Hey there ‘shabbilicious’ friends… and welcome to any new friends who have popped in for the bHome ‘Summer Open House’ Tour today.
I can’t tell you how excited I am to be participating in this tour. There’s even a surprise giveaway from Painted Fox Treasures at the end of this post.
I live at the beach, so kick off your shoes and let’s take a wander and get some sand between your toes.
(beautiful Shelly Beach with an early morning sea mist this week)
If you are new here, you may not know that I live in Australia… so umm yeah, it’s not actually summer here… in fact, we are in our third week of winter!
But I’m hoping you’ll let me off, as I live in a coastal town on the east coast that is renown for having Australia’s most temperate climate. Our year round temperature ranges between 20c – 30c (68f – 86f), so we don’t really have seasons as such. It is mostly just warm, warmer or less warm…. and our ‘winter’ is very mild.
I’ve just unlocked the door and turned the sign, so come on in… we’re open!
Hmm, perhaps your first clue that our home is not your typical home.
We have a holiday resort business, so for the past 2 years, my husband and I, and our youngest daughter have lived here on the grounds.
Lots of people seem intrigued by this and want to know what it is like. It’s basically like anyone else’s home… except we have 80+ people hanging out in our back yard. Some people even think it must be very relaxing to live in a resort… (trust me, I’m not the one on holidays!!), but it is lovely living in the rainforest.
(down through the rainforest to the beach)
I’ve never shared the Resort on my blog before, so let me show you around our home.We live in a two story townhouse. It’s not my dream home… it’s not my forever home either… it’s simply the home that came with our business. It’s a basic beach house!
We live and work here every day… so we need it to be comfortable and above all, it has to function. Over the past 12 months we’ve given the whole place a budget make-over to update the look and make it more our style. I think white works so well in a hot climate.
This home is much smaller than anywhere we’ve lived before, so we have a lot of our things in storage. Living and working in a small space means you can’t afford to have clutter, so we keep it pretty simple.
There is definitely a bonus in having a storage unit – I can change the look of our home in a jiffy by sourcing all new décor from storage…
…and let’s be honest here, I’m known to do that with some frequency!
Our main living area has a shabby vintage theme, where it is all kept fairly neutral. The painted brick wall adds texture, without being too commanding. Ordinarily, we don’t have our fairy lights on during the day, but I wanted to share them with you today. Our ceilings are all timber lined with exposed beams, so attaching fairy lights is really easy. These look amazing at night!
And then there’s the elephant in the room… do we really want to discuss the modern black table. Hmm… I think not. If you are intrigued to know why that ‘thing’ is in my shabby room, you can read about it here.
The kitchen, or as I like to call it the ‘walk in pantry’ leads off of the eating nook. It’s my least favourite room in the house, but it has a little more character now, thanks to a recent make-over.
I was so totally spoilt in my last home, which had a large kitchen. Funny, I always dreamed of having a home with a scullery or extra large walk in pantry… you know, kind of beside, but separate to the kitchen.
Now-a-days, I just refer to this mini kitchen as the walk in pantry and leave people wondering where the main kitchen is [wink].
We’ve adjusted to it and as long as all 3 of us don’t try to be in there at the same time, it works just fine. If nothing else, it made me appreciate the living simple philosophy. Most of my many platters, serving bowls and a hundred or so other entertaining items are in storage… and we don’t actually miss them after all.
The black counter tops are so NOT me but when we were repainting everything in here, it seemed the perfect solution to help make that black table fit in with our décor. I do, however, love my chalkboard wall. Black and white are still a neutral background and I change out the accessories on an almost weekly basis.
I love shopping my own home… or the storage unit. When I’m feeling all neutral I stick to vintage pieces and ironstone… then other times I want a pop of cottage colour and go with GreenGate pretties.
Living opposite the beach means it is a big part of our life… so a coastal theme just seems to happen without much planning. I’m a shabby, vintage girl at heart, but we have that unavoidable coastal accent you get living opposite the beach – sand… everywhere! Plus there’s the shells, driftwood, sea glass and other ocean treasures that just seem to find their way into our home.
Currently in the lounge area I’ve got one of my shabby, vintage beach babe paintings above the seating. It sets the theme for the current look in our home and was the catalyst for my new cushion designs. These cushions are from my Beach Vintage collection.
