Barn Living Room Reveal!

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE UPDATED LIVING ROOM

 Buon Giorno! We are having a lovely time in the majestic city of Venice, Italy! Everything about this enchanting and romantic city inspires me.
Before I show you our living room, I want to send out prayers and well wishes to those suffering from the horrible hurricane... My heart breaks for everyone on the east coast. 

A while before we left for Italy, I took pictures of our (rental) living room (without seasonal decor) and I finally have a moment to share them with you! My favorite part about our neutral and soothing barn living room, is the blend of rustic- industrial items and elegant- feminine pieces. The whole feel of the room can be changed with some colorful throw pillows and flowers. 

Below are the before pictures...

And here is what it looks like now!

I adore taking simple things and making them more interesting, like the rope tie backs below...

 

 I adore these etchings of Germany and Turkey above and the contemporary German coo coo clock below!

To see how we created our faux fireplace mantle, with all "found" items, click here.

To see how we created our pallet coffee table, click here.

To see how we made our tree stump side table, click here.

For details on all our unique accessories, click here.

To see how we transformed our t.v. stand, click here.

For a peek at the rest of our old German barn, click here

We are off to a traditional Venetian meal and to try and catch a gondola at sunset!

 

Ciao Amicis!

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Simply Rustic Fall Details

We have been having the most fabulous time, with my folks, touring Germany and France. Europe is Exquisite this time of year! The fall colors arrived just in time to greet my folks with warm hues of burgundy,  burnt orange and golden yellow. The smell of fireplaces isn't too shabby either. Yesterday, we even woke up to a fresh blanket of snow! In a couple hours we are headed to bella Italia to defrost a bit then The States to visit some family. What a fun month we have ahead of us! Because we aren't going to be here for much of the Falliday season, I didn't go as "all out" on my fall decor like I normally would, but I still wanted our home to be festive the days we were here to enjoy it! I decorated for fall a while back and finally have the opportunity to blog about it! Better late then never right?!

I found some adorable "natural" looking owls and wanted a whole family of them in our home. I feel they will look great  in seasonal decor year around!

I painted a few pumpkins white and wrapped the stems with jute. I added tacks to the others to give them a nail-head trim, starburst look. I used moss to make it appear as though the pumpkins were still in the patch.

 The owl above isn't going anywhere...mwahaha!

 These awesome birch-bark trees were a steal at a couple Euros each and will look lovely with our winter decor as well.

Some birds enjoy sitting on telephone lines...mine prefer an elegant wall sconce. The warmth from the candles keeps him warm and there is no chance of electrocution here...

I purchased this squirrel and acorn bowl last year and filled it with more white and jute pumpkins and moss.

Here is another look at my fall front porch, I added a few extra details...

 By the way, the E on the end of welcome (on my chalkboard sign) is under the com...

 I will be sharing more of our village and tales from our trips around Europe soon, but wanted to leave you with this picture of our village's castle from a hill right near our home. Enjoy your fall and I am off to gain 5 pounds eating pasta and gelato! I will update ya'll soon!

Ciao!

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Ancient Trier

 Ahhhh, Lovely Trier. As you enter the gates of the Porta Negra (one of the worlds oldest Roman structures), you are greeted by a hip feeling Market Square. The Square includes beautiful shops, delicious food to choose from, and architecture that will make you drool. Trier is the oldest German city located near the border of France and in the scenic Mosel Valley. It is nothing shy of gorgeous. It is Rich in culture, architecture and history. It was founded by Augustus in 16 B.C. but was inhabited by Celts 1300 years before Rome ever existed. 

Come with me on a little tour of this spectacular city!

Rick Steves.. His books are a MUST when traveling Europe. Check his books out for all the details of this glorious city. 

 The fountain above, St. Peter's Fountain, located in the Square, was built in 1595 and symbolizes "thoughtful city government". It is hard to believe this incredibly old fountain is over a thousand years younger than the church pictured below. 

The church below is Germany's oldest Christian church and was built in A.D. 326, after Christianity was legalized in the Roman empire in 312 A.D. Constantine ordered this church named St. Peters and the St. Peters in Rome to be built at the same time. 

The bells are fantastic! There is no sound like bells on a massive church in Europe. It penetrates your soul. By the way, I have been looking for a clock like the one above, I wonder if they would sell it to me..

 

I get overwhelmed by all the sights, sounds, smells and details in cities like this.. So much to see. Trier is incredibly stimulating to each and every one of your senses.

I just had to get a picture of this awesome little car, it fit in perfectly!

The gaudy pink palace below is the frosting on the cake of this elegant city...

You must check out the Imperial Baths (below right). It is hallway after hall way, many underground, of a ruined old bath house that cost too much to ever be completed. Constantine originally designed it to be the most lavish bath house in all of Trier. It was engineered to keep the water temperature at an extremely warm 120 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Other places to see in Trier include:

-The Basilica- Imperial Throne Room (the largest in-tact Roman Structure outside of Rome). It was heavily destroyed during WWII, but was once decorated lavishly with marble, gold mosaics and bursts of colorful stucco. It was ingeniously designed and constructed, and could hold the Porta Negra comfortably inside its walls. 

-The birth place of Karl Marx.

-The amphitheater which held many religious festivals and sat at least 16,000 people.

-The Archaeological Museum which holds the best collection of Roman art in all of Germany.

-The Bishops museum which contains the pieced together remains of the frescos that were once decorating the ceiling of St Helena's Palace.

When in Germany, hit up Trier, you WON'T be disappointed! We sure weren't!

Signing off!