Our Backyard Patio

This is the latest post giving you a look into our home! You can see our master bedroom here, our living room here and some pieces from our master bathroom here. When we first moved into our townhouse four years ago, we decided on a conversation set of furniture for the back patio and we loved it. We had two large chaise lounge style chairs and one loveseat sized couch. Here’s what it looked like before (the couch was on the other side of the patio):

We replaced the table in the set with the herringbone table that we made with my dad, but as the summers passed we realized that what we really wanted was a table that offered some shade from the blazing sun that hits our backyard and was also easier to eat at. Don’t worry, the herringbone table is serving as a chic coffee table down in my sewing studio! After spending memorial day at my parents house, where they have a two-level deck and tables with umbrellas, we decided it was time to bite the bullet. I wanted things to be bright and fresh, so we mixed and matched pieces from all over and here’s what the patio looks like now:

I had picked out this table originally, but we decided that we wanted a square one and instead decided on this one. We were able to snag the table while it was on sale and got the chairs at Target also. The biggest complaint we had about the old patio set was that every time there was a chance of rain we’d have to bring all the cushions in and then drag them back out when we wanted to sit outside. These chairs not only added the pop of color that I wanted, the mesh meant they were low-maintenance as well. I really wanted an umbrella that offered another pop of color but didn’t look like I was trying to match the chairs. The umbrella was the hardest item to find, we originally picked out this one in Navy but quickly realized that 9′ was just too big. We ended up settling on this one, which was the perfect size at 7.5′:

I had originally thought we had to have a tilt umbrella but after realizing how hard it was to find an umbrella in the color I liked that was the right size, I decided that beggars can’t be choosers. The sun is directly over the patio for a majority of the day so I haven’t felt like I’ve been missing out yet and at the price point, I have no complaints!

My husband and I have breakfast together every morning before work and we also eat dinner together each night (even when he works nights) so I wanted to get some outdoor friendly dishes for the new table. We have these amazing glass fish glasses that were an engagement gift that we use inside still and so I picked out these fun Cynthia Rowley plastic ones from Home Goods for the table:

I wanted a really fun print for the plates and I wanted them small enough that I could put them on top of our plain white ceramic plates from Ikea that we use inside. I also wanted bowls that matched the colors of the plates but weren’t too matchy- matchy so I decided on some plastic Nicole Miller plates and bowls, also from Home Goods:

I love that the colors from the plates tie in the chairs and the color of the umbrella:

I had spotted this set of fabric napkins at Target a while ago and knew they’d be perfect for the patio. We love having linen napkins inside because they’re super easy to throw in the wash and keep reusing, plus they’re much more durable than paper napkins for outside. I love that the prints and colors for each one is different yet they all work together:

Here’s a shot of the whole set up from a different angle:

In addition to refreshing the actual patio, we also re-mulched the tiny bed over on the side of the patio. We ripped up the weeds, pruned the hydrangea bushes and laid down about 3 bags of this black mulch:

It’s amazing how much better things look with just a little fresh mulch, you can see the before & after on my instagram page. We keep our hose in a large plastic tub that’s supposed to be a “party bucket” right next to the water spout so that it’s easy to water the mulch and plants. We used to have shepard’s hooks with lanterns hanging on them in that blank spot in the mulch but we’re still deciding what to do with that area. I’m thinking of planting a new bush there, I just haven’t decided exactly what. To the left had side of the picture above is the ninth hole of the country club we love behind, it’s a fantastic view! The windows in the picture lead to our kitchen and to the right of the picture above (not shown) are the giant sliding glass doors that lead to our living room, see them here.

We are already LOVING the new set up. We spent all last weekend playing cards, eating outside in the GORGEOUS weather and enjoying some cocktails!