vintage style, cottage living, home cooking
Hello my friends! And Happy Housewarming!
I don’t know about you, but I have a lot of friends who are moving into a “new to them” home. It is sad to see a friend move. And I don’t like good-byes. But I do like to give them house warming gifts. Nothing fancy, and not necessary, but easy and fun.
This is a sample of what we gave to our kids right after Christmas. They were moving into a college town apartment, sight unseen.
*This post was updated January 2026.
I am really lucky that my friends know my taste. When one of my friends was moving, she gave me this beach beach-which I love!! Since then, I have given this beach bench a makeover again, and again, and again!!
When my friend gave me the beach bench, it was natural. That didn’t last long-when I was going through an “everything red” phase, I painted her red. She looked lovely on our front porch. I smiled every time I saw her.
We then moved into a different home. I got on a kick when I really wanted to see this bench in lime green-and so it was. Again, looking great with plants and a few pillows on our front porch.
We have since moved into a condo. There isn’t a large enough front porch to hold my beach bench. So, I set her out on our balcony. It is a nice balcony, but still not enough room to sit back and enjoy my beach bench.
And I also changed her color once again!! This time: BHG Teal Lake. Love it!!
Since there really wasn’t enough room on the balcony, I decided to bring her in.
I gathered items to make a “reading nook”. I found the bench cushion at Pier 1 to blend with my new colors. She looks happy, don’t you think??
Well, she lasted in that spot for about a year, and now she has found her final home at the foot of our bed.
The cushion was getting faded and worn, so I covered the cushion with an antique quilt from Hubby’s dad. I also added a pillow (another Pier 1 item) that was inspiration for all the blues now in our home. The beach bench still looks great inside and is perfect when Hubby puts his shoes on for the day.
Do you move or change your furniture as much as I do?? I have fun painting and moving items around. Especially my beach bench makeover again, and again, and again!!
Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you have been inspired to paint or move your furniture around. The awesome thing is, if you don’t like it-you can always change it back!!
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Make it a terrific Thursday!!
Blogs I like to link with: Its Overflowing I Should Be Mopping The Scoop Coastal Charm Kammy’s Korner Elizabeth & Co Alderberry Hill Shaken Together Home Stories A2Z 504 Main Lil Luna Savvy Southern Style From My Front Porch LiveLaughRowe House of Hepworths Whipperberry DIY Showoff Happy Hour Projects Ginger Snap Crafts No Minimalist Here White Lights On Wednesday 52 Mantels {Primp} Made In A Day Craftionary At The Picket Fence French Country Cottage The Dedicated House Creations By Kara Redoux Debbie Doos The DIY Dreamer My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia The 36th Avenue Funky Junk Becoming Martha Knock Our Socks Off Monday Funday Project Inspired
When we moved into a condo with white walls, I wasn’t really liking it at all. It was too stark and felt unfinished. Since most of my furniture was dark wood and deep reds, I was looking for something to compliment the white walls rather that “fight” with them.
I started looking online about different styles and colors to blend with my white walls. After looking and getting a feel for what I liked other than reds and dark wood, I decided to not “fight” the white walls but work with them.
My first project was painting my bookshelf. It had a cherry stain and is made of pine. I painted it with a flat white paint found at the “Oops” table of Home Depot for $1. SCORE!! After painting it all white, I decided I did want some color. So I only painted the front and sides a light blue. Now it stands out against the wall and blends with my new decor.
When I bought the coffee table, it was black. I used primer, white paint, a color called Summer Sonnet by Ace Hardware. I found a simple stencil for my table to add a little pizzaz.
This is a view from our coffee table. You can see that I have added layers and textures, so the white is more appealing.
This is our tiny dining area. I am getting use to the lighter colors now and enjoy finding accent pieces that will fill our home with color against the white walls.
I stayed with the dark decor on this piece. It was made by my grandfather. I love all the chips and dings in it. By adding books, a lamp, flowers and a wooden box, adds to the texture and feel of our white walls.
The antique cupboard was silver and has been made over a few times. I choose to paint it with 3 colors: Antique White, Turquoise Mist by Olympic, and Hint of Olive by Ace Hardware. After it was painted, I added a few stencils once again for character. Using sandpaper I roughed up all the edges. It now stands out and it is a great piece for added color. I made a garland from book pages and twine for the front of the cupboard.
In our bedroom, I decided to go with a more vibrant color than the light blues, greens and antique white. By adding various pillows there is eye appeal and comfort. The furniture was my grandparents, made in the 40s. With a maple stain they just looked “old”. I used Turquoise Mist by Olympic with a dry brush to give them new life. The drawers are painted antique white.
My headboard is actually a screen. The green works well with the rest of the room. The coffee filters hanging on the “headboard” are decorations from our son’s wedding.
At the foot of our bed, we have a beach bench painted with BHG Teal Lake. It is covered with an antique quilt. The pillow is from Pier1. The shelf is painted with the same white that I used on the book shelf in the living room. I filled it with shells and mementos from beach trips around the world. I also like the monograms for more texture. The mirror is painted with various colors that I have previously mentioned. Leaning in the corner are an antique umbrella and bamboo cane.
My solution for living with white walls: Embrace it. Find a new look that fits your lifestyle. Accent the white with textures, depth and character. Besides all that. You will get to take everything with you when you move!!
Thanks for stopping by today!! I hope you come back again very soon!!
Learn to live with white walls without fighting it.
Also visit me on: Pinterest Facebook Hometalk Google + Stumble Upon Bloglovin’ twitter Instagram
Make it a great day!
Blogs I like to link with: Its Overflowing I Should Be Mopping The Scoop Coastal Charm Kammy’s Korner Elizabeth & Co Alderberry Hill Shaken Together Home Stories A2Z 504 Main Lil Luna Savvy Southern Style From My Front Porch LiveLaughRowe House of Hepworths Whipperberry DIY Showoff Happy Hour Projects Ginger Snap Crafts No Minimalist Here White Lights On Wednesday 52 Mantels {Primp} Made In A Day Craftionary At The Picket Fence French Country Cottage The Dedicated House Creations By Kara Redoux Debbie Doos The DIY Dreamer My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia The 36th Avenue Funky Junk Becoming Martha Knock Our Socks Off
