I was so delightfully surprised when my dear friend from college asked me to come to her home to give it a refresh. She and her husband had lived there 18 years and in that time added 2 children, a dog, and a lot of well-loved books. They are both teachers, avid readers, and board game enthusiasts. On top of that, she is a quilter. All of these things can add to the interior volume of your house. When you move, you naturally go through things and pare down, but when you stay put you can end up putting off taking an honest inventory of your things. I love jumping in and helping curate a space that needs to be freshened up! Since we did most of the house I thought I’d share multiple posts from this project. I picked the back deck because spring is coming and our outdoor spaces are about to come alive. Here’s some inspiration to get you dreaming!
Here is the before pictures of a well-loved, hard working, multi-use deck. Kayaking, grilling, an inflatable country club are just a few activities this deck has seen. We talked through what she’d like it used for and came up with this!
We ordered a sectional, gas fire table, 2 rockers, an area rug to define the space and end tables. Because the deck isn’t covered, we ended up purchasing a large cover that many of the pieces can fit under when not in use. Her 10 year old daughter put those rockers together herself- I am more than impressed.
Up close shot of the fire table, we got one with a rim to be able to hold drinks when not in use.
The deck has a step down that you can’t see from the pictures. It carves the deck into 2 spaces. I added 2 chairs that matched the sectional and added fun pillows and ottomans. I hung industrial bistro lights from the house to 2 metal poles for evening lighting. We moved the existing table and chairs to the section not being used up top and kept the kayaks around the side close to the garage.
I got this photo from my happy homeowner enjoying her space on a lovely summer evening! SM