It’s officially summer! It’s basically been summer here in Texas since May, but hey…any reason to celebrate, am I right? Today, some dear friends of mine and fellow bloggers are celebrating by sharing our summer homes with you! Make sure to follow all the links at the end of this post to see everyone’s incredible spaces. Some of us are posting today and the rest will post tomorrow, Friday the 23rd, so don’t forget to check back!
We’re so excited that our friends at hayneedle.com are sponsoring this tour. It’s always an honor to work with hayneedle because I stand behind them 100%. I have a ton of their pieces in my home (everything from furniture to art) and I adore every single one. The selection at hayneedle.com is truly unmatched and if you’re on the hunt for the perfect piece for your house, I’d definitely check there first. They cover every design style and I can pretty much guarantee you’ll find something you can’t live without.
If you are following along with the tour, I’m officially your first stop so, welcome! If you haven’t been here before, I’m Hayley and this is A House With Books. My little family and I live in Fort Worth, Texas and I’m pretty obsessed with books, plants and home decor. Our home is our sanctuary and I like to keep things bright, clean and functional for our family of three (soon to be four!). I don’t have a strict design style, but you’ll see a base of traditional design with a mix of eclectic and modern pieces.
Summer is really the sweet spot around here because it’s a perfect match for my vibe…lots of plants, bright sunshine and airy spaces. Let’s start on the front porch, where I spend most mornings eating breakfast with my little girl and watering our flowers.
We spend a ton of time out here so it’s important to me that this space is fun and functional. The biggest update we made this year are our tables from hayneedle.com. Aren’t they adorable?? I love the warmth they add to this space and they are just big enough for all of our plates, cups and books that we like to bring out.
We also added a new outdoor rug from Hobby Lobby (plastic, because I can just wash it off with the water hose) and I love how grounded and comfortable it makes this area seem. It’s not a huge porch, but I’m so grateful we have it and it’s the perfect hang-out spot in our social neighborhood.
Don’t forget to shop my spaces at the end of this post. You’ll find direct links to my exact pieces or those that are very similar.
Let’s go inside, shall we?
I’m smitten with our formal entry right now, because… that sign. Isn’t it just divine? My friend Katie at Handmade Haven Sign Co. made it for me and I love its size, wisdom and tone that it sets for the entire house. A book page from my husband’s favorite author definitely lets you know what you’re in store for…
The paper cutter is vintage and usually lives here all year long, but I did bring in a new, faux friend from IKEA that I love for its funkiness and a light throw blanket from hayneedle.com keeps things cozy (…and convenient for those rare rainy, cool mornings when I get to sit on the front porch with my coffee).
Moving on to the heart of our home, the living room…
Like the rest of our house, this room was just made for summer. I love our windows that let in just enough light (unfortunately, in Texas too much light can lead to some hot summers inside) and the open, airy feel of this space.
This summer’s mantel is a favorite of mine. The painting makes me smile every time I see it and it sets the perfect tone for the entire room. I’m a neutral girl at heart, but when I do incorporate color it’s always a cool color and fluffy clouds that look like our huge Texas sky? Be still my heart.
I added a palm leaf from our Majestic Palm in the nursery to my tall seaglass vase and I wish it would last forever. The driftwood bundle is a new addition from hayneedle and I love the beachy element it adds to the room. I adore a good Cape Cod, beachy vibe in summer, but we don’t live anywhere near the beach so I always feel disingenuous if I go overboard. I think a touch of driftwood is the perfect amount of beach if you live inland like we do.
The plant on the mantle is a ZZ Plant. It’s a new baby of mine that I picked up at IKEA a few weeks ago and I’m so glad I found one because they’re extremely low maintenance. I have enough high maintenance plants in my life…
Ahem…this is Finn, the Fiddle Leaf Fig and he’s the king of the living room. Figs can be a lot of work, but they’re worth it.
Okay, anyone in need of a good nap? Let’s head to the bedroom…
Our master bedroom is a whole new space thanks to this heaven-sent rug from hayneedle.
I’ve been searching and searching for the perfect rug for this space and of course, hayneedle delivered. Let me say, I’m 8 months pregnant so I’m slightly over the top emotional, in-love with this rug. It makes my life when I step onto it in the mornings and feel like I’m stepping on a cloud…a fancy, 5 star hotel room cloud.
I’m not exaggerating, ya’ll…I still say, “ahhh” every morning (we’ve had it for two weeks) and if I’m just breezing through the room I will take off my shoes and go out of my way just to walk on it…it’s that soft. Other huge bonuses are it doesn’t shed and it’s very reasonably priced. Again, I’m in love.
Okay, I’ll try to contain myself and talk about the rest of the room. With additions like the rug, this space has truly become our haven. I also adore our new sheets from Brooklinen and I’m so grateful to wake up every morning in this fresh, bright space.
I’ve always kept it pretty simple in here, but I did recently move a piece of art that used to hang in our entryway to one of the empty walls and it compliments the plants and greenery perfectly, don’t you think? It’s the only piece of color in the whole room and I think that makes it all the more of a statement piece.
And, that’s a wrap on my Summer Home Tour! I hope you got some great ideas for your own summer sprucing and thank you so much for stopping by. I sincerely appreciate you visiting my little corner of the blog world and hope you’ll find me on Instagram if you haven’t already.
Please don’t forget to follow the tour to my friend Jordan’s home at A Blue Nest. She has some patriotic, farmhouse inspiration for you and I can’t wait for you to see her beautiful, Tennessee home. Links to all the tours and pieces from my home are below. Thank you again for stopping by and have a fantastic summer!
xoxo, Hayley
Thursday, June 22nd
Friday, June 23rd
Shop My Home
Front Porch:
Outdoor Tables (hayneedle.com)
Entryway:
Living Room:
Driftwood Bundle (hayneedle.com
Large, Tufted Ottoman (similar)
Bedroom:
*This post is sponsored and contains affiliate links, but as always, all opinions and comments are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands and shops that make my blog possible.
It’s all so perfect! So glad to have teamed up with you girls!