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I’ve recently gained a greater appreciation for taking care of your outdoor spaces.  With our Deck Makeover I just revealed, it truly felt like we added living square footage onto our house by turning it into a space we now love to entertain, relax and unwind in.

Inspiration for your outdoor spaces.

I thought it would be fun to take you through some of the images I found online that made an influence on how this space came together, and compare it to the actual outcome on our deck.   I love to see how it all came together taking ideas here and there and working with our own space and limitations.

I always fill my inspiration cup to the tippy top before I tackle a project, and make sure I have plenty of ideas stock piled before we begin.

Inspiration for your outdoor spaces.

Then I sit down with my husband and we make a list of potential projects, supplies needed, time frames and do a lot of measuring and brainstorming together.  It’s really one of our favorite things to do together.

My hope is that you’ll gain ideas for how you can take inspiration you find online or in magazines and infuse them into your own spaces with your own style.

I loved the idea of a small roll around cart for drinks and treats, which all started with the image below.

This farmhouse style beverage station is so great!

Twelve on Main

We used a slab of marble we already had to make ours, mixed with scraps of wood.

Inspiration for your outdoor spaces.

We also loved the idea of a rolling cart set by the grill area, for serving and storing options.  This cart got us brainstorming the design.

How to build a rolling grill cart

The House of Wood – (full tutorial for this red and wood cart!)

But this image of this pallet cart made me want to have something with a little more timeless character and that looked like it had been pieced together with new and old wood.

Pallet wood mobile side table with storage space. Super simple & really easