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Things We Love: Ansley’s Guesthouse

Good morning, chic readers! We hope you are having an amazing week! It has been perfect beach weather here, and we are loving every second!

If you aren’t near the coast, we say it’s the perfect time of year to call up your friends with beach houses and crash for a while!

In my latest novel, The Southern Side of Paradise–and in the entire Peachtree Bluff Series–my interior designer protagonist Ansley’s guesthouse gets quite the workout.

The series opens with the sisters fighting over who will live in the guesthouse. (And queen bee eldest sister Caroline proclaiming that it is hers!)

When this beautiful space caught our eye, we couldn’t help but imagine it to be similar to the gorgeous guesthouse that the Murphy girls all want to lay claim to.

Lovely and luxurious, this is just the kind of place where we would love to be guests!

The space feels homey yet streamlined, which is the best combination we know of.

And well-placed planks on the walls and ceilings add charm in droves.

All in all, this is just the kind of place where we’d love to wear out our welcome and luxuriate all summer long!

Do you want to come to this gorgeous guesthouse too?

Interior Design: Tillman Long

Architect: D. Stanley Dixon

Builder: Ladisic Fine Homes

Photograpy: Emily Jenkins Followill

If you haven’t picked up your copy of The Southern Side of Paradise, today is a great day! My publisher, Simon & Schuster, has chosen The Southern Side of Paradise as a part of their Bookcation promotion! For a limited time, you can get 25% off and free shipping with the code SUMMER19!

The Southern Side of Paradise Tour!

Twelve states, forty-one stops… Most of The Southern Side of Paradise Tour is behind me, but I’d love to see you at an upcoming event! If I’ll be in a city near you I’d love to see you! Click here for full details on every event!

July 19: Browseabout Books, Rehobeth Beach, DE,

July 19: Bethany Beach Books, Bethany Beach, DE, 7pm – 9pm

July 20: Turn the Page Bookstore with Nora Roberts, Boonsboro, MD, 11am – 1pm

August 2: The Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library, Cashiers, NC, 3pm

August 2: The Chattooga Club, Cashiers, NC, 6pm

August 3: Hudson Public Library, Highlands, NC, 2:00pm

August 8: Figure Eight Island Yacht Club Author Series, Figure Eight, NC,

August 10: East Hampton Library Authors’ Night, East Hampton, NY, 5pm – 7:30pm

If you haven’t started the Peachtree Bluff Series yet, now is the perfect time! The first book in the series, Slightly South of Simple, has released in mass market paperback–and it’s #14 on the bestseller list! Pick it up at your favorite bookstore, local grocery store, drugstore or retail store

FOR MORE INSPIRATION VISIT OUR INSTAGRAMAND PINTEREST AND OUR TOP TEN POSTS OF 2017 HERE AND TOP TEN POSTS OF 2018 HERE

House Tour: Jack’s Peachtree Bluff Beach House

Good morning, chic readers! With the first week of The Secret to Southern Charm tour behind us, we are just taking a moment to thank you so much for all your support–and celebrate!

If you’ve read any of the Peachtree Bluff series then you know that Ansley, one of my protagonists, is an interior designer.

And she has dreamed of decorating the house next door to her grandmother’s–hers now–since she was a teenager.

Conveniently, her first love, the man who has swept back into Peachtree Bluff and complicated her life inexplicably, has bought the house next door and, as the story unfolds, Ansley gets to design this house, that she has dreamed of for so long. Here’s a little peek at what she says:

I was sitting at the dining room table, sipping my first cup of coffee of the morning and sketching a room—something I hadn’t done in quite some time.

Over the past several years, I had created mood boards for my clients so they could see exactly what furniture, fixtures, and fabric I was contemplating for their rooms.

But I knew already that Jack would let me have free rein, and sketching the rooms I was designing was how I best dreamed them.

I liked to think I was drawing them into life.

This gorgeous home from Connecticut Cottages and Gardens is very similar to how we picture the complete redesign of Jack’s house that Ansley undertakes, classic but refined, elegant and understated and just right for a grown bachelor, even though, later, Ansley admits…

I gazed up at the stunning canopy bed with the ethereal white curtains I had copied from Phoebe Howard. The walls were a light gray, on the lavender side so they felt warm, not steely. It probably wasn’t a color I would have chosen for Jack the bachelor. It was a color I had chosen for me, a color I had chosen for our life together. As I lay there, feeling totally at peace, I finally admitted that, all this time, I had been decorating this house for me.

Wishing you a wonderful day!

Connecticut Cottages & Gardens

John Bjornen Design

Don’t forget to pick up your copy of my latest title, The Secret to Southern Charm from your local bookstore, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or anywhere books are sold!

Don’t forget to come visit me on The Secret to Southern Charm tour if I’m in your area. For the full schedule visit my author site. Here’s what’s coming up:

April 11: Dothan Country Club,”Lunch and Learn,” 200 South Cherokee Avenue. Dothan, Alabama, $20 ticket includes buffet and author presentation. Call 334-791-2706 or email [email protected] to rsvp. Ticket paid for at the door , 11:30 am CST, open to the public

April 11: Bay Point Book Clubs’ Cocktails with Kristy, 5:00 pm, private

April 12: St. Andrews Bay Yacht Club Ladies Auxiliary Luncheon, 218 Bunkers Cove Rd, Panama City, FL 32401, 11:30 am, private

April 13: Pfeiffer University Friends of the Library Book and Author Luncheon, Pfeiffer University, Highway 52 North, Misenheimer, N.C. 28109, hosted by Pfeiffer University Friends of the Library, tickets are $30.00 for Friends members and $40 for nonmembers; Tickets will be available on the University’s website in mid-January. They will also be available by calling the Advancement Office at 704-463-3034, event from 11:00 am-1:15 pm, open to the public

