Welcome!
Hi, I’m Kayla. Welcome to Live Oak Nest! This blog and boutique came about from a lifelong passion for creating beautiful spaces, and then deciding I wanted to share everything I’ve learned along the way with you.
Here you’ll learn how to add a French cottage charm to your home, create pretty DIY home decor accents, and turn secondhand furniture into beautiful statement pieces.
You’ll see how I decorate my home throughout the seasons and how I transform thrift store finds to complement my decor style. I’ll also share my favorite brands, products, and supplies so that you too can create a casual, elegant home!
Kayla
Growing Up
I grew up sharing a room with my three brothers. At some point, my two older brothers moved in with my dad, so my mom let me have one of the bedrooms all to myself. I was in about the 7th grade when I gave my room a makeover and I’ve been decorating and painting walls ever since.
If you’re wondering what my teenage room looked like… the walls were a pretty pink mauve color and I chose a striped wallpaper with a floral scroll border. The wallpaper and border had touches of blue, sage, and mauve. I loved it and can still picture it to this day. My bed was a full-size bed that was passed down to me by my grandma. We hung a large shelf above my bed that I decorated with books, trinkets, and a small lamp that had a Leopard shade. But my room was not complete without the large kitten poster that hung on the back of my bedroom door with tacks. 🙂
I come by my love of decorating naturally. My mom and her sister, and their mom, all have a talent for creating a beautiful, cozy home. Moving around furniture and creating pretty little vignettes is something I saw my mom doing. Growing up, our home felt like home. It was cozy and pretty and I know my style and love of decorating were shaped by her.
Over The Years
My style has changed slightly over the years.
Right out of college, I remember painting my living room walls bright red. I had a red bamboo rug and the throw pillows on my couch were red, orange, and olive in color. This bright and bold living room was right across from my bright orange dining room. HA! I can’t believe it but I actually found a picture of it to share with you!
I graduated from Texas Tech University so I’m not sure if I was channeling my inner Red Raider here with all the red and black. Whatever it was, it was bright and bold!
Looking at this picture, my teenage love of leopard print must have carried on over into my young twenties. Who am I kidding, I still love a little leopard! I’m just more likely to wear it now and not decorate with it.
Once that bright and bold phase passed I settled into a more peaceful look. I’m drawn to muted colors, and I love to have a few French-style furniture pieces in our home. Over the last few years, I’ve really simplified my decor by decluttering. It really feels so much more peaceful now and it’s certainly easier to keep clean! I think for women who love to decorate it can be hard to have a less is more approach. But I do think having more intentional decor pieces and a cleaner style creates a more peaceful environment. The year-round accent pieces that I truly loved and didn’t want to part with are stored in our garage/attic. I use them to refresh a space or style a new vignette when I want to change something up!
The Journey
I have boy/girl twin toddlers..who are not really toddlers anymore. How do they grow up so quickly? Not everything in my home is exactly how I want it to look and that’s okay. This season of life calls for more play and less perfection. I still like to decorate and keep a tidy home, but I think it’s important to point out that we are all in different seasons of life. Sometimes just doing a little here and there is all we can do. And sometimes a little here and there is all we need to do to feel rejuvenated in our homes.
Sharing my home and making so many “internet” friends over the last few years has been such a dream. It’s my creative outlet and I’m willing to bet, if you’re here and following along, then you’re “my kind of people.” I love hearing your stories and asking your opinions about projects and craft ideas. It’s a sweet and fun circle of friends who share a love of creating and decorating and it just doesn’t get much better!
If you’re new here, welcome! Please reach out anytime, I’d love to chat with you and hear your story or share decorating ideas. And if you’ve been following along for a while, thank you! I truly appreciate your support and friendship.
Blessings,
Kayla
Let’s Keep In Touch
I’d love to keep in touch with you! I share French country cottage inspiration for all things home, decor, and DIY’s. You can expect to hear from me one or two times a week!