Photos in this post: New England Home
Before I begin to decorate or remodel a home, I first try to picture how I want it to feel to be there in every season. Now that we have our new home, I’ve been spending lots of time daydreaming about our life here (as I’m packing up our old house to move our belongings in, that is haha)…
For fall and winter, I visualize our home feeling like the most inviting charming bed and breakfast hotel in a seaside town. A place where you’d come in from a day of adventuring to get warm by the fire. You’d be able to curl up in a comfy spot to spend the evening in a cozy chair reading a book, listening to music or having lively conversations over hot spiced cider and hors d’oeuvres. 
I already love calling our new house our home, and I know I’ll have so much fun making it our own. As I’ve been looking for inspiration, I found this amazing guest house on Martha’s Vineyard in New England Home (where all the photos in this post are from) and it got my creative wheels turning for cozy ideas. This home also gives me lots of fall feelings and ideas…hope you are inspired by it, too!
I’ve shared many times here on The Inspired Room that I like to observe interior design from many different sources and styles. This practice helps me to begin to think of my own style in fresh ways and inspires me to create more interesting spaces.
Enjoy the photos in this post! Below each photo I share a few design elements that stood out to me. I call this the observation game (I’ve been sharing posts like this from the beginning of The Inspired Room back in 2007!). If you observe and study good classic design, it will inspire you for years to come!

Observations: Grasscloth wallpaper, green painted doors, substantial statement lighting that also adds contrast, an interesting pattern mix, a cozy sisal rug, botanical artwork, lots of texture, paneled ceiling and wood beam

Observations: inviting wood dining table, mint green vase, candle-style lantern for mood lighting, rustic tray

Observations: soft blue/green painted paneled ceilings, fun teal chairs, nautical stripes, cozy lamp in corner, black lights, walls of windows/doors

Observations: simple mantel styling, cozy fireplace, texture and pattern combinations

Observations: island paint color in a soft minty blue, warm wood floors, green Dutch oven on display, casual woven baskets, interesting architecture, covered range hood, covered dishwasher, mostly clear counters, dramatic greenery

Observations: rich wood furniture, simple linen window treatments, cozy conversation area, simple coffee table styling with stacked books

Observations: matching navy twin beds, footed nightstand, simple greenery, fun blue and white patterned bedding, botanicals throughout home, coastal striped rug

Observations: interesting wallpaper, unique but simple black light, cute reading chair with side table and brass pharmacy lamp, plaid rug, four poster bed, blue and white bedding, little round mirror, substantial lamp, wood secretary desk, simple curtains with black rods

Observations: charming rocking chairs on the porch, shingled exterior, beautiful glass French doors, black pendant light

See more of this lovely guest home here: New England Home
Do you dream about how you want your home to feel before you start decorating? 🥰 Tell me about your home over in our free community Facebook group or in my Instagram comments! What do you envision your home feeling like? I’d love to know!  More

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Get inspired for your home with this summer dining room mood board in shades of green, white and blue! 
Mondays aren’t always the most inspiring day of the week and not a day we look forward to after a fun weekend, but I hope to change that with our Monday Mood Boards! I hope these mood boards can be an inspiration to you and your home.

Takeaway Tips to Bring this Look to Your Own Home:
How would you describe the mood of this room? To me it feels so homey and cheerful. Can’t you just picture being in this room on a lovely day with the sunshine streaming in and music softly playing in the background? Imagine sitting down at the table with a friend to have a yummy lunch! I love it.
To create a cozy look like this, layer it with a variety of textures. Here we included the versatile jute rug, chunky rattan chairs, pleated lampshade, distressing on the green cabinet, wood table top, seagrass lining the tops of the white wood lidded boxes, and more. Texture is a key decorating element every room needs, but how you choose to layer them together will alter the feel of the room.
The design pieces in this room are all classics, so they will stand the test of time. It’s a room you could have fun decorating every season without changing any of the furniture! The pop of deep olive green on the cabinet provides a striking color contrast that would be beautiful all year around. Any time you add green to a room it comes to life!
The brass lantern pendant adds warmth (as opposed to using a cool metal such as chrome, for example). I love the candlelight bulbs, adding a dimmer would make the mood of this room extra inviting at dinnertime!
The adorable gingham pleated lampshade on the accent lamp will add light to any dark dreary corner in the evenings.
The heron artwork speaks to my coastal loving heart, but the art could be easily swapped out to suit any design style!
Subtle striped curtains add a bit of pattern and interest without overpowering the room. I love this simple look for summer, but you could even have fun swapping out the curtain panels in winter for a different look (like a more moody color, a bolder pattern, even a cozy velvet…endless possibilities!).
This would also be such a fun room to set up different tablescapes! I love this spring/summer look with these solid green plates layered with a hydrangea salad plate (comes as a set with other flower designs). I recently shared a fun spring tablescape we set up in this post!
A simple vase of blue hydrangeas is the perfect nod to summer (the flowers in the mood board are faux so you can enjoy them longer as well as use them year after year! See photos of them in my home here).
Mood board source links are below. You can use these mood boards to recreate the whole look or choose a favorite element and add to your own sense of style. Save this to your Pinterest boards for future inspiration!

