Northern Michigan is an area of woodsy log homes and beachside cottages.  I’ve been scanning some of the local boutiques and looking at the décor, the colors and functionality and overall design style of it all.  Its design that seems to celebrate two entirely different ends of the spectrum.  I’m watching the lake houses become winterized and boarded up and the cabins are waiting for the first real snow of the season.  The pace is slowing from the busy summer season as anticipation for the deep freeze begins to set in.

Browsing locally, I’m seeing two major décor trends that relate back to those home designs/styles.  Not surprisingly, there’s a ton of blue and all of its’ complimentary shades. Cheery tones of aqua, navy, turquoise, indigo, sapphire, royal blue, cobalt, teal, periwinkle, etc are around every corner.  You’ll find masses of beach and boat inspired paintings, drawings and various other nick knacks.  It’s predominately the way of life up here as the summer tourist season rolls around.

On the flip side, we also need to peak into those woodsy little cabins filled with their stone fireplaces, rustic appeal and log furniture.  There’s an abundance of carved bears, red buffalo check and black bear inspired décor that seems to be trending, even more so this time of year. Wildlife is celebrated and abundant.

But right now it’s fall.  And I’m here in a new home with my own style but its own color palette.  The dining room is a buttery yellow and my furniture and décor is shades of grey and smoky blue.  Color is abundant outside and since it’s only been a month since we moved in, I’m still trying to make sense of it all.

I had to play.  What do the warm shades of autumn look like against last season’s blues?  Someone told me that blue is a color only acceptable in summer décor but I wanted to break that rule.  I wanted to see what leftover blush blooms might look like paired with autumn leaves and summer’s melamine dishes.    Do we have to bring plaid out in the fall? It’s a pattern I adore but I don’t want to feel outcast if I don’t incorporate it.  I wanted to challenge of this and just make something pretty with things I had laying around my house.

And we can’t forget my cute little assistant 😉

All items were sourced from around my house, so I don’t have many shopable links.  The tablecloth is actually a throw blanket from HomeGoods (which is a really fun design hack if you can’t find a cool table throw), the china and silverware is vintage and the melamine salad plates were from Meijer (but not listed online).

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