Outdoor Patio- Now we REALLY love it!

We had a yard sale or “tag sale” as they call it in Connecticut. I wanted it to be good, I knew I had some blog readers coming, friends and social media friends, I didn’t want them to be disappointed! So I put out a lot of things I wasn’t really planning on, like the outdoor patio furniture we had at the time. I put out the patio table first because it was a little damaged. Then I added the red chairs and the sectional too! I was ready for a change and had some ideas in my mind that I thought would be better for our family. We made some quick decisions when we originally moved in and we didn’t ‘t know how we would really use the space. That patio furniture was actually our first nice set of outdoor furniture. Every time we are outside using the new patio my husband says how much he likes it! And when your husband gives you a compliment on furniture or something you designed, you know it is good.

I know I might seem like I just get rid of things for fun and get new for no reason. Well, that might be true too. But if you are not in love with how something is working in your home, make a change! After everything sold I went online and searched for pieces I loved and that were on Clearance, since it was past the prime time most people order outdoor furniture. Just like buying Christmas after Christmas!

Now that we had a big empty patio I decided that I wanted to stripe the entire deck. If you remember we had navy and white stripes on one section of our deck, kind of like a rug. We really didn’t want an outdoor rug here, so painting a pattern on our deck added that pop and really defined the space like a rug would.

I found THIS patio table and liked it because the metal legs fold down and we could easily store it in the Winter. I thought it would be light weight- nope, it is really good quality.

We have had the stripes on the deck for about two years and they have worn really well. We used outdoor paint and picked the colors we wanted. I almost sent back those patio chairs- I was concerned at first that they seemed too cream with the white paint on the deck. But after seeing the cream on the sofa and umbrella it looks even better. That’s a tip for you…

Design Tip- Wait until you see everything together before you decide if you like something in your space.

I had thought about adding a pergola to the deck, but I really didn’t want to block any of the natural light coming into our home. We use umbrellas instead. I keep THIS black one up all the time and THIS cream one just when we eat (both on clearance).

My friend had me design her deck when I was visiting Utah this past summer and I did the same sofa and settee I did for her. I just really like how comfortable they were and the look so I ordered them for us too! If you remember we had a small sectional with a chaise before. It was a great size, but the chase just really isn’t the best use of space if you want a lot of seating. It worked for the price at the time. (you can see my friend’s deck HERE).

The green accents continue that I did in our Family Room, Kitchen and Front Porch for Fall. Oh and THIS cocktail table is the same one I used in our family room upstairs. It actually came chipped so they just let me keep it and they sent a replacement one. It totally worked out because I wanted a cement table out here and didn’t even look at that one! THIS green pot (on clearance!) is holding a skinny oak tree I bought on clearance…best time to buy tree’s is now too!

I was THRILLED when I found a solution to a privacy screen. Our neighbors are awesome, we just wanted some sort of backdrop and separation. We thought we were going to have to make something and we are not great at that. I would much rather just buy it ready to go. So I found the white screens HERE. Kevin just attached them to the deck with long wood poles. I really like the bright white.

I found THIS wood outdoor rocker for the best price! I was thinking I needed to paint it because the wood is a lot different than it looks online. I asked everyone over on Instagram and majority voted to leave it as-is. I was happy because I was on the fence, I totally would have painted it if everyone said to!

Are you convinced that you can maximize every inch of you home? I shared the real BEFORE photo from what we saw online before we bought this house with my Email Subscribers. There was only one small like pub table with two barstools. Kind of hilarious when you see my post today and count how many pieces of furniture I have on it….wait don’t do that! But I think it shows how you can truly maximize a space and really enjoy where you live!

And now to one of the favorite things we recently added….THIS little fire-pit! We wanted a gas fire-pit and something convenient or we would not use it! Not the case with this little guy. We have used it so often and it makes us linger longer on our deck. When we are not using the fire-pit it goes in that corner and I put a cover over it. When we do use it we just slide it out and turn it on!

Everything basically stays out here. The only thing I added was the white outdoor pillows for the pictures, that I like to keep inside (because they are too nice to leave out!)

I do have the solar powered lights that I have talked about before, they just don’t give off a lot of light. Just a nice really soft glow. We really needed extra lighting so I strung the outdoor plug-in lights to the umbrella and wove the extension cord down the back of the large Beach sign. We leave it stuck under our window, easy to plug inside (no outdoor plugs in our 1950’s home). They really add SO much.

We also put the black shutters on the back of the house. What a difference those make! We just bought them at Home Depot already painted black.

We have to keep ahold of Finn when the fire is on. Most of the time he is fast asleep when we start the S’mores! (He has no idea what he is missing:))

We are going to start working our way though all the creative ideas I shared on THIS post from my S’more Party with my friends. I am going to grab a pineapple to roast with cinnamon next time I am at the store!

Thanks for making it all the way thru our patio changes! You can click on images below to find what you are looking for. But act fast! Most is on clearance or major sale!

A couple things to note about the Outdoor Patio-

The entire deck is painted in Cape Cod Gray from Behr at Home Depot. It is just a can of paint you can pick up already mixed. Now keep in mind, we painted our deck about two and a half years ago, so there has been some fading and the color is not exact shown in the picture.

Beach Sign you can have custom made HERE she sealed ours with a boat sealer.

The strips are painted in Black Knight from Benjamin Moore in Outdoor Paint in Semi-Gloss and the white is Valspar Ultra White in a Semi-Gloss. Biggest tip is to tape it all off and only tape one set of stripes at a time- meaning that make sure each area you are painting is the same size. So Kevin painted all the white first then the black.

Click on this image below for the best S’more Ideas!

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