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Rattan Dining Arm Chair
Striped Linen/Cotton Curtains (color options)
Green 2 Door Accent Cabinet
4 Light Lantern Chandelier
Faux Blue Hydrangeas (I have these in a few colors, see more photos of mine in this post)
Pedestal Dining Table with Wood Top
Green Plates
Botanic Garden Plates (set of 6 with different flowers)
Table Lamp with Gingham Pleated Shade
Jute Rug (almost 20,000 great reviews!)
Blue Heron Painting
White Wood Lidded Boxes with Seagrass Tops (I have these!)
Do you enjoy mood boards? You can find more HERE, and you can also follow our @theinspiredroomstyle Instagram for more mood boards and decor finds.
Related:
Cozy and Inviting Dining Room – Get the Look
Dining Room Mood Boards with Simple Swaps
Browse all dining room inspiration in our Dining Room gallery here
My dining room inspiration board on Pinterest More

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Rattan Serving Cart (on sale!) // Brass Ceiling Light // (see more sources at end of post)
A few weeks ago I had an epiphany that led me to (unexpectedly but excitedly) buy a rattan serving cart! I am SO thrilled with it! The truth is I didn’t plan to add ANY furniture (except our dining table and chairs) when we designed our kitchen and dining room.
Sometimes you don’t really know how a room will come together until:
1) you start trying various arrangements, or2) you’re in it (not just looking at it on paper)
That is how this rattan serving cart ended up in this special spot in our home! It was meant to be. Today I’ll share more about this serendipitous addition to our kitchen and dining area, why it works well for us, how we’ll use it and what this added piece brings to design-wise our space!
Rattan Serving Cart (on sale!)
While I love free standing furniture for storage and adding character to a room, as we were designing our kitchen and dining room we realized it really wouldn’t make sense to incorporate furniture (other than the table and chairs). We didn’t have many walls to work with (all of the three main rooms are smallish and open/connected to each other, plus two of the walls are filled with French doors), so we chose to use the available wall space in the dining room and kitchen for built-ins.
This decisions and arrangement really helped us to maximize floor space, as well as improve storage and function in an “open” layout, and I can’t wait to share more of the details and the whole renovation in the reveal!
Sources: Blue and White Ginger Jar // Rattan Serving Cart (on sale!)
As I mentioned, the rattan cart wasn’t in the original design plan. Yet it serendipitously turned out to be the perfect piece for our room and looks so charming with the island, too! I love when a room comes together organically. I always expect a space evolve as we live in it, but that means you don’t always get to know in advance exactly how that will happen. You have to TRUST it will come together in time! And often if I’m patient, slowly but surely room will reveal to me what it wants :).
A few months ago I did an inspiration blog post on rattan bar carts, never imagining at the time that we would ever have room for one ourselves!
I knew I loved the look and had seen so many ways to use rattan carts (plus my mom had a rattan cart in her home for YEARS!), so there was no question I would love one in my home. Yet it wasn’t until I was finally standing in my new dining room one day, observing the space we had available that I could imagine how a small cart would be perfect. It would not only work space-wise with the table and chairs in place, but feels like a “meant-to-be” design decision!
Rattan Serving Cart (on sale!)
To be certain we would like it there, we brought in a similar cart (the one we got this summer for the porch). It wasn’t the right size (just a wee bit too big, but every inch counts), but it confirmed that we would love a similar piece in that spot. Now if we could find just the right size, color and shape we’d be set!
I was so excited because I immediately found a rattan serving cart that checked all of the boxes, so I ordered it on the spot (and bonus I had a $50 credit and it was on sale!). MEANT TO BE!
It is really is a wonderful addition to our kitchen/dining area in so many ways. Not too big, not too small. I love how it brings a subtle shift and connection in the function from the “kitchen side” to the “dining area.” It also brings together and adds to all of our warm toned textures, from the cutting boards and the wood flooring to the metal fixtures over the island. I also love the way it contrasts with the natural stones and soft creamy cabinets. It feels just right, so warm, homey and inviting, like I planned for it to be there all along.
I think many times, that’s the best way to design a room. It can turn out even BETTER when you don’t plan every detail to begin with! It is fun when you find that unexpected piece, or there is an element of surprise with how it came together, or when you simply have the joy of watching it evolve and become your own over time.
Similar Wood Handle Flatware
This is what I hoped for in our kitchen. I wanted the overall design to feel welcoming, classic and timeless, as if it always been here in our family. Yet in order to feel like it’s truly always been with us and will be for years to come, it would naturally evolve because we would enjoy it and live in it.
While it’s a new kitchen and a new serving cart, every day it’s feeling more and more like a family home we’ve always loved and always will.
So how will we use the rattan cart and what is on it now?
Blue Rug // Rattan Serving Cart (on sale!)
I can’t wait to use this rattan cart in different ways and of course, share it with you each season. Besides looking really cute, it is so handy to hold things we may need day to day, like a stack of cloth napkins, our favorite little trays and various trivets, some coasters, a small wood cutting board, a vase for flowers and wood flatware that not only looks so pretty on display but it handy to grab from the table. Plus it is fun to be able to lean art (which we did on the lower shelf!) or set potted plants, display seasonal decor or foliage, or even to set up with dishes or desserts to serve at family gathering! We can also move the cart around to other places as needed.
Happy start to the fall nesting season, friends! We’re enjoying getting more settled and comfortable in our home every day. It’s the ideal season for all things cozy, so stay tuned as I’ll have so much to share with you! Thank you for being here!

