Beach House Essentials, Getting Ready for Summer with Serena & Lily!

Living by the beach on Cape Cod, Summer is everything! And gearing up for this summer season, (hopefully this year with lots of friends and family), I’m pulling out some of my favorite Serena & Lily products. I love Serena & Lily, they understand the casual, coastal lifestyle. I can rely on them for high quality products that are both beautiful and practical!

Beach towels like the Mallorca Beach Towels are an important asset for me, they are “work-horses.” From a sunrise swim on Old Silver Beach before the crowds arrive to an end-of-day dip at sunset, the Mallorca Beach Towels were a natural choice for me. And, having lived through a beach-season at Old Silver Shed, the towels haven’t faded after long days in the sun, haven’t unraveled or pulled into strings after MANY washes and there was absolutely NO color-bleed. Many of you know I like things simple, so this (yarn-dyed) nautical stripe in black and white checks all my boxes.

And, if the truth be told, I was drawn to the bold black and white stripes too because I have black doors on my house, OK-I confess. When I see the towels set out dry, casually draped over our outdoor shower or tossed over the Adirondack chairs, I see a perfectly styled instagram post! They wash beautifully (and they get used every single day!), even as I stack them from the dryer into a clean fluffy pile in the laundry room I see a perfect IG post! For me, the aesthetics are an important piece of my decision to buy something. They will be fluffed and folded for our first beach days on Old Silver this year!

Many of you know I’m an early-bird and love to take sunrise beach walks that usually include a trip down to the salt marsh that runs along the side of my home. This is a magical place, the nature we live with is truly part of why I love Cape Cod so much. Lots of mornings I walk out to my back deck and slowly scan the marsh for all of you to enjoy with me in my Instagram stories. Some mornings, I convince Phil to have breakfast and coffee down at the marsh to watch the sunrise. I carry the picnic basket and Phil grabs our Palisade Outdoor Beach Chairs (in Driftwood) from Serena & Lily. It’s a great way to greet a new day, to enjoy an incredible sunrise breakfast. Even if there is some morning fog, slowly rising off the water, we love to sit back to listen and watch the many birds that spend the summer by the shore. Egrets, Osprey, Gulls and Heron dot the water, in flocks or alone. I was drawn to the Palisade Beach Chair’s modern, low profile, the maintenance-free resin wicker material and the natural sun-bleached color. They are easy to just “pick up and go”! A perfect way to start our day, it’s fascinating to sit so close to the action on the marsh and observe nature in those quiet, early hours.

And the chairs are perfect for extra seating (next to our Adirondacks) on the front lawn for sunset, the perfect size to toss in the back of the car when we head out to watch fireworks on the fourth of July!

After long beach days, we head to the outdoor shower! And I make sure it’s fully stocked with all the necessities. The St. Helena Bathrobes are the perfect touch!

They are 100% cotton waffle/terry spa robes, crisp white, (and always freshly washed)-so plush and cozy! My mom was a wonderful and gracious host. My parents owned a beautiful horse farm in Dutchess County New York and they welcomed all of our friends and family from near and far. They loved hosting weekend gatherings with great food from their garden, card games that lasted well into the night, and lots of cozy comfortable rooms to retire to. Her attention to the details that make guests feel so special was a great inspiration to me. I learned from her that delicious food and drink, comfortable cozy spaces, the right music and stocking up on all the little details was the key to entertaining, understanding that making people feel at home is what makes a visit memorable! I like to “test” what it’s like to be a guest here at our home; I sleep in the guest room, use the guest bath, etc, to make sure everything is just right. Offering guests a truly luxurious St. Helena Bathrobe to go to and from the outdoor shower is a perfect detail! (And I know exactly how great it feels to be wrapped up in this robe- it’s just right.) It washes beautifully too, an important consideration for us since some summers we have a constant flow of people here! The pure cotton waffle outer layer, lined with the plush, nearly “velvety” terry on the inside makes them incredibly cozy! After a day on the beach and a cool shower, I can not wait to see these bright white robes on those many sun-kissed faces I love!

We have a two stall shower and many times there’s simultaneous showers running! There is the evening rush to get to the Adirondack chairs (with the sun-warmed Mallorca Beach Towels draped on back) to sit and watch the sun set on Old Silver Beach.

My personal Serena & Lily favorite is all about me! I have a thing for linen pajamas, and the Porto Linen Pajamas are a simple luxury that makes me feel great, especially waking up in a house filled with guests. I am totally at ease lounging late into the morning over cappuccinos on our back deck with my company. I chose the Flax Chambray because it looks beachy and classic, though the soft blue option has me thinking I need another set! The attention to detail, like the classic piping and shell buttons, and the slightly roomy fit made these the perfect choice for me.They are exceptionally comfortable, wash beautifully, and when company comes, I literally feel “dressed up” for breakfast!

Overall, Serena & Lily delivers a product that is kindred with our coastal-comfortable lifestyle and I am always excited about what I order-I know they will be high quality products that will stand the test of time and blend seamlessly into our home!

You can shop my Serena & Lily favorites here:

Happy (Almost!) Summer!

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