One Room Challenge: The Patio Reveal!
It always takes a push to get over the finish line, and in this case, we sprinted right up to the deadline, building the outdoor kitchen in under three days, to finish up our patio makeover. It’s a project that deserves its own post, and I’ve got the big reveal to get to, so, for now, if you want the breakdown, head over to my Instagram highlights to see how we put it all together.
It’s hard to believe that eight weeks ago, our yard looked like this: the fence was rotting and sagging, the deck was splintering, and the previous finish hadn’t worn well, and it was filled with a mish-mash of toys, tools, and mismatched patio furniture with nowhere to tuck things out of sight. It was also pitch black at night with no light or heat and lacked shade during the day. I set out not just to make the space look better but also to make it feel better so that we could use it any time of the day or night. I wanted a place that our family could spend days playing in, and friends could gather at night.
One of the things that made this a little trickier was that we didn’t have any power or gas running to the yard, and adding them in would more than double our budget and extend the timeline as we waited on the permitting process. Our solution was to go solar on the lighting plus a couple of outdoor battery-powered LED candles in the lanterns. For the fire pit, grill, and patio heater, we opted for propane.
This project was heavy on the builds. We tore down and replaced the existing fence with cedar, build a pergola with the Toja grid system (highly recommend), made a built-in storage bench with a planter back as our banquette, enclosed under the stairs to create storage, and built the aforementioned outdoor kitchen from scratch. We even made a lid for the fire pit so it could be used as a coffee table. Because the price of wood is at an all-time high, we repurposed everything we could. We painted the boards we salvaged from the old fence black and used them to enclose the stairs, the former posts became the structure of our bench, and the cedar cut-offs from constructing the new pergola and fence were incorporated into the bench and outdoor kitchen. We used every spare scrap we could get our hands-on.
We also utilized paint and stain to transform a lot of the existing features in the yard. The garishly orange cedar sandbox was stained to match the deck, the metal back door got a coat of color-matched DTM (direct to metal) paint in the same off-black shade we brushed onto the window frames and old fence boards beneath the stairs. The deck itself got a good sanding to refinish the surface, and we stained it a dark gray-blue. While it might not be the most common option, I wanted to break up all of the wood tones in the yard and neutralize the warm tones of the redwood deck. Eventually, the cedar will naturally silver, and the color palette of the yard will shift towards gray and blue.
As for the pieces we purchased, it was a juggling act deciding where to splurge vs. save. After a few experiences with budget patio furniture that fell apart quickly, I decided to invest a little more. Still, I spent hours combing the classifieds and researching ways to save on items. Our biggest splurges were the Pottery Barn table and Serena and Lily sofa (though I managed to snag both during sales). The saves were the fire pit which I scored on Facebook Marketplace and repainted with high-heat spray paint and the Fuego grill. We got it on sale for around $300 and built our outdoor kitchen to accommodate instead of purchasing a traditional built-in grill which is usually upwards of $1,000. Most of the accessories were also very budget-friendly, the rugs, linens, throw, and most of the pillows were Target finds. As for lighting: the solar cafe lights are by Brightech, the solar path lights and the lanterns we mounted on shepherds hooks are from Target, and the pendants are actually $20 willow garden cloches that we outfitted with solar cord kits.
It’s been a “journey” these past eight weeks; while my husband took one week off work where we powered through the deck and fence rebuild, we did most of it in the evenings, weekends, and the odd lunch break. We’re juggling a two-year-old and a five-year-old without childcare which makes things extra intense. Honestly, I took a long break this past year from taking on clients (design and photography), perusing partners and sponsorships, and doing anything with a set deadline. I keep reading about how women have been forced out of the workforce because of Covid and a lack of childcare, and honestly, that’s been me too. It felt really, really good to do something like this again. I hope to do more of it. But I’m also giving myself a lot of patience and grace as I come back from this past year, and you should too. Maybe you don’t take on a big project; maybe you paint one wall. Or you take a class, whatever it is. I just want to pause and acknowledge the less Instagram- ready side of things in case this is you too.
Thanks again for following along, and thanks to the One Room Challenge and their media partner Better Homes and Gardens, for hosting! You can check out what the rest of the participants are up to over on the One Room Challenge blog and you can see more of my project on Instagram, and if you need me, I’ll be outside, sipping on some iced tea and enjoying my new deck.
*This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links
Resources:
Kitchen:
Pizza Oven: Ooni, Grill: Fuego, Watering Can; Target, Outdoor Baskets: Target, Round Tray, Target, Tea Towel: Target, Striped Napkins: Target, Herb Pots: Terrain, Mini Woven Tray: Target, Wall Hooks: Amazon, Towel Bar: Amazon
Dining:
Bistro Chairs: Sika Design, Table: Pottery Barn, Faux Jute Rug: Target, Cloches for Pendants: Gardeners Supply, Pergola Kit: Toja Grid, Striped Pillow: Cocody, Table Runner: Target, Zinc Planter: Terrain, Mirror (Damp rated- not waterproof): Birch Lane
Lounge:
Sofa: Serena & Lily, Egg Chair: Target, Ottomans: Ikea, Patterned Rug: Target, Firepit: FB Marketplace, Propane Tank Cover: Pyromania, Yellow Pillow: Target, Tassel Pillow: Target, Basketweave Pillow: Cocody, Striped Pillow: Cocody, Throw: Target, Beach Umbrella: Business and Pleasure, Umbrella Stand: Business and Pleasure,
Garden:
Solar Cafe Lights: Brightech, Lanterns: Target, Solar Path Lights: Target, Birdhouse: Target, Arched Wall Trellis: Gardeners Supply, Tomato Cage: Amazon, Birdcage Support: Gardeners Supply
Side Yard:
Patio Heater: Amazon, Exterior Door Light: Birch Lane, Door/Window/Stair Paint Color: Farrow and Ball Railings