This mood board was a lot of fun to put together because it’s completely different than the style of our house: cool, neutral earth tones with a definite coastal vibe. My grandparents live in Florida (right outside of Tampa), and Greg and I try to get down there at least a couple times a year if our schedules let us. Whenever we go, it’s so relaxing and everything seems to be automatically light and airy – which was the inspiration for this mood board:

1. The Color Palette – This coastal color palette is much like the ocean: sandy beige, shades of blue, and white. I imagine the room having gray blue walls (something like Martha Stewart’s Shale – MSL276) with maybe even some Pure White wainscoting (MSL253).

2.  Hoyne Pendant Lamp – Even though this pendant lamp is made out of galvanized steel, the design kind of reminds me of a fishing net. So, it goes along with the “theme” of the room without being too over-the-top “beachy”.

3. Kivik Loveseat and Chaise (in Dansbo Beige) – Being the color of the sand, this sofa is the perfect “base” for a living room with a coastal vibe. Coming in at 828 clams, it’s also super affordable as far as sectionals go. The cool thing about this particular sectional is that you can easily add sections to make it as big or small as you want – basically, custom without the huge price tag. It also has a removable/machine washable cover, making it pet and kid friendly.

4. Shoreline Canvas Art – I love this modern take on the ocean by Caroline Gold. And the soft colors go really well with the color palette of the mood board.

5. Zak Table Lamp – I’ve been looking for an excuse to use this lamp on the blog, and here it is! I love the simple, clean, modern lines and think a pair of these on either side of the sofa would look great. They are large and make a statement, but their glass base keeps everything light and airy.

6. Cotton Canvas Printed Crosshatch Window Panels – Speaking of light and airy, these canvas window panels are the perfect. I’d also use oil rubbed bronze hardware to tie in with the dark ottoman (#8).

7. Hayward Pillows – I love lots of throw pillows and I think an excessive amount in a mixture of blues and browns would look awesome in this room. It would make for a really comfy environment with adding some color that coordinates with the art at the same time.

8. Wicker Storage Ottoman – This extra large storage ottoman would serve as a great coffee table. It’s 35×35, so big enough to ground the otherwise light and airy room. The added storage is a major plus. Oh, and it’s outdoor safe too!

9. Faux Coral – I’ve always been a fan of faux coral. It’s a great accent piece and has an interesting texture.

10. Belize Graphite Rug – Yet another Crate & Barrel find – I just realized there’s a lot of Crate & Barrel pieces in the round up! This rug is a great modern take on the traditional sisal rug. The gray sisal material has a lot of taupe undertones, which helps it tie in with the sofa. On the other hand, it’s dark enough of to serve up some contrast.

There you have it. My cool, coastal, Florida-inspired living room. Anyone have any favorite pieces?

A while back, I started keeping Bentley’s dog treats in a mason jar (check out that post here). Since then, I ended up buying him a new treat tin (this one from Harry Barker). Now that the dog treats have new digs, I wanted to use the mason jar for something else because, well, there are about a bazillion and a half different things you can do with a mason jar.

The only problem is after storing dog treats for 8 months, the mason jar now reeks of dog treats – even after washing it several times. So I did what any red-blooded American would do: I turned to Google. During my search, I came across an article entitled, “How to Remove the Skunk Smell From the Inside of a Car”. Thankfully, that’s not what I needed, but for some reason I found it funny and it piqued my curiosity… how do you remove skunk smell from a car? According to the article, The University of Kentucky College of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service (that’s a mouthful) recommends thoroughly washing the area under your car with a dry mustard and water mixture. If it works for skunk smell, it must work for dog treat smell… right? Greg is leaning over my shoulder saying this is actually my “hypothesis”. Geek. Even though I’m not looking to use the mason jar for anything food-related, I liked the idea of a natural solution as opposed to using harsh chemicals, so I decided to give it a try.

I filled the mason jar with warm water, then added about a teaspoon of ground mustard (same thing as dry mustard). I shook the mason jar for a minute and let it sit overnight. The next morning, I dumped the nasty yellow liquid and ran the jar (and the lid) through the dishwasher. Lo and behold, the dog treat smell was gone! Better yet, there wasn’t even a hint of mustard smell. I imagine this method would also work with the Rubbermaid containers that had the leftover garlic and herb pasta in it for one day too long. Oh, and of course, skunks ; )

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been fine-tuning some new art prints for the Etsy store. This weekend, we finally got a chance to hang some of the new prints in the kitchen! We wanted something fun and simple with a dash of vintage flair. And this is what we came up with…

We’re really digging the art and the fact that the dark frames (which are from Target) really help break  up the mass of subway tile – which brings us a bit closer to the look we’re aiming for in the kitchen. Just by adding the artwork, we killed three birds with one stone: added color (which coordinates nicely with our “stack of books color scheme“), broke up the wall of subway tile, and added a dark element to ground the otherwise all-white kitchen. We plan on adding even more dark accents to the kitchen by way of window treatment and the light fixture over the sink. By the way, noticed the clothespin herb planter on the counter? Yep, the herb died. Honestly, I’m not surprised. Until I get the nerve to try again, one of the planters is being used as a candle holder – which has been nice to have in the kitchen.

When it was time to hang the art, I was gung-ho about drilling a few holes in the grout (like we did when we hung the artwork in the hall bathroom). After all, grout can easily be patched up. Greg, on the other hand, wasn’t too keen on the idea. I guess he knows how I am about changing my mind down the road. Since the kitchen doesn’t get much humidity (like the bathroom), I decided to go along with Greg’s idea and see how it went.

As the directions on the package said to do, we first cleaned the surface with isopropyl rubbing alcohol (the package specifically says to not use any other household cleaners). We used five strips on the back of each frame. The package says you only have to use four sets for this size frame, but we did five just in case. Though now that we see how good they hold (which is like super duper well), we think four sets might have been just fine. The concept of the Command Strips is pretty smart when you think about it!

We really like how the art looks in the kitchen, and we can’t wait to add other finishing touches throughout the space. Next on the list: a window treatment and light fixture. We’re getting there… one day at a time.

Click on over to our Etsy store and check out the new art, including the kitchen series above. For 10% off your order, use the code “7thHouseReader” at checkout!