a casual california coastal home

When I think of California living, 

I think of a casual, laid back style.  

That's what I love about this 

Corona del Mar home. 

I had the opportunity to walk through it 

and see it in person along 

with about 1,000 others on the 

Corona del Mar Home Tour 

in October. 

It's the perfect family home.

I love the crispness of the white walls 

and the softness of the wood finishes that mimic the color of driftwood. 

Great fabric choices with pops of pretty orange.

A rustic but elegant table was set.

Simple and organic finishes are the theme in the great room.

Natural basket shades over the kitchen island.

Functional and FUN! 

photo credit: M. Stetson Design

Love the open shelving with white accessories.

A great combination of natural stone and light wood tones.

The focal point of the front entry is this continuous

wood wall that flows into the ceiling. 

photo credit: M. Stetson Design

Serene artwork with the perfect colors.

Elegant and fresh style in the powder room.

Easy flow to the back yard.

Some more pops of color, this time chartreuse

in this family room with slip covered sofas and

egg-shaped wicker chairs.

This house is perfect all year round!

ciao! fabiana

designed by eric olsen
 landscaping by molly wood

my updated hall tree

Here's my vintage hall tree 
after I painted it with chalk paint.

If you know me, 
then you know how much I love 
this Tiffany blue color.

I achieved this color by 

mixing equal parts of 

Annie Sloan florence and provence.

Sammie loves it too!

I love the results.

One coat of wax has been applied, 

and I'll finish off a second coat 

of wax in three days.

 Here's any easy tip for painting 

around a mirror or glass.

 Just slide post-it notes under the wood frame. 

No taping needed!

 The before, above.  Goodbye green!

Next, I'll have to tackle those walls!

ciao! fabiana

painted furniture

This fun pic from BHG has inspired me to work 

on a couple of painted furniture projects this weekend. 

The first is my hall tree that's similar 

to this one shown above. 

I have had one in my entry forever 

that was painted dark green. 

It belonged to my husband's Nana, 

and we really treasure it and 

use it everyday to hang our hats, 

jackets and dog leashes.  

Our first project for the weekend, 

transforming the hall tree into 

something really fun! 

So, I headed to Peinture Studios to get some 

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. 

I've decided on a mixture of 

Florence and Provence.

It was the perfect color combo, 

and the small sample sizes were just right. 

Here's some of the inspiration 

from pinterest that got me going... 

This perfectly gorgeous turqouise, teal dresser 

featured on Mary Ann's blog 

Classic Casual Home. 

An assortment of fun chairs from Cup of Te.

A sweet little gray desk with 

pop of coral from Miss Mustard Seed.

Minty fresh green chairs from the Glitter Guide.

The perfect green accent via Coco Cozy.

Everything Turquoise featured this traditional style bed.

Tobi Fairley does black and white.   

This faux bamboo mirror 

is updated in my favorite color.

I love how the chartreuse stools 

tie in with the artwork 

in this kitchen by 

Lisa Sherry Interieurs. 

 Ombre done right by Gus and Lula.

This bar set up comes alive on 

top of this painted antique piece. 

Pretty antique white finish by Ethan Allen.

I really love the amazing color samples at Peinture.  

The chairs on the wall are such a fun idea!

ciao! fabiana

p.s. Here’s our other project.

The kitchen table is in the middle of being

 painted in Old White. 

Mr. Ciao is helping me with this one!

book decor

"A room without books is 

like a body without a soul."  -Cicero

Whether you stack them, 

line them up or display them prominently, 

books always add drama, character 

and warmth to a room.

They're a great way to add color too!

Books can personalize 
your space at a glance. 

Always display books that have 
a personal meaning to you.

The perfect way to accessorize!

This way, you'll always have 
one within arms reach!

So many options!

And fabulous ways to style them! 

How do you display your books?

It's so easy!

ciao! fabiana