Your Top Ten Favorite Rooms in 2023

This is a very fun Top Ten list as I could have picked these were your top ten favorite rooms on my blog in 2023. I love that so many are new!

This year all of the rooms are in two locations: Ventura and South Pasadena. Of course, most are at the beach house!

Our beach house family room and kitchen with white slipcovered furniture, light wood tables, and white appliances and tile.

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I love the rooms that are my Top Ten for 2022.

Two-thirds are at the beach house which isn’t much of a surprise. It’s all so new!

Here are my Top Ten rooms from 2022!

The Beach House Kitchen

It makes me so happy that you all love our Ventura kitchen as much as I do. I get asked all the time about everything in the kitchen, from the island to the bar stools to the tile.

My favorite part of the kitchen is the beverage area on the right side of the kitchen with the water dispenser, ice machine, and hand-painted tile. Click the links below for a tour!

The living area at our beach house with a large fireplace, a frame tv, a window overlooking the ocean, and a couch, rug, coffee table and chair from Pottery Barn. The vintage cabinet, marble bust, and round rattan mirror are at the top of the staircase. The kitchen is behind the family room area.

The Beach House Tour

We are done. I cannot believe it. The last item has been crossed off the list so it is time for a final Beach House tour. It took us over a year but it was worth waiting for. I am sharing this beach house tour as we get ready for all of our kids (and…

white beach house kitchen with island, countertops, white cabinets, and new lighting.

The Best Place to Buy Bath and Kitchen Tile

The tile in our beach house is simply amazing and today I am sharing my resource for the absolute best place to source bath and kitchen tile. Choosing tile is one of the most important decisions to make during a remodel or a new build. Having a partner you can trust, that can help you…

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The Beach House Living Room

It took longer than we expected but we finished the beach house this past spring. It has been an incredible journey renovating the beach house and I can’t even begin to tell you how much we love it. Click the posts below to see the progress we made this year and the finished living area.

Wood kitchen table and chairs in a white kitchen with white cabinets and appliances

The Ventura Beach House Remodel … One Year Later

One year ago today, we began the Beach House remodeling project. I thought it would be fun to share Ventura Beach House before and after photos. It’s been one year since we started the remodeling project and like most projects, now that we are almost done with the remodel, it’s a little hard to remember…

Our beach house decorated in light wood and white with orange accents.

Fall and My Favorite Beach House Decor

I cannot believe how much time we are spending at the beach house. We love our new beach house decor and fall is the best time of year in Ventura! The skies are warm and clear, and the few crowds we see in the summer are now non-existent. I love the fall weather at the…

**28″ Tall Champagne Gold Diamond Geometric Cut Lamp**

The Family Room in South Pas

table set with hyacinth placemat, copper charger, green plate, green glasses, copper candlesticks, and green flowers in a vase. White couch in background.

Our family room is where we spend the majority of our time in South Pasadena. It’s located right off the kitchen and this is such a fun room to gather! Every season ?i change the decor accents and it almost feels like a new room!

Decorating our family room with peach, pink, and copper repurposed and recycled fall decor.

Repurposing Fall Decor in the Family Room

Repurpose is my theme for fall. So instead of buying new decor this year, I have embraced sustainability by reusing my old fall decor. I can’t wait to share my creative ways to breathe new life into your old fall decor from reimagining fall florals to giving old pillow covers a seasonal makeover.

New spring home decor in the family room with lavender throws and pillows and sage green jars, a wreath and small decor items.

Breathe New Life into Your Family Room with Spring Home Decor

As winter recedes and we begin to see the colors and warmth of spring, it’s time to refresh your living space with spring home decor. After traveling to Provence last year, I fell in love with the fresh lavender and today I am sharing how you can effortlessly update your family room with sage green…

Ivory Embroidered Decorative Throw Pillow

The Farmhouse Kitchen in South Pas

A white kitchen with an island and rattan barstools decorated with fall decor.

The kitchen is undoubtedly the room where I spend a lot of time. We renovated it over twenty-one years ago and I still love it as much as the first time I walked into the finished project. It is also the most commented-on room in our home!

A bright kitchen with white cabinets, a central wooden island with three wicker chairs, stainless steel appliances, and large windows letting in natural light. Hanging lights illuminate the space.

Happy Birthday to My White Farmhouse Kitchen

Twenty-four years ago today, we finished remodeling our white farmhouse kitchen. Don’t you think she looks pretty good at age 24? I did some rough calculations and estimated that in the last 23 years, I have cooked dinner in this kitchen over 5,000 times. No wonder I am always looking for new weekday dinner ideas!…

Fall Home Decor in the Kitchen

It’s starting to cool down a bit so I spent some time adding fall home decor in our kitchen. I love these colors so much! This year, I am taking a sustainable approach to decorating my home by repurposing my existing home decor. By breathing new life into treasured pieces, we all can create a…

**White Wood Spice Rack, Includes 60 4oz Jars**

The Beach House Bunk Room

A bedroom with two built in queen sized bunk beds, a king sized bed, rocking chair and green, tan, and blue decor.

The Bunk room in the beach house will be a well-used room in our beach house in a few years. As our family grows, we expect to see a lot of grandkids sleep in this room. We still have to get a ladder and railing made for the top bunk so a guest can sleep here!

