Firstly, let me tell you my very exciting news, I'm not sure why or how I've kept this in for so long but all I know is, I am one very lucky girl and so totally giddy about September, because... and no I'm not having a baby... better... I'm off to America!
I know what you're thinking, 'But Katy you've been to America plenty of times before.' - well yes, I have and that already makes me totally spoilt, but this time, were going BIG: 6 solid weeks in the USA! SIX! Not only will I be, (okay spoilt brat alert, again) returning to my parents home in Naples (Florida) but nope, we're taking it one step further and whilst there, hopping on a plane to California as well. Harry Potter World here I come!
Words cannot contain my excitement for this; America is by far my favourite country in this world - I want nothing more than to explore different parts of it and this year I'll have the chance to start out and tick off some of my bucket list. I just think it's amazing how each state has something different to offer, in culture and in style. However, I must say, I think it will always be Florida that has the special place in my heart.
There's only one problem with America, and that's that I'm not living there, so when Douglas Elliman, a global real estate firm, offered me the opportunity to do the 'Florida Room Tag', of course I said yes! My chance to create my own little bit of Florida for myself; a dream room based on my favourite place! They have some fabulous Florida Properties, if you would like a little browse!
Now, I've obviously mentioned that my parents have a house in Naples; when this was purchased, we were lucky enough to buy the full package, where everything down to the cutlery was included. Since renting the property out, usually to the sun seekers of America, heading down South for some Floridian Sunshine (after all, it is the Sunshine State), we've only ever had positive feed back about how the style of the house is very traditional to Florida. The wall murals were hand panted by a local artist and apparently these are well loved features.
However, this style doesn't do it for me; I'm constantly asking my parents if we can get a paintbrush out and cover over the designs and brighten up the place (they refuse, because of how well loved the current decor is) but if I had my way, i'd be going for something more like this:
Empty your mind and picture...
- White, fresh, clean walls.
- 'Drift wood' inspired furniture to remind yourself of the glorious coastline of Florida.
- White shutters to subtly hide away the sunshine, after a long day of soaking it up on the beach.
- A cosy 'love seat' to snuggle up in and reminisce.
- & a general feeling of crisp freshness - somewhere to escape to.
(Images selected from various Google Image searches)
Now let's inject some colour and pretty things into the room:
(All items from Next UK)
Now for obvious reasons - being in the UK, I picked items from my favourite UK home store, Next. Whenever I walk into Next Home, I pretty much want to purchase most of the items they sell; the items are exactly the kind of thing i'd imagine my home to be full of and with the opportunity to sprinkle a little bit of Florida into the mix, I came up with the above. The items I picked aren't your typical 'beach scene' with navy blue nautical stripes but more of an escape to a tranquil, hidden gem - much like the beaches of Naples, FL.
Now for the scent in the room...
Now for the scent in the room...
As you know from my Every Home Needs Candles Post, I'm a sucker for them - certain scents can instantly take you back to a moment or inflict a memory of a certain place. Whenever I come across a 'beach' scent, it's rare that I can resist - they always remind me of Florida and take me back to the days of our barbecues on the beach. A particular favourite of mine is the Airwick Life Scents - Turquoise Oasis; once you smell it, you'll know why. This is exactly the sort of scent I would expect my Florida Room to be filled with. It's described as having 'scents of sun bleached driftwood, salty sea spray & warm breeze.' Perfect.
Now of course, this is quite an adult room, so let's bring out the inner child in me! People tend to think of Florida as the home of DISNEY! So let's make my child's Florida Room represent that:
I stumbled across this image on a Google search and I couldn't have put it together better myself. This is cute, semi-subtle, timeless and fun and I think you'll agree.
So there we have it, my own little Floridian rooms. I've had so much fun making this post and coming up with ideas, I kinda wish I could design a whole house worths but I'll let you ponder on these first. Maybe you can come up with something too?!
A big thank you, again, to Douglas Elliman, a global real estate firm, for inspiring this post. Be sure to check out their site.
Now... I'm off to go and redecorate - BYE!
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