For those of you who follow me on Facebook you may have seen the post that my car was broken into yesterday in the parking lot of my design studio. Both windows on the passenger side were shattered and it appeared as though they were trying to steal it altogether. I won’t talk too much more about it, as I am still a bit shaken up, but I am blessed to be ok and nothing valuable was taken from my car. I have shared a photo on both my Face Book pages if you want to take a look.

With that aside, I was delighted that my next door neighbor, whose pool is in the final stages of construction, has asked for my help with the decorations of the lounging and dining areas. She will be throwing a big party  in a few weeks to break-in her new pool, and needs some decorative items very quickly and on a tight budget! No time for custom pieces, so a little bit of shopping therapy is in order! I decided to head to a few online retailers. Let’s see what I was able to find:

Her wish list:

1. Avoid grandma wicker (Her words, not mine )
2. Conversation area and dining area
3. Clean lines and contemporary
4. Classic touches
5. Feels comfortable, more like indoors than outdoors
6. Not very bright colors, subtle but still has some presence
7. Cleans easily

 

 

 

We were lucky to find this clean-lined, contemporary set at Home Decorators. We won’t be needing the tables since we don’t want everything to match exactly. We will also be changing the cushions and pillows to bring in some subtle color

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This beautiful rug will anchor the seating area. It’s made for outdoors so cleans very easily.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A couple of these ceramic garden stools will act as occasional tables in the seating area

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We’ll be re-covering this pouf and adding it to the seating area. Great for reclining and putting feet up on

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This zinc dining table is also from Home Decorators and will add the classic touch that she is after

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are the chairs that will complete the dining area. Cushions will also be changed to ones with a bit more color

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some pillows and cushions will be added. We may have time to add custom pillows, in which case we can better coordinate our fabrics

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We will also add some accent lighting

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can’t forget about the dishware and serving pieces. Great opportunity to add a bit of whimsy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course, lots of potted plants

Basically, since my neighbor hired me on a consultation only basis, I will provide her with a plan and direction for the project and she will be responsible for purchasing, tracking, managing and installing herself. The plan will include a furniture layout, a more detailed shopping list than the one above (Including photos and dimensions), fabric selection for the items we will customize, elevation of any key design feature, and budget breakdown.

I don’t get to do very many patios, so it was great being a part of this mini project.

Hopefully she likes everything, and hopefully you found some inspiration to go forth and decorate your own outdoor spaces.

One final note – There is an upside to not having windows in your car. I got to enjoy the beautiful weather this morning on my drive to the collision center to get my windows replaced. At every stop light (and I caught every single one), I got to hear the birds singing their beautiful morning songs….I honestly have never taken the time to enjoy the beauty around me, but this morning I couldn’t help basking in the beauty of nature that we so often igonore. Have a blessed day!

Be Inspired!