patio reveal

We’ve been on vacation which was great but now it’s back to reality and more posts!! There’s so much to do after coming home from vacation – unpack, laundry, grocery shopping, laundry, water the plants, clean up the yard, laundry… so it was nice to come home to our newly finished patio area where we can relax {to me a good vacation means you’re tired when you get home!}. This patio area was originally our swing set area so the space was already there – we just needed to give it a new purpose. Check out the original post here. It turned out to be a fun project that we threw together pretty fast since it was the beginning of summer and we wanted to use it as much as possible. It’s very functional, pretty and, even though it’s outside, I think it’s very cozy.

Here’s the before.

And here’s where it is now.

Just a few notes on what I did:

1) firepit do-it-yourself {or ourselves since it was a family effort}. Really fun and easy project – check out the tutorial post here.

2) refinish an old table from my very generous friend. Again, very easy project. I just tightened all the screws, sanded the table and put a coat of oil based white wash on it. I might try and add a beverage container but for now, this is working great!

3) refinish an old bench. My husband found this at an old thrift store and I just sanded it and painted black. It was a pastel purple (and the wood was very rough). Sorry, forgot to take the before pics…

4) make a no-sew table runner. I discovered this material at our local fabric store, which is used to make dish towels so it has seams on both of the long edges. I just used iron-on tack tape on each of the short edges. And voila – no-sew table runner. And since the material is used for dish towels, it should hold up well outdoors.

5) sanded and spray painted two Adirondack chairs to be a cheery bright red/orange.

6) home-made side table – I made it by using 2 pots stacked opposite on top of each other, and found the perfect flat rock for the top.

7) Tin can lanterns. Check out the DIY post here.

And my new purchases include:

// Marshmallow roasting sticks from One Kings Lane {only sold now in a complete firepit set for $49} // navy chairs from Target {$25 for 2 – no longer online} // white garden stool to use as a table top or chair {$29.99 on clearance at Marshalls!!} // navy print pillows from Target {$30 set of 2} // Additional citronella candle sticks from Homegoods {$5} // old twin bed frames from a local antique store, used as a border treatment and backdrop for plants {$50 for both} // multi-colored planter from Homegoods {for a steal – $39.99} //

Including the DIY project materials like cement, paint, sandpaper and hardware – the total cost for this patio was about $250. One of the things I learned doing this project is that what you intend on doing at the start of a project isn’t always what you want – or are able to do – as the project progresses. Originally I wanted to construct a trellis with a box for potted plants but then I saw these bed frames and the large colorful pot and I knew I had to do something different. I also had several other planters that were not being used and I hate wasting good items. They all worked together with their similar color scheme. I was also going to add a beverage holder to the picnic table but then realized that we didn’t really need one and since I loved the way the table was refinished, I just wanted to keep it simple. Lighting was another element I was planning on adding but once we get the fire pit going and the nice lighting that comes from the back of our house, we really didn’t need any more lighting. I like the feel of the citronella candles too – and those we need! Plus, that would have meant hiring an electrician to re-route the electrical outlets – which means more time and more money. As we use this space more and more, I’m sure I’ll see some things we need to change or add but for now, it’s a great space that we’ll enjoy over and over!