This is THE Spring / Summer that I really want to use outdoor spaces to their full potential and enjoy them as an extension of our home. I recently gave our patio dining room table, chairs and benches a makeover which really got me pumped to tackled our large patio; read more about the makeover here. I'm so in love with how my patio table turned out, It looks incredible and feels so perfect on our patio.
When I think of my outdoor style, I see it as a mix of California Modern Casual: modern clean lines, pop of colors, waterwise plants & lots of planters + Hamptons Backyard Style: weathered grey furniture, wicker and lots of fluffy hydrangea plants. I love the classic look of the Hamptons meets the modern streamlined look of California style, Down the line, I'd love for my entire backyard fence to be boarded in hydrangeas - a girl can dream, right! Inside my home, I love the layered look of different wood finishes and patterns. My plan was to bring the same look outside, creating a layered look and nix the 'matchy matchy' look that patios often have.
Over the weekend, we made huge progress on our patio and I'm so excited with how everything is coming together. Our patio feels so good and so relaxing. While developing the floor plan of our patio, we opted to create an open concept living room / dining room area. We have a generous sized patio, however, due to our pergola I had to keep in mind the placement of our pillars and design around them in an intentional way.
Welcome to my patio in progress! As I mentioned, my goals were to fully utilize our outdoor spaces, and create a relaxing space for my family to enjoy and great place to entertain. I envision my family enjoying lots of dinners outside. Outside my patio, I placed a dwarf Pink Lemonade tree in a large pot, I'm hoping next year it starts producing fruit. I got my large planter locally at Green Acres Nursery, here's a similar large modern planter. The outdoor BBQ cart my husband and I built last year is the perfect spot to hold dishes, drinks, plants and more. On the other side of my door, I placed a large hydrangea in a pot, since I've had no luck with hydrangeas in the ground and thought I'd grow one in a pot and see how it goes. I also hung a modern wind chime next my hanging planter filled with petunias. I picked up my hanging planters years ago from Ikea; they no longer make them. However, this modern planter is a good alternative and a really good price.
For seating in our lounge area on our patio, I love the look of these grey modern streamlined Cammeray wicker chairs, and decided two would help create an intimate seating arrangement. The weathered grey sofa, also from Pottery Barn, had me at hello! I chose the standard cream slipcovers for both the sofa and chairs; my plan is to make them 'life-friendly' and Scotch Guard them. Later this year, I'll most likely have covers.
My plan was to fill my patio with an array of plants in various styles and planters to add visual interest. I love the Iris planter and placed it next to my sofa to add visual interest and softness; in some ways, it feels like a side table. This trio of plants feels like a trifecta of happiness: Philodendron, Citronella plant to keep the pesky bugs away, and Hosta.
Pretty much my entire patio area is filled with plants, which helps layer in color. I recently did a quick and easy DIY with the planter holding the mandevilla, I found the planter at Marshall's originally, and knew it would look so much better dark gray. Next time you come across a so-so planter, think of the possibilities. To the left of the mandevilla, I planted a blueberry bush. I ended with two blueberry bushes on my patio for cross pollination to produce blueberries.
Having the dining area directly across from the lounge area really helps create an intimate feeling on our patio. For larger parties, I can also picture us placing the dining table on the lawn to create a more open space. A few summers ago, I bought the faux concrete planters from Target, and bought another one the other day. I love the look of the rectangle planters; they're a great modern addition to my space. In two planters I planted hostas, and in the third one I planted a raspberry bush.
Having an outdoor area that we love has been years in the making. I love how our space is coming together, but we still have a few items on the to-do list:
- Add a large natural rug
- Add pillows to the sofa and chairs to layer in color
- Hang a pair of baskets above our dining table
- Hang cafe string lights from pergola
- Add a coffee table for drink holding etc.
- DIY a meter screen to help conceal our meter, I love this one from House Tweaking
- Hang a mirror or Chalkboard above BBQ Cart
- Add outdoor music!
The past few nights my husband and I have been spending time outside under the stars with a glass of wine in hand. Its such an amazing spot, and I'm so happy we have an area my family can enjoy with dinners outside, outdoor game night or chilling on the sofa.
Have you been working on your outdoor areas to enjoy this Spring and Summer? What do you think of our space?
Looking for Modern Planter Ideas for Inside and Out? Then this post is for you, a round-up Modern Stylish Planters