I like the little accents of aqua amongst all the neutrals. It’s an easy to live with colour and suited to a coastal look.
Our home is rarely quiet or private. We have lots of activity going on here with happy holiday makers (vacationers for my US friends) enjoying themselves in the pool, spa, games room and on the tennis court. Excited children’s voices fill the air most days and the office attached to our home is constantly filled with guests coming and going, so I have a special place to go to (hide in) when I need some down time… it’s my craft room. While I do miss my large studio space I had before moving here, realistically, this room meets all my creative needs for now.
This is my happy place.
When I’m in here and I have my music on, I could be anywhere in the world… it’s just me and all my creative pretties.
The resort is surrounded by rainforest… we walk through it to access the beach at the front and there’s more at the rear of our property. In between we have an acre of tropical gardens, which keeps us pretty busy.
We share our home with lots of fauna… koalas, resident lizards (mostly water dragons and blue tongues), two barn owls and what sounds like a thousand kookaburras.
Night time is pretty peaceful here, with just the sound of rolling ocean waves to break the silence, but just before dawn the birds awaken and it sounds like the Amazon jungle… on crack! Boy those birds are loud.
Our home is far from perfect…. but it has a very relaxed, informal feel about it, which suits our layback Australian, outdoors and ‘beachy’ lifestyle.
Thanks for taking a wander with me today, now, dust off the sand, pop your shoes back on and head on over to visit the other delightful ladies on today’s tour.
Shabby Art Boutique
Giveaway: In thanks for being part of the bHome family already…or to welcome you today, we are giving away a $200 gift certificate to Painted Fox Treasures.
PFT has all the summer time and any time home decor we all love. It is simple to enter. Just download bHome (the app) for free and leave me a comment with your bHome username. If you are already a bHome user, just comment and include your user name. Winner will be chosen at random on June 20th and notified with a message on bHome. Android users: don’t worry! We will offer this again when you can download too! Download bHome HERE.
What an amazing week of Summer Home Tours is has been.
Monday: My Soulful Home Home Made by Carmona AKA Design On Sutton Place
Tuesday: Cedar Hill Farmhouse Garden Therapy At The Picket Fence Unskinny Boppy Miss Mustard Seed French Country Cottage Shabbyfufu
Wednesday: StoneGable Housepitality Designs Craftberry Bush Cupcakes and Crinoline Shabby Art Boutique Setting For Four A Healthy Life For Me
Thursday: Southern Hospitality Top This Top That Rooms FOR Rent Savvy Southern Style Lilacs & Longhorns Eclectically Vintage Cynthia Weber Design
Friday: Maison de Pax Buckets of Burlap Love of Home Debbiedoo’s Edith & Evelyn Inspired By Charm
Shabbilicious hugs ~ Kerryanne
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Love the WELCOME pillow, are available for purchase?
Yes Lynn. That one was my handmade original, but you can get the printed version in my Society 6 store at http://society6.com/shabbyartboutique
every time you mention the resort I get inspired. my hubby and I would love to turn our carriage house into a B&B. Perhaps I should come and sit by the pool and talk to you about it . Happy Day sweet friend down under.
Come on down under Laura and let’s sit by the pool and talk all day. I think my next life adventure will be downsizing to a B&B… you get to meet the most amazing world travellers in this business. 🙂
Your tour was a fantastic way to start my day. The charm and whimsy of your styling skills makes me happy. I really can’t imagine anyone coming into your home not smiling! The photos are all great but I had to stop and go back to the ingenious script detail on the drawer fronts… CLAPPING!! I love that idea and I am stealing it the first chance I get! 😉
Thank you Cynthia. I love the script drawer fronts too. I first saw it in a Scandinavian home and knew I had to have something like it for my ‘walk in pantry’…. makes an otherwise plain kitchen a little more interesting! 🙂
Thanks for sharing in the summer home tour even though you are officially in winter. Love your pretty style.
Thank you for visiting Kim. Winter is pretty nice here today… I’ve just returned from my morning walk at the beach in a t.shirt, so no complaints. 🙂
Kerryanne…I think that you are really living the dream there and what an amazing place to live! Wanna swap? 🙂 xx, Janet
Oh Janet… I’d never give up my beach lifestyle or Australia, but let’s visit each other 🙂 I know I’d love to be in your shabbilicious home xx
LOVE!!!! This is the best post!!! So nice to get a little glimpse of your life and your beautiful, beachy, vintage home! KerryAnne, I bet you are one busy gal. I don’t know where you have the time to blog! Heading to Australia is on my bucket list! You make is sound so magical!!! Thanks for giving us a tour of your wonderful part of the world!
Thank you for visiting my home Yvonne. I’ve never shared the resort on my blog before… I’ve sort of kept it separate to my own blog business, but in reality my two worlds collide every day. Without a word of a lie, we work 12 – 15 hour days here, 7 days a week. I wouldn’t be able to keep Woodberry Designs and Shabby Art Boutique running if it wasn’t for the support of my wonderful family. I hope you do get to visit Australia one day and come by and visit me of course 🙂
Thank you for sharing your home tour! You have really added your special touches. I especially love the chalkboard wall area.
Eilis@MyHeartLivesHere
Thank you for visiting Eilis. I love my chalkboard wall too… it’s perfect for a small kitchen because it’s a notepad, organiser and storage area all rolled into one. 🙂
What a majical home and property you have!! I don’t know how you get much work done surrounded by such natural beauty- I’d be distracted constantly lol!! Love all of your decorating touches – your home is so cozy and inviting. I’d love to come visit and see it all in person!! 🙂 Pinning!
The welcome mat is out for you Heather.. any time! We are very lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the world and yes, I do get distracted…. often!! My weakness is Koalas – we have 4 in the grounds currently and we’ve watched a mamma rearing her joey for the past 6 months, which has been adorable. Thanks for visiting my little part of Australia 🙂
Your tour is fabulous! You have some very clever ideas, beautiful decor and great vignettes. You gave me some ideas and inspiration!
Thank you for visiting Debbie and having a wander around my home. I think I get ideas every time I visit a blog of a bHomer 🙂
Great post while enjoying my cup of tea..your home is lovely
bhome username: ginette4
Loved the tour, so whimsical. Thanks for openin gup your home!
Kerryanne! Loved going behind the scenes at Shelly Beach & inside your lovely home. Gosh has it been two years already! Love it all!
Thank you for including my home in the bHome Summer Tour Kelly. I’ve enjoyed seeing all the inspirational homes on the tour. Yes, coming up 2 years here and the time has absolutely flown by. I wish life would slow down a bit 😉
I so enjoyed reading about your home. I love your decorating style especially your beaches things. The pictures are absolutely enchanting. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for taking the tour with me Jeanie 🙂
I thoroughly enjoyed this tour and seeing the behind the scenes. Thank you so much…xo
Thanks for visiting my little part of the world Lucy xx
Lovely home – the stenciled utensil drawers is BRILLIANT!! When is the garden tour!? Sign me up!!
Thank you for visiting and taking the tour Stephanie. I’m sure you’d appreciate our garden… my only gripe is that it is never all looking perfect at the same time. We start at one end and work our way through the resort and by the time we reach the other end, we need to start back at the beginning again. Having such a temperate climate with sub-tropical moisture means our garden thrives all year round.
Your home is beautiful, Kerryanne, and, I love that photo of you.
Thank you for visiting the tour Rosemary and how sweet of you to comment on my photo. I rarely publish photos of myself… in fact, I hate having my photo taken and feel very self conscious sharing them. I must have been feeling outrageous on that day 😉
Hugs xx
Such a beautiful space. Love all the splashes of color in your kitchen! Excited to be on this tour with you!
xo Michael
Thank you for visiting ‘down under’ Michael and checking out my beach abode. It’s been a fabulous and inspiring tour, that’s for sure! Hugs xx
Your home and surroundings are absolutely beautiful, just like you, Kerryanne! I showed my youngest son the koala that you share your property with and he wants to move there. It was wonderful being on the first bHome tour with you. hugs, mb
Aww… thank you Mary Beth. I do love the koalas. We have 4 here on the grounds at present, but they are high up in the gum trees. School holidays start here tomorrow, so I think they will stay put up nice and high and away from the noise and activity. I loved the tour too xx