'd never used a hot glue gun :) Unusual? Sure... but you know us, we're all about green (you may recall seeing it here at our old house). Now we love working in here and instantly feel more sane organized. Got to take advantage of that organizational energy when inspiration strikes! Hope your workspace is happy, too :)

Treasure hunting

We finally made it out to our favorite antiques gallery with baby...and it only took nine months! Nonetheless, we made it- that's what counts, right? We had some specific items in mind for an upcoming project, but it's always fun to browse, too. Here are some of the things that caught our eye (brace yourselves for a lot of galvi! :)

First up (above) is this vintage nesting box displayed as functional wall storage. Love for a  mudroom or entry. Totally unique piece.

Also this great old olive bucket. Love the shape of the holes and as well as the handles which provide a little contrast.

Rustic pendant lights. Lots of possibilities...

This made us smile: A lamp made from an old water tank. The price tag made us smile, too: $878!!

Set of four cool white retro chairs. Love these as dining chairs or even just one as a casual desk chair. Great for outside, too.

I was instantly drawn to this tote of vintage bulbs. The display felt beautiful and scupltural to me. And interesting!

Giant 3x5 galvi panel. We'd use it like a piece of art. Though it weighs about 60 pounds!

Rad old windmill tail. Really wanted to grab this but just don't have a place for it.  Probably gone by now, but at least I have this picture...

After lots of perusing, our little guy fell asleep on Dad, while the gallery staff oohed and ahhed over the darling sleeping baby (he is pretty darling, sleeping or awake :) Afterwards we stopped by the waterfront near the Space Needle to soak up some sun and enjoy the fountain. It was a fun day - and definitely a milestone for us as parents since it wasn't so many months ago in our newborn fog that we were entirely convinced we'd never make it back to this place again.

Clock love

We've been on the lookout for a great wall clock for a little while now, but without much luck. The more modern styles for some reason tend to feel a little tacky to me, and a couple of the more classic ones we already own are feeling not quite modern enough. What I really want is something vintage-looking with a modern feel. Well, I discovered this today. I am still trying to figure out how it's 7" in depth! And at 22" wide, it's definitely a statement piece. I'd love it if it were a bit smaller (that goes for the price, too :)  But it otherwise fits the bill perfectly, right down to the printing on the face.

Modern Cottage picnic

It's been ages since we went on a picnic, but this past Mother's Day, we did just that! It was a gorgeous sunny day and so nice to just relax on a blanket by the lake with some yummy snacks.

It got me wanting to have more picnic afternoons, and these items would be so perfect...

From top: Martha Stewart melamine dishware, waterproof blanket from Etsy, cooler and flatware from Crate and Barrel, and a tasty-looking turkey caprese sandwich recipe also from Martha. Now I just need to hunt down a great beach umbrella!