How I'm preparing for a summer spent at home 🪴
Our backyard homestead, a thrifted solid wood table for outdoor dining, my favorite way to add a little whimsy and the couch I do not recommend.
Good Digs is a design and decor newsletter from The Good Trade. Every other Thursday, one of our editors pulls back the curtain on their space, inspirations, and reflections on home.
💛 A letter from our editor, Kate
This summer we’re settled in a new home. My husband is a teacher and he’ll be with our kids full-time while I work remotely, so we’ve been busy curating a soft place to land for our family of four, the friends and relatives who frequent our dinner table, and our new flock of chickens.
Earlier in the Spring we dove into growing our own food. I recently shared How We’re Creating A Small Urban Homestead While Renting which highlights how we surprised our kids with baby chicks for Easter. We’re having a blast with all of it and I’m enjoying the education and built-in entertainment!
In the coming weeks, we’re leaning into backyard living and low-cost, local fun ahead of our two week cross-country road trip later this summer. To prepare for a peaceful and fun few months, we’ve been clearing clutter, organizing our belongings, curating comfort and making our spaces functional.
For my kids, I’m hoping for long days of playing outdoors, making blanket forts, and movies together on the couch with homemade popcorn at the end of the day. For myself, I’m looking forward to cooking meals with ingredients from the garden, beach days and sleeping in on the weekends, reading outside and having our community over as much as possible.
I love a stunning piece of well made furniture and a perfect imperfectly curated shelf — but the whole point of a warm and inviting home are the people inside of it, after all. Below you’ll find the delights and daily rituals that make our house feel like our own, how we’re prioritizing thrifted decor, and the season bouquet on my wishlist.
Vego Garden beds | As mentioned above, our budding homestead is our favorite hobby. After a lot of trial and error, Vego Garden has made gardening a breeze, and their garden beds are worth every penny. They’re currently on sale, and the brand has also offered our readers an exclusive discount — use GOODTRADE10 for $10 off your order.
Organization | More than any new item, putting our existing belongings in their rightful places is the fastest way to calm my nervous system. There’s nothing quite like a closet clean out to make me exhale a huge sigh of relief. We sorted through our garage, unpacked the final few boxes from our move last fall, and carefully curated our closets.
Fresh linens | There are few things more luxurious than freshly laundered bedding. I’ve been testing sheets over the last few months and my current favorite combo is Naturepedic’s Organic Supima Cotton Sheets paired with MagicLinen’s Striped Duvet Cover (stay tuned for the full guide!)
The Mug from East Fork | The combination of coffee beans from our local roastery and The Mug remains transcendent. I look forward to this ritual, and this combination, every single morning.
Thrifted home decor | I recently went thrifting with one of my closest friends in Palm Springs who taught me how to shop strategically for coffee table books, high quality frames and vintage rugs. We’re slowly decorating our home with these items and it feels intentional, grounded, cozy, and most importantly, like ours.
Thuma’s Signature Sectional | One item we did not thrift was a new sectional. We’d officially outgrown our 80 incher from West Elm, which was a pain from the moment we purchased (required white glove delivery, deflating cushions, poor customer service). The modular design of our new sofa is beautiful, functional, and practical with a durable woven fabric in the Mocha colorway. Delivery was a breeze and set up was even easier — I’ll share a 90 day review of this piece at the end of the summer.
Bali Lounge Chairs from Hati Home | Whether I’m sipping coffee, reading a novel, or watching my kids in the yard, I always try to find an excuse to sit in these perfect backyard chairs.
Hosting dinner al fresco | Aside from spending so much time outdoors for pleasure, the crowd we host at our home often exceeds our six seater dining room table, so we move outside. We scored a free twelve foot solid wood table off of Marketplace a few months back, and it is my favorite place to host our friends and family for dinner. We recently added a humongous secondhand jute rug to the space and now it truly feels like an extension of our home. Cheers to many impromptu summer gatherings on the back patio!
Fresh blooms | The fastest way to lift my spirits is to put a fresh bouquet of tulips or peonies on the kitchen table. And while I’ve never actually ordered, I’ve added Flamingo Estate’s Weekly Bloom Bundle to my mood board.
Tiny coupe glassware | Last but certainly not least, drinking out of tiny coupes. My daughter requests sparkling water in a coupe each night for dinner and I realized this is one of easiest ways to add a little delight to our day.
Wishing each of you a wonderful few months ahead, and may we all merrily sip from our fancy glassware all summer long. 🥂
Warmly,
Kate
Read the last edition 🏡
For more from The Good Trade, explore our website for heartfelt editorials, honest product reviews, and community-sourced resources for more mindful living. Subscribe here to get The Daily Good delivered to your inbox Monday through Friday, and follow us on Instagram @thegoodtrade.
 | A guest post by
|
I’m so invested in the homestead! Love this edition Kate!