Finishing the Bunk Room at the Beach House

I haven’t really shared the bunk room at the beach house and I can’t believe it’s almost done. Thanks to Overstock it looks amazing! This bedroom is located downstairs in an area that used to be our garage! Since we bumped out the front of the garage ten feet, we had enough room in the…

A staircase with a landing and a see thru gate with a chandelier hanging behind it.

Our Remodeled Beach House and Unexpected Surprises

Now that our remodeled beach house has been done for a year, I wanted to remind you all that no remodel ever goes perfectly. Things happen. You all know how much I love our newly remodeled beach house. I cannot believe how much better it is than I ever imagined, and every time we visit,…

The Beach House Third Floor Deck

The deck on our third floor with Arhaus furniture, a fire pit, and dinner decor items.

The new deck at our beach house is the best room ever! The view is spectacular and we love spending time up there with our family and friends.

Styling Our Ocean View Deck

As many of you know, the third-floor deck is my favorite room in our beach house. It’s the best place to enjoy a Southern California day. With the completion of our beach house, one area we were particularly excited to design and outfit was our ocean-view deck. We wanted a space that seamlessly blends comfort,…

The Beach House Tour

Malibu Outdoor 7pc Wood Patio Dining Set

The Wine Cellar in Ventura

We didn’t originally plan to have a large wine cellar at the beach but one day Dave and I were walking during construction and I had a revelation. What if we widened the hallway and added a wine cellar downstairs? The rest is history.

Our home wine cellar built in a hallway at our beach house.

How We Built Our Home Wine Cellar at the Beach House

Today, I am sharing how we built and installed our home wine cellar in a hallway during the remodeling of our beach house. We love it. I will also discuss how you can install a wine cellar even when you’re not undergoing a full construction process. This is such a fun addition to our beach…

The Beach House Tour

**Rabbit Original Lever Corkscrew Wine Opener**

**CellarCool CX2200 Wine Cellar Cooling System**

The Backyard Putting Green in Ventura

Before the remodel, we never used our backyard. It was small and just never had a purpose. Dave decided he wanted to add a putting green so we could be sure to use the backyard once and for all.

The finished backyard putting green at our beach house.

Our Backyard Putting Green

One of the last steps in the beach house remodel was installing a backyard putting green for our family, which includes several serious golfers. And maybe the not-so-serious golfers like me! Our backyard is tiny, and we rarely used it in the nine years we owned this house before the remodel. So we decided to…

Fresh tomatoes on the vine are the best and they taste incredible. But would you believe we never planted them?

The Beach House Mystery of Tomatoes on the Vine

Fresh tomatoes on the vine are the best and they taste incredible. But do you know what’s better? When you didn’t have to plant them. Don’t think I am kidding. We have had the most prolific tomatoes on the vine growing in our backyard this summer at the beach house. And yet, we have no…

The Backyard

It might seem odd to consider our backyard a room, but with the amount of entertaining that we do outside, it definitely qualifies. This is one of my favorite places to entertain!

How to Plan a Backyard Dinner Party – Part One

I love to plan parties. I created this backyard dinner party for my family. Everything … the location, lighting, and flowers were all amazing. Today, I am sharing how to plan a backyard dinner party at your home. With a few creative ideas, you can create an amazing party like this right in your yard!

Tips to Get Your Backyard Ready for Summer

It’s already mid-May, and summer is almost here. Today, I am sharing tips to help you get your backyard ready for summer and entertaining. I can’t wait for summer to arrive. Summer means backyard barbecues, pool parties, and spending time outdoors with family and friends. These tips will help you prepare for all the fun…

48 FT Outdoor String Lights Commercial Grade

**Outdoor Acacia S o fa Set, 4-Pcs Set**

The Living Room in South Pas

This year I added some additional seating to our living room and it has made a huge difference. We now spend time in our living room almost every day. What a change!

A neutral living room styled for fall with apricot, pink, and light orange florals and decor.

Let’s Welcome Fall in the Living Room

As the leaves start to turn golden it’s the perfect time to infuse your living room with a warm and inviting ambiance to welcome fall. Today I will guide you through decorating your living room for fall, from selecting a color palette to shopping in your own home and finding stylish pillow covers, faux flowers,…

A newly refreshed living room with light couches, furniture, and accents.

Summer Living Room Remodel

As the temperatures rise and the sun shines brighter, it’s only natural to want to refresh your home with a summer living room remodel. Don’t panic … when I use the term remodel, I actually mean refresh. But our living room feels so much brighter and more comforting that it feels like a remodel! So…

More Top Ten Favorites From Thistlewood and Happy Happy Nester

Tried and True Recipes from Happy Happy Nester

Here are some Tried and True Recipes that won over our readers this year. We’ve got everything you could crave, from crunchy salads to the yummiest cakes – and everything in between. Sharpen your culinary skills and have some fun in the kitchen!

My Favorite Top 10 Rooms of 2023 from Thistlewood

Did you know I’m best friends with my rooms? We share stories and watch Hallmark movies together and celebrate all the seasons. It was really hard to pick, but here are my favorite top 10 rooms of 2023. Enjoy Karianne’s post here.

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