Summer Nook + Adding Functional Summer Storage

Hi there friends! I hope you all had a fantastic holiday! It seems as though I blinked and summer was actually here. I am enjoying the lazy mornings out on the porch with my early riser (Jack) and Denver. It is really nice to go at a slower pace and not be in such a rush. We have been spending lots of time at the beach already, which you can probably tell by Instagram feed. My stress level has already gone down and I feel like me again, yay! Whether it’s the beach, the pool or all the summer activities, this season comes with a ton of extra stuff. Beach stuff, camp stuff, pool stuff, sports stuff, it can be a lot to think about and put away. So I decided to create some much needed extra storage under my stairway nook.

Ideally, I would have loved a nice big, oversized oval basket for under this floating bench but I had these 2 big ones with lids already from Pottery Barn and they fit perfectly so…

Denver has taken a liking to this spot too. He has a lot of “stuff” too, I am not sure how it came to be that he has more toys than a toddler, lol but he does #spoiledpup :). He has another basket in the family room and as soon as I put his toys away, he takes them out again. Dare I say it’s cute? Well it is, until I have to clean them all up at night, haha.

I wanted to keep this area simple, I added a cream woven pillow from one of my FAVORITE online sources, kept my original art piece up because it reminds me of the ocean, left the fur throw for comfort & texture and added the storage underneath.

Baskets are such a great way to stay organized & tidy and still keep things pretty. I have more baskets than I know what to do with but I am always finding new ways to reuse them.

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Tomorrow is a big day for me, not only do I turn 44, what?! but the voting begins for the Annie Selke Rug Challenge with Apartment Therapy. I am going to be honest. When they first asked me to participate I was thinking there is no way I can compete. But then they assured me that I could hand draw my rugs. Of course I said yes, but still thinking how can my watercolor sketches compare with Photoshop? Well I surprised myself in so many ways, whatever the outcome I know I did my best. I HOPE you will pop over and vote on their Instagram tomorrow. Can’t wait for you to see them!!!

Have a happy day!!!