Our Patio Reveal!

This moment you guys.  I don’t think I’ve ever worked harder for anything in my entire life!  Okay… maybe I’m exaggerating just a tiny bit!  This patio has been a true labor of LOVE.  Sweat.  Blood, literally.  Tears.  A thousand trips to the nursery and late nights digging and hauling dirt and refinishing furniture.  You wanna see the before?  Click on through and come on our patio journey with me!

Couch: c/o AE Outdoor | Trellis Rug: Target

I’m not gonna share much of the before right now, but here she is.  In all her glory!  You can tell our landscapers did a phenomenal job leveling out our ground… ugh #theworstjobever.  Our main issue was the transition from the grass to the patio.  As you can see it wasn’t too inviting.  We couldn’t get the grass to grow in areas and we knew if we just put in a flower bed we’d have mulch rolling into the grass because of how steep the incline was.  So we had Brian’s parents and brother come out one weekend and together they built a beautiful retaining wall.  Now I have some gorgeous flowers beds and it’s finally a space we want to hang out on.

Can you spot the unfinished project in this photo?  I’ll give you a hint… twinkle twinkle little star.  That’s probably a horrible hint but it’s good enough!

There was nothing inviting about our patio before.  The stamped concrete is a cold grey color and I knew if I wanted my kids to want to be outside, I needed to create a space they felt warm and cozy in.  So I brought in an outdoor rug to break up the cold grey color and then I found this gorgeous wicker sectional from AE Outdoor.  To say we’re obsessed with it is an understatement.  It adds in that warm, rich color I was desperately needing and it’s crazy comfy.  I catch the kids reading to each other out there all the time!  We now have family night outside, and soon we’re getting a little projector so we can have our movie night out there too!  The fabric on it is Sunbrella so I’m confident this will be a piece we keep around for years and years.  It’s soft and comfortable to lounge around in + the coffee table opens up to reveal awesome storage for throw blankets, books and toys.

Remember this plant on snapchat?!  It’s a Ginger plant and I thought it was going to burn up in the sun.  The leaves start curling after a few hours but then it’s in shade a perks back up.  We’ll see how long she lasts out there!

Coops Shirt | Shorts | Moccs

Blue Pillow | Orange Cadiz Chair | Small Planter | Grey Planter | Tall Skinny Planter (Banana Tree) | Welcome Mat (target, only sold in stores)

I purchased this table from World Market last year, right after we had our stamped patio poured.  Because it was the only thing on the entire patio we never used it.  No one wanted to be outside!  So we didn’t use it all summer and then winter came and we just kept putting off bringing it inside.  Needless to say it was trashed come Spring… that’s what I get for leaving a teak table out over a freezing Ohio winter!  I spent hours refinishing it and if there’s any interest I’ll put a tutorial together on how to care for your teak furniture, let me know in the comments.  All the things you shouldn’t do… ha ha!  I’m so happy I was able to fix it because we love eating on it now that the space is so cozy and it’s gorgeous.

Place mats | Lunch Trays | Melamine Bowl (set from costco)

Savy’s Happy Tee.  The only shirt she will happily wear… no pun intended.  #sparklesforlife

I’ve tried to link everything I could think of that you guys might want to know.  If I missed something let me know and I’ll try to find it!

Couch: c/o AE Outdoor Elizabeth 6 piece set from Target
Pillows:  Left grouping – Orange / Mint  Center Grouping-  Larger light blue / Floral / and turquoise Right- Navy
Rug: Orange Trellis 7×10
Silver side table
Planters: West Elm.  I have the tall, medium and small, the small is sold out
Table: World Market. Chairs and chair cushions + Bench.  Umbrella.

^^ He’s obsessed with this broom!  We got it from world market with a little wheel barrow and shovels! 

Well guys.  Thanks for enduring through that entire post, I know there were a lot of pictures!  I couldn’t narrow them down!  I love you all soooo much and would love to know what projects you’ve been working on.  Any garage sale finds your repurposing for your patio?  Do you have any favorite plants?  That’s one thing I wish I had paid attention to when living at home.  PLANTS!  I’ve had to landscape all on my own and I wish I had known something about what plants to choose and how to group them together!  If you’re still looking for some patio furniture, make sure to check out AE Outdoor and their blog, they have so much inspiration on how to make your outside space more cozy.  Happy summer guys!

xo