An Airbnb Refresh

Vince and I purchased our first home in 2017 — a tiny, historic Spanish Mission style house with a cottage behind it.

The charm!!!

We had our two boys and lived on top of each other but absolutely loved that little house.

Vince used the Florida room as his office, we knocked out a closet to put in a stackable washer and dryer (a lot of old FL homes don’t have laundry hookups indoor or in the main house), and I filled each space with thrifted finds.

I miss that ceiling so much.
So many sweet memories in our first home as a family.
We both look like babies!
Had so much fun styling and sharing with my friends.
Love, love, love this piece and will never get rid of it.
The hardest thing about living in this house was that our headboard was right against the boys’ bathroom, so they were constantly waking us up!
I had a blast making style choices for the boys’ room.
Was obsessed with this bird chandelier we ordered on Etsy but had to eventually dismantle because of our cats.
We filled the cottage with thrifted finds.

We moved to our current home just as the pandemic started — it couldn’t have been better timing. I can’t imagine us weathering lock down and virtual learning on top of each other in that small space.

Our new house is much bigger, but it’s a cookie cutter new build, so we sacrificed the historic charm of our first house for modern comforts as our family grew.

It was fun and special to watch our new house being built.

We did keep our first place, though, and now rent out both the main house and cottage.

With my hectic schedule, I hardly drive by the house and haven’t been inside in over a year, maybe longer. With all the amazing thrift finds I’ve come across recently and left behind, Vince asked me to consider snagging some and saving them for an airbnb decor revamp.

The current styling of the airbnb is much more modern, neutral and less eclectic than my house — it needs to appeal to broader tastes — so my challenge is finding ways to update decor that fit within as specific palate.

The cottage

I went out over the weekend and came away with some starting points:

At Goodwill, I found four matching pillows to brighten up the couch, a basket that can be used on the kitchen counter or maybe living room coffee table, some artwork for the kitchen, and a woven trunk.

I’m thinking the woven trunk would be good to double as a table and extra storage in the secondary bedroom of the main house.

We are in desperate need of a new couch (maybe leather this time around?), so I’ll be visiting the Nearly New Shop in West Palm Beach weekly to see if I can find the perfect piece.

What do you think? I’m open to all suggestions for sprucing up the place. I’ll share styling details here as I go!

Last week’s thrifted ‘fits:

Shirt thrifted and passed on from a friend, Madewell jeans (my fave) from a Goodwill Boutique in Boca
Sweater from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Always Follow the Garage Sale Sign

A typical Saturday morning routine in the Moss house includes a stop by Dixie Hwy Donuts for an apple fritter the size of your head and half-a-dozen assorted treats.

I was assigned the task of pick-up last Saturday, and after securing the package, was dutifully driving back home when a bright green garage sale sign caught my eye.

I can’t go, I thought to myself. The donuts might melt in the car and my family is hungry.

But…I could just swing by for a few minutes. Pop around a bit and then head home — yeah!

My poor, sweet family.

No regrets, though, obviously (at least for me). I pulled up to the best garage sale I’ve seen in recent memory and left with several treasures:

Can you believe I snagged this gorgeous needlepoint art for $10?!
I love this so much! Instantly hung in our living room.
Another vintage needlepoint for $10. This one is for Elaine’s bedroom. It reminds me of our carousel rides at the Palm Beach Zoo and on cruises we take.
I found this vintage rattan lampshade and placed it on our bar lamp, which I sourced from Goodwill last year.
She’s gorge.
Y’all know how I feel about shells. This statement necklace is quite a statement indeed and I can’t wait to style it with an outfit.
Another fun necklace with a pressed flower pendant.

Garage sales are always fun to visit but let’s be honest, they’re usually full of junk.

This sale was truly impeccable, so I had to chat up the seller to find out how she curated so many beautiful things and was not surprised to learn that she used to own a boutique in Northwood.

We exchanged numbers and she’s going to hit me up the next time she has a sale — hell yeah!

In closing: the donuts didn’t melt, everybody at home forgave me for the detour, and I had my apple fritter and ate it too. 😉

Last week’s thrifted ‘fits:

Comfy dress from Goodwill West Palm Beach
Sadly, the sleeve of this dress ripped, so this was my last wearing of it — found at Goodwill West Palm Beach
Dress and bag from Goodwill West Palm Beach. Vintage chintz charm necklace by Sarah Bray Bermuda.
Bag from Goodwill West Palm Beach
This massive shell ring isn’t thrifted but I’m obsessed with it — found it in Gaudeloupe.
Top and Bag from Goodwill West Palm Beach. Pants thrifted and gifted from a friend.
Love this vintage vase pendant that I found at a Trashe Vintage rummage sale. My pink ring is from the West Palm Beach Antiques Festival.