Rattan serving cart (on sale!)
Striped blue and white cloth napkins
Round rattan trays
Blue and white ginger jar (see more of my blue and white favorites on Amazon here)
Similar wood handle flatware
Woven charger placemats (see more woven chargers and other entertaining supplies in this folder of my Amazon shop)
Blue rug
Brass ceiling light (see our kitchen design mood board here for more sources)
Black and white pattern crock is an old kitchen canister, out of stock but find similar in this Kitchen Jars & Canisters folder
Cabinet color: Classic Light Buff Sherwin Williams
Flooring: real European White Oak hardwood, engineered. I unfortunately don’t have a link to them — they were purchased through a local store and have no brand name I can find online.
See our most recent renovation update here.

Rattan Bar Carts inspiration rooms
My flea market find rattan shelf (still have this, now in our guest room!)
My rattan daybed (this is now in our Snug which has been recently rearranged after getting new floors, I’ll share that soon!)
Inspiration: Rattan and Bamboo Accent Furniture
My “Rattan Love” Pinterest board with inspiration photos
My outdoor serving cart (+ simple gathering inspiration)

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A room always seems to feel more fresh and alive to me when there’s a plant in the room. Better yet, when there are several plants! I bet if you study photos of rooms you like, you’ll notice how many of them have at least one plant. Using faux plants in a room or a mix of real and faux is often a designer secret for more lush and beautiful spaces.
But plants are not just a designer trick for staging or beautiful photos, I think plants make a house feel more “homey.” While I always recommend trying real plants whenever possible for their health benefits and natural beauty, there are certainly times and spaces where faux might be the way to go.
I recently bought a couple of faux plants for our basement! Our lower level gets a good amount of natural light so plants can be quite happy down there, but sometimes I forget to water them. Faux plants were a great solution. I love this artificial potted jade plant, and these artificial potted moss plants. They need hardly any care, can be moved around anywhere, they always look green even when I neglect them. They make this room feel happier and more welcoming, and that makes me happier, too!

Artificial potted moss plant

Jack likes them too. 😉
PS. If you missed the full tour of our cozy cottage basement, click here!

Scroll and click the images below for details!

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More Sources:
Navy paint color: Hale Navy Benjamin Moore
White brick paint: Simply White Benjamin Moore
Flooring Details
Faux jade potted plant.
Faux potted moss.
Neva Sofa from Sixpenny in Jasmine Rice. Read more about our sofa here.
Blue and white patterned rug
Similar coffee table.
Similar leather pouf.
Our Leather Sofa
Similar blue and white pillows.

Want to know more designer secrets?
Click HERE for the secret ingredient every room needs!
Click HERE for my How to Decorate page (decorating inspiration room by room).
Click HERE for a post in my “Take Away Tips” series, sharing ideas from a charming home on Martha’s Vineyard.

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