Disclosure: Although items for this patio makeover were provided by Home Depot Canada, all comments, opinions and photos are strictly mine.
I don’t know about you, but summer is already passing by way to quickly. I told myself after what seemed like a never ending winter this past year, that I would spend as much time as I could outside this summer. Working a 9-5 job kind of throws a wrench into plans like that for most people, however, being fortunate enough to work from home, I knew I could do a little summer enjoyment/work multitasking with a simple patio makeover. Luckily my WIFI reaches the patio area so I wanted to be able to bring my laptop outside with me and work and enjoy.
Because I live in a rental, I don’t want to spend money on something that I can’t take with me if I ever move. And I also don’t have a lot of storage for outdoor items in the winter so I need to really think and plan when I want to do any sort of updates. I didn’t want to do too much to the space but believe me, it needed some work.
BEFORE:
Yes, the before was pretty abysmal with weeds growing everywhere and a complete eyesore. So first things first, of course I chose the hottest day of the summer to pull weeds and get rid the growth in the cracks. But there was no way I would enjoy the space, no matter what I put in it, if it was covered in weeds.
I looked on the Home Depot Canada website for some inspiration for the space and it gave me a lot of ideas. I wanted a space that I could use to work outside so I would need a table and chairs and definitely an umbrella to shade me from the afternoon sun. The chairs would have to comfortable enough for me to sit for an extended period of time. I also wanted to use the space for the boy and I to eat meals outside once in a while so I needed the table big enough to allow that.
Again, due to limited storage space, I wanted items that I would be able to fold up when the dreaded winter arrives so that I would be able to store them quickly and easily. I didn’t feel like it was a huge wish list for my patio makeover but I knew I would need to make sure all the pieces worked together to get the end effect that I was looking for.
After getting some ideas from the website, I headed to my local store and literally stumbled across the perfect table and chair set as soon as I walked in the door. Not only were the chairs comfortable, they are able to fold up to easy storage. There were lots of options to choose from on display at the store but as soon as I saw this one, I knew it was perfect.
And the table was big enough to accommodate a meal, but not too large that it would overtake my small patio space.
I was also able to find an umbrella that again folded up for storage come winter but also was easy enough to put up and down when I wanted to use it so I didn’t have to worry about it being damaged or blowing away when a summer storm blew in.
As I was getting ready to check out I saw this cute pineapple shapes LED light that I thought would be perfect on my table to light up the area if we wanted to sit outside into the evening. And who doesn’t love anything pineapple?
It seems like it’s just a simple few pieces but it really made my sad patio area into something I enjoyed using almost on daily basis.
AFTER:
And one last piece that I wasn’t originally in my “must haves” for this patio makeover, was a cute straw mat for my doorstep. As soon as I saw it, I knew it was the perfect representation of the boy and I and the perfect way to greet guests upon their arrival.
So if you’ll excuse me, I am going to go enjoy my patio and soak up as much of this summer as I can.
cathyunfiltered.com 