All Decked Out: An Outdoor Room

I may have mentioned just a few times that this past winter was pretty brutal.

So when warm weather finally arrived, I was ready for it. I wanted to spend as much time outside as humanly possible.

To take advantage of the great outdoors, I wanted to turn our deck into a "room" where we could entertain and relax.

For years our deck furnishings consisted of a table and chairs, two wooden Adirondack chairs and a grill. It was fine for dining al fresco, but it didn't offer much in the way of comfort. When the Adirondack chairs fell apart, we wanted to replace them with something super comfortable.

Enter new outdoor furniture from the Provence collection at Restoration Hardware...

A sofa and two lounge chairs provide the perfect place to kick back and relax.






It's no big secret that my thumb is not green. My flowers always start out looking good this time of year, and I always vow to keep them looking good through the hot summer. My success rate is dismal. Maybe this year it will be better.

One of my favorite things I planted this year is a mini succulent garden.

I found this shallow limestone planter at HomeGoods, and filled it with soil, sand, rocks and a variety of succulents.

I don't know why, but it makes me so darn happy!

The teak coffee table was a steal at a local hardware store, and the teak side tables I moved outside from my sunroom. They will eventually weather to a gray patina.

Our teak dining table and chairs were damaged in a hailstorm last year, and I'm in the process of sanding them.

I used to oil them to keep them brown, but it was way too much effort. I'm embracing the gray, weathered look from now on :)

On top of the table, I potted a citronella plant. It smells wonderful, and supposedly rubbing the leaves on your skin keeps the bugs away. We'll see about that.

Here's a little tip for my fellow lazy gardeners: buy a beautiful hanging basket, plop it into a planter and cut off the hanging wire...

Our deck gets pretty hot during the day, so umbrellas are essential. The large one over the lounge chairs was from the Frontgate outlet a couple of years ago. I found the smaller one at Lowe's last week. I think they coordinate rather well.

We are really enjoying our new outdoor room! Hoping Mother Nature gives us plenty of nice days to enjoy it.

Have a great day!!


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