Rosehill Cottage Update: Blue and White Pool Decor

Our blue and white pool decor is finally in place at Rosehill Cottage and I’m obsessed with these photos I snapped last week right after we wrapped up. This was one of the spaces I was a little more anxious about pulling together for two reasons. The first being that it couldn’t be done right away. With the winter weather looming shortly after we bought, nothing at the pool was going to be touched for the first 6-7 months. Then, there’s the wildcard of outdoor furniture. What’s actually going to be durable v. what’s going to fall apart after a season? This involved a lot of research and a whole lot of hoping things still look good at the end of the season — and it’ll be months before I have that answer.

But, for now, all looks great. So let’s get into it…

The Pool at Rosehill Cottage

When we were house hunting, we decided we either needed a waterfront house or a pool. By a stroke of luck, we found both. Our pool is at the front of the property, hidden away between the trees and bushes. It’s the perfect size for floating around with a cocktail, not too shallow and not too deep. I’m not generally a fan of sitting by a pool (fair skin problems), but being out here at the end of the day when the sun is lower in the sky is something I’m excited to do when we’re there later this month (so far, I’ve only been out there to work, power washing, setting up, planting — all the manual labor that goes into maintaining a house, especially when it’s also rented out!).

And one lesson we learned this year: we will NOT try to open the pool in April again next year! It was 50 degrees and dreary throughout much of the month and, while the pool can be heated in theory, it is prohibitively expensive to heat it (think one degree an hour at $12-15/hour…and it’s going to drop back down as soon as you turn the heat off). Plus, the pollen was a losing battle. Next year, we’ll open it up in mid-May and hope for better weather.

Blue and White Pool Decor

Our blue and white pool decor kicked off when I found this set of six white wrought iron chairs and a table on Facebook Marketplace for $150. This set is incredibly heavy and made for one of our most precarious pickups. We somehow got a tangle of chairs into the back of our SUV and tied the table, face down, onto the top.

The previous owner had inherited the furniture from her grandmother and perhaps didn’t have the same appreciation for grandmillennial style — I was happy to take it off her hands. The paint was in rough shape and I quickly found out that sanding and painting was a job beyond my abilities, but I found someone down at the river to sandblast and coat it. This was not cheap to the tune of $1,100. But I’ve told myself that $1,300 total for solid wrought iron tables and chairs is actually not bad.

With the white wrought iron furniture inspiring me, I decided to lean into a vibe that straddles garden party and classic beach. I continued the blue and white decor from the house, but embraced a crisp version with blue and white stripes and chinoiserie prints.

Details: Navy Adirondack Loungers | Navy and White Striped Umbrella | Light Blue and White Striped Pillows | Navy Scalloped Umbrella | Navy and White Chinoiserie Pillows | Garden Stool | Vintage White Wrought Iron Furniture {similar}

What We Have Planned Next

Of course the work is never done! I want to add a few more planters out here, though I’m navigating what types of plants will thrive out here. They need to be able to handle full sun and intermittent watering. Right now, I have Foxglove, Yellow Sedum, and Vincas in one planter, and the other has a leafy green plant that I can’t recall the name of.

I’d also like to add a few more pool floats and toys, though, durability is going to be the name of the game. Since they’ll likely be out all the time, I need to make sure it’s not going to be something that pops or deflates after a week left outside.

If you have any recommendations in either of these areas, send them my way!