April 14: Catawba College Dinner, Salisbury, NC, private

April 15: Signing at High Point Furniture Market, High Point, NC, Details TBA

April 16: The Country Bookshop, 140 NW Broad Street, Southern Pines, NC 28387, 5:00 pm, free and open to the public

April 17: SC Entertainment Television talk in Kinston, NC, private

April 17: Sips and Sweets, Community Council for the Arts, 100 N. Queen St., Kinston, NC, 100% of book purchase price will be donated to CCA, to reserve a copy or purchase a copy to pick up at a later date, call (252) 527-2517, free and open to the public

April 19: Eastport-Annapolis Neck Community Library,269 Hillsmere Dr., Annapolis, MD 21403, event contact is Amanda Spino, 410-222-1770, [email protected], 6:30 pm, free and open to the public

Apr. 20: Launch of Literary Luncheon series at The Annapolis Bookstore, 53 Maryland Ave, Annapolis, MD 21401, Contact is Mary Owen, 410-280-2339, [email protected]

April 22: Reading at ROOT, Manasquan, NJ, please register through BookTowne, Contact is Maribeth Pelly, [email protected], 732-722-7255, 3:00 pm, free and open to the public

April 23: Westerville Public Library, 126 S. State St., Westerville, OH 43081, free but registration required at 341-282-9232; 7:00 pm, open to the public

April 24: Meet Author Kristy Harvey at Parma Branch Library, 6996 Powers Blvd, Parma, OH 44129, organized by Cuyahoga County Public Library, Contact is Billy Kelly, [email protected], 216.749.9359, 7:00 pm, free and open to the public

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It’s the Big Shopbop Sale

There is so much to love at this big sale. Look at these:

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Unity in Design and In Our Lives

With a new year beginning and Martin Luther King Day only a day past, this is an absolutely perfect time to celebrate unity with some of our favorite bloggers, our By Invitation Only group.

During a time where it seems like there are so many things dividing us, every now and then it’s nice to focus on what unites us, on what common beliefs we hold and on what makes us the same as the people that, sometimes, we may not understand.

Unity–and a unified look–can be just as important in our homes as it is in our lives.

This stunning home by a favorite designer, James Michael Howard, is a perfect example of unity in design.

It is the kind of home that flows effortlessly from one space to the next,

That has a common theme that makes each room feel cohesive and relates it to the one before.

In our homes and in our lives unity can’t help but breed tranquility,

A sense of peace and a break from the chaos and confusion.

Just like we need good friends and family to share our lives with,

It is wonderful to have a place to come home to at the end of a long day that feels not only only exactly how we want it to, but also like a retreat from the rest of the world.

Moments of dark and still,

And bits of whimsy in unexpected places,

Light, airy, vaulted ceilings,

Plenty of light,

And a cohesive color palette create a sense of unity in this stunning home.

We can’t think of a more beautiful way to create a sense of unity within yourself that you can’t help but carry out into the world.

Thanks so much for making Design Chic a part of your day. We always love it when you stop by!

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Attention all bloggers, book reviewers and influencers! I will be receiving advance copies of my new novel, THE SECRET TO SOUTHERN CHARM this week! If you’d like an early copy for sharing consideration on your blog or social media, please email me at kristywoodsonharvey @ gmail. com! (And I’ll be giving away copies on Instagram, so come follow us over there to win one of the very first copies!)

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Finding the Perfect Bench for the End of the Bed

blue and white bedroom — Robert A M Stern Architects, Steven Gambrel Design via AD

So many details go into making a bedroom feel warm, cozy, restful and relaxed.

canopy bed in blue and white bedroom — Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles

The linens, of course, are critical.

blue and white bedroom with bench — Cullman & Kravis

The curtains are key.

chandelier over bed — Shayelyn Woodbery via Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles

And, if you’re lucky enough to have a sitting area, making it comfortable and spa-like is a priority.

canopy bed — Phoebe Howard via Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles

Right now, one of the things we’re looking for is a fabulous bench for the end of a bed. Well, at least we thought we wanted a bench… But now that we see this loveseat we might be rethinking things since this one is so charming! Furthermore, Phoebe Howard always gets it right!

The great thing about the end-of-the-bed bench is that so, so many things work really well.

bedroom with two bench at bottom of bed — One Kings Lane

A pair is charming and sweet–and perfect for two people to put their shoes on in the morning.

blue and white beach bedroom — One Kings Lane

If you’re not the curl-up-in-bed-and-watch-TV type, a little settee is another great spot to watch or read or relax before turning in…

While a small bench at the end of a twin bed gives a finished touch, especially when you don’t want to use a footboard, we love trunks for toy storage at the end of twins as well!

pink and white bedroom — Alyssa Rosenheck Photography

I have a little French bench in a fun fabric like this at the end of my canopy bed. Don’t these chairs look positively luscious? Pale pink is such a soothing accent color for a bedroom.

green and white twin bedroom — Serena & Lily

It seems like the fun–and really, really hard–thing about picking seating for the end of a bed is that you really can’t go wrong! These little leather director’s stools are so charming. We love, love them for a boy’s bedroom, or a guest bedroom like this one. With all these choices, we were originally thinking of doing an upholstered stool at the end of the guest bedroom bed, but, taking the TV watching into account, now we’re thinking about something a little more comfortable because of all these great rooms.

What would you choose–or did you choose–for the end of your bed?

More about my new book, SLIGHTLY SOUTH OF SIMPLE

Also, if you want to know a little more about my new novel, SLIGHTLY SOUTH OF SIMPLE (Simon & Schuster, April 25, 2017) take a peek at the video below! (It’s only like 90 seconds. No major commitments here!)