I opened my computer yesterday for the first time in two weeks. It was a painful experience, but regardless of the amount of unanswered emails in my inbox, the break was absolutely worth it. We flew our little family to Florida and it was the best (okay, maybe our first official) family vacation ever! We stayed with family that we miss like crazy. We went to Disney World and watched the girls eyes light up for hours on end.
We went to the beach. We went swimming. We stayed up late talking and eating. It was all so therapeutic. Now we are back and shooting all the cookbooks (eee!!) and the hours are a little whacky–taste testing food at 11:30pm is not always glamorous–but I didn’t want another day to go by without checking in here; it’s been too long!
Before we left on vacation, as in the day before we left, we got a new rug in the reading room! This room has had me stumped in the rug department since we moved here. It’s a mostly rectangular room, but then it has a rounded wall of windows. Awhile ago, I threw down an old geometric 5×8 we had from our previous home’s guest room, but the rectangle shape left a lot of room near the curved wall. I thought a round rug would be perfect, but they all looked too round for the slightly curved shape of the room. I started looking into irregular shaped rugs online for our irregular shaped room and came across a few cowhides and it all just clicked. I love a good cowhide!
I landed on this Loloi one from AllModern. Although it is synthetic, it is so incredibly soft! It’s Faye’s new favorite place to lay her little head. I don’t have a rug pad under it right now and it seems to be laying flat and staying put. In real life the browns are mixed with some gray and cream and the color pattern isn’t at all distracting like some hides can be. It was the perfect solution in this odd shaped room.
I am doing that annoying blogger thing by not giving you a pulled back shot of the room, aren’t I. Guilty. Chris was completely on board as long as it doesn’t end up looking “too Jacksonhole” in here. So, I brought in a few modern elements (a desk! a coffee table!) that I’ll share later this week, too. We are still opening packages that arrived while we were gone–which, unlike hundreds of emails, is a very fun thing to come home to. :)
Our wood grain Shaker cabinet fronts were designed for busy, high-traffic homes like ours. Clad with durable textured thermofoils, this line is compatible with Sektion, Akurum, Godmorgon, and Besta cabinets from IKEA. It's the perfect, practical way to add the warmth of wood to all the rooms of your home.
We have teamed up with Loloi to create a line of rugs that are as affordable as they are beautiful. This collection houses a great mix of traditional and modern rugs, in cottage-y colorways, as well as vintage-inspired beauties that you’ll want to roll out in every room.
We partnered with Stuga on a line of hardwood floors — The Ingrid is really livable, and the color is very neutral. It doesn’t lean warm or cool, it’s that just right in-between. We have really loved putting it everywhere in our house. It’s the best jumping-off point for design, no matter your interior style. In addition to being beautiful, Ingrid is really durable — we have three kids, and we always have a home construction project going on. Ingrid stands up to it all.
SHop all
Looking for our favorite things? A place to shop our home room by room, or just catch up on what Julia's wearing / loving right now? Browse the CLJ shop.
Befores, afters, mood boards, plans, failures, wins. We’ve done a lot of projects, and they’re all here.
We have a long-standing relationship with DIY, and love rolling our sleeves up and making it happen.
Even when you don’t want to rip down a wall, you can make that space in your home better. Right now.
The next project we’re checking off our 2023 project list is the mudroom! This used to be the laundry room until we built out a much bigger, better laundry room upstairs. So, in the meantime, this space has been exclusively Cricket’s room. Cricket will still have a special space here, but we’re transforming this dingy […]
We've been doing this since 2009 and we've posted a whopping 24145+ blog posts and counting. You might need a little help searching, huh?
Another way for us to stay in touch! Joining our weekly newsletter gives you access to exclusive content, never-before-seen photos, your questions answered, and our favorite DIYs. Sign up below!
Welcome to our online community where we've posted home, DIY, style, renovations, and family since '09. Renovating our #cljmoderncottage in Idaho and headed for new adventures in Raleigh, NC. #cljfam #cljtransformations
Links
Get Around
Make yourself right at home
Portfolio
Design
Casual Friday
Projects
Lifestyle
Gift Guides
All Posts
Shop
Where are your shoes from? Are they comfortable for walking?
Rachel,
Here! http://www.vans.com/shop/washed-authentic-slim-cream-true-white They are so comfortable, I wear them almost every day. Chris was not too happy he wore flip flops to Disney and I felt guilty that my feet didn’t hurt at all.
How’s this for a small world.
I have that same candle holder that’s on your bottom shelf that I bought from a little homewares store in Melbourne Australia where I live. where is your one from?
Small world indeed!!! Ours is from Lulu & Georgia
welcome back, glad you had a good time, and just had to say that Chris’s Jackson Hole comment is hilarious. :)
Florida is a dream, huh!? Still mourning that we weren’t able to see each other, but the timing just wasn’t the best…for either of us :-( Glad y’all had fun! and that cowhide! Swoon!
Sounds like you had a blast on your trip. I’m excited to see the whole room pulled together!