Backyard Dreaming

by Jen @ RamblingRenovators - 7:00 AM

I spent a good portion of the past weekend out on the porch at the cottage. There's no other place that makes me feel as relaxed or calm as that porch. What is it about outdoor spaces that slow your breathing and make you listen more intently to the sounds of the birds and crickets?

Designing outdoor spaces can be tricky. Furniture pieces need to be not only stylish and comfortable but also suitable to weather conditions. And while selection has improved over the years, I find that outdoor furniture in general still falls behind in terms of colour, shape, and design options. I'm not really a fan of brown, bulky, and bland outdoor furniture because, well, my backyard is currently brown and boring enough already.

Here's our back deck. It's a great size and runs the full length of the back of our house. The first window on the right looks into our newly renovated living room. We had a built-in bench on our last deck so we had no furniture to move to this house save for that worn table and lonely metal chair. We're truly starting from scratch out here.

This little stone walkway stretches from the deck to further in the backyard. As you can see, we've done hardly anything out here. Broken branches need to be cleaned up. The grass is patchy and dry. And weeds and ivy (ugh, I'm so not a fan!) need to be pulled out and pruned back.

But then what do we do from here? We need both an outdoor eating area and a lounging area. I feel like the areas could go either way. On the stone patio, we could do a pair of armchairs and a loveseat surrounding a fire table. Or, we could do a nap-worthy sectional out on the deck. A dining table with six chairs would look good in either spot too.

It might be easier if I start with the feeling I want to create. Here's a few outdoor spaces that are inspiring me right now: