Hallelujah, my patio reveal is here! Yay! It’s the last space in the house to be decorated. I’m a little sad about that. To check out the other Queen’s Quarters decor posts, click HERE. Let me just start by saying, I’m keeping this post as short as possible, haha! In all honesty, this patio has been done since the last week in May, however, when that horrendous video surfaced of the killing of Mr. George Floyd, all of my attention shifted. It felt inappropriate doing a room reveal in the middle of such trauma and tragedy. And though we’re still in the middle of it, I think we’ll be “here” for a while. But the social media shaming is real… “how dare you post anything un-related to Black Lives Matter during this time.” It lingered on my mind for a quite a while, but we all have to process in our own way. I will continue to fight for the cause but I will err on the side of balance, if for nothing but healthy sanity for myself, because what we’re all going through right now is heavy; it’s been heavy, with racial injustice, COVID, chaotic politics, good Lord! So I’m posting the reveal now because I believe this is our new-normal-for-a-while, and I choose to live life present for all that affects me in a healthy manner. That said, let’s go!
Patio Inspiration
Here are four of my top inspiration pictures from my Pinterest page for the space…
Getting Started
I started this project in late February, planning and sourcing everything I wanted. My plan was to finish in time to enjoy our lovely end-of-March, April and May temps out on my newly furnished space. By mid-March when I was ready to make purchases and put it all together, everything had shut down, and vendors were struggling with how to operate in the midst of that. I knew I wanted a chandelier of some sort (of course), a rug, and flowy curtains. I really wanted an extended living space feel as opposed to regular patio vibes. I wanted it to be bright white with a crisp, clean look, but with a a pop of color, but cozy and comfortable too. This was my blank pallette…
What was really funny, but not funny, was by the time the patio was all finished and I could sit out there and enjoy it, we were experiencing unusually high temperatures in the hundreds here in Arizona. So I was only able to enjoy it in the mornings for a couple weeks. Now that we’re gearing up for Monsoon season, I’ll be purchasing covers for it next week. Bummer. I will look forward to making full use of it in the fall. But I digress. Here is how it turned out…
The Patio Reveal
It’s In The Details
So I started with the floor. I didn’t want to go through a costly or time consuming application on the floor, so I used a bright white patio paint which turned out really nice. I was able to do this myself over a 3-day period and I love how it turned out. The breezy curtain panels are from Target, the curtain hardware is from Amazon, the sectional and coffee table are from Home Depot, and the area rug is from Wayfair . Of course there are things I already want to change like… the area rug. I absolutely love this design and it works perfectly in the space, but unfortunately, this was the only size that I could make work in the space. I tried the larger size and it was too long but not wide enough. Trust me, I will figure this out and update you, but for now, this is it. And I think I’m ok with that… for now, haha!!
I wanted the light fixture to go with the darker finishes in the space. I’ve never really liked ceiling fans because I have allergies, and fans always exasperate that for me. I was very happy to find this orb chandelier on Amazon.
Shopping My Home & More Details…
As with every other room in this house, I was determined to spend the least amount of money possible. I’ve had the bamboo-like cabinet since I moved to Phoenix 19 years ago. It’s one of the first furniture purchases I made back in 2001. Of course if you’ve followed my posts for any amount of time, you know I love decorating with fabric, and always have extra stashed away. The greenery wall feature and table are all from Walmart. The plastic plates and stemless wine glasses are also from Walmart, however, they were purchased a while ago, in-person, and I couldn’t find them online. I’ve linked other options at Walmart. The twine-wrapped sunflower overlay piece is from At Home, (which I deconstructed), and the faux orchid pieces are from Michael’s. The little floral centerpiece was just put together with items shopped from my home.
Patio Dining and Decor Accents & Re-purposing
These chairs actually go with my indoor dining table, and this is now the third time I’ve re-purposed and re-upholstered them. The fabric is from SAS, and when I saw it, I instantly fell in love with the pattern and shade of green. This fabric is actually the reason I went with this particular pop of color to accent my all-white patio theme, and set the tone for every other decor detail. I loved the geo-patterned fabric so much, since I wasn’t thrilled with how the top of the coffee table looked, I made a little cushion for it using the remainder of the fabric. All the pillows and table decor items are from At Home.
Oh, The Landscaping!
Shout out to Irene Larios, owner of Greenheart Landscaping. They got started on my backyard literally on day one in the house almost a year ago. With the back of the house in glass sliders, it was one of the first major things I tackled in the house. I knew I didn’t want to look at a yard full of dirt all the time, but I also knew if I didn’t do it right away, other house things would begin to take precedence. I love, love, love how it turned out. They did a fantastic job, in just a few days, and I highly recommend them for any and all of your landscaping needs. Here are just a few “before and after” pictures.
That’s all folks!
I’m over the moon with how the patio turned out. On a warm night with a decent breeze, I sit out here and watch a movie and it’s just perfect. I am so thankful to be able to have a home with a private outdoor space that I can style like this.
