Tour de Puna: Part I

So, here's the deal... I'm not a photographer, so bear with me! I wish I had a fancy schmancy camera and the shutterbug know-how to give you quality images you see in a fabulous shelter magazine. You know the photos I'm talking about that look clean and crisp with beautiful floods of white light. Oh well! In my dreams, this blog post looked uber professional.

And since I aim to be my truest self on here, I'll fill you in on a little secret. The perfectionist side of me wanted to cringe as I put this post together. In fact, it's probably the reason I didn't share Lil' Puna with you sooner. My house will never look finished to me. It's the sort of challenge I secretly love. I'll always be on the hunt for another great throw pillow, or devising a plan to save for a fluffy new rug for our bedroom and a pouf ottoman for the living room. That's terrible, isn't it? It almost sounds as though I'm not content with what I have. I assure you, that's not it at all. I love our house and I'm proud of what we've created. Our space is a true reflection of us as a couple, and I love that aspect about it. Like any great story or painting, when can you really say it's finished? Our style and interests grow and change. Each new place we move to becomes a part of us and should be reflected somewhere in the home. With time, our humble abode will inevitably evolve with us.

Can you tell how easily tickled I get by interior design and decor? I guess it reminds me of my mom, who taught me another valuable lesson. When your life is as mobile as ours, it's your "stuff" that makes a new place feel like home. Growing up, it didn't really matter where the Air Force sent us. I watched my mom work through the night to put our family's house together. It was her way of giving our family some sort of consistency. Her attention to detail added pops of personality to each place we lived and made any rental or base housing unit feel really special, as though we had roots somewhere. Here's my attempt at planting roots in Hawaii at our current rental -- a place I like to call Lil' Puna.

(See pictures after the jump.)

Our house has a beautiful view that overlooks the bay.

Living Room: Complete with Keep Calm poster and inspirational chalkboard message. 

Our couch and a makeshift coffee table, courtesy of my father-in-law. I love the color and vintage feel. It's also great storage!

This little corner in the living room is great for reading. There's nothing quite like a good book and a serene view.

Bookshelf details behind the couch. 

More details -- I love stacks of books and knick knacks.

Dining table and entryway.

There's no shortage of color in the kitchen.

Fridge Details

Cookbooks and a vintage tin that says "Fine Crackers." I love anything cheeky that references our last name.

Kitchen Bar Details

My latest and greatest favorite addition is this adorable gnome. 

Dinner table and entryway.

Display cabinet near dining table -- perfect for miscellaneous knick knacks.

Hall tree at entryway.

Well, I hope you enjoyed your tour of the living room, kitchen, and entry way. Tomorrow, we'll head to the bedrooms and office. I'll also fill you in on how we stumbled upon Puna. It was definitely an adventure!

Happy Wednesday lovelies!

Toodles,

ANF