My Outdoor Living Area Takes Shape

This year’s Memorial Day festivities will look a little different from past celebrations. Instead of beach trips and block parties, many of us are planning more quiet get-togethers in our own backyards. I know my family is. Our own outdoor living area is a work-in-progress but I thought I’d share a glimpse of how it’s taking shape and and provide a sneak peek of what’s still to come.

Laying the Patio Foundation

As luck would have it, we completed the hardscaping last fall — long before we knew just how important our backyard escape would become this spring and summer. Working with the amazing team at Serra Stone, we installed a flagstone patio with brick borders.

We also added new mushroom landscape lights from Volt Lighting around the patio’s perimeter. Torches encircling the hot tub, which is not new, burn citronella oil to keep pesky mosquitoes at bay. We wanted to retain plenty of green space and not consume the whole backyard with patio.

An exposed aggregate surface replaced asphalt on the driveway. It’s pebbly look adds tons of texture and warmth to the side yard.

Future Outdoor Seating Area

The aluminum-frame outdoor furniture you see in these photos has served us well for years. And it still has some life left in it, so we decided to keep it. But the old furniture doesn’t quite fill the new patio like it did our previous one. There’s a sizable “hole” in our outdoor living space that’s just begging for attention.

So I drew up a plan that incorporates the existing furniture and adds a new umbrella-covered seating area, complete with a gas fire table, on the right. Take a look:

Selections for Seating Area

The seating-area furniture  and other elements are on order but, with most manufacturers experiencing shipping delays these days, it hasn’t arrived yet. I’ll share my selections, though. The Oslo sofa, with a powder-coated aluminum frame, from Kannoa will anchor the grouping. I love its clean, modern lines.

I am obsessed with the look of the Havana Lounge Chair from Summer Classics.  The chair combines black aluminum frames with a woven-cane look.

Two Havana chairs are on their way and will round out the backyard seating area. And check out this sleek gas firepit, which will double as our cocktail table:

The Adara Fire Table from Room & Board features a graphite-hued mosaic tile top and decorative lava rocks. A blazing fire will be great once the sun goes down and will extend our patio-time into the cooler fall months. But this 10-foot cantilever umbrella from Diamondville will have us covered during sticky summer days.

Of course, our patio umbrella will shade the cozy seating area, not a terraced pool. I don’t know about you, but  I sure wouldn’t mind escaping to this outdoor living area.

I selected the polypropylene Buenos Aires rug, in the Ocean colorway, from Stark and ordered two — one for the seating area and one for the dining/lounging area. Here’s a close-up of the rug’s beachy palette and subtle color gradations.

The rugs will give the patio a room-like feel. They tie in beautifully with the Sunbrella fabrics I chose — a deep-blue solid for the Oslo sofa and a wide-scale, multi-colored stripe for the two Havana chairs. Take a look at the selections together, laid out on our blue flagstone patio:

The colors in the rug (top right) pick up on those naturally occurring in the flagstone and blend in with the surroundings for a calming effect.

Flowers Brighten our Outdoor Space

I prefer for bolder shots of color to come from the abundant flower beds and containers. If you’ve been following Creating Spaces for a while, then you know I love flowers! So, of course, I planted some of my favorites — irises, clematis and peonies — all around our outdoor living space.

Once the new furniture and other elements fall into place, I will share images of our completed outdoor living area on Instagram, so be sure to watch my feed in coming weeks.

I’m looking forward to the days when we can host a crowd of friends in our backyard, but, in the meantime, I’m happy to be gathering there with my family this weekend. I hope you find a way to get outside and celebrate with loved ones. This Memorial Day, let’s take time to remember and honor those men and women who gave their lives serving our country. Wishing you all a safe, healthy and happy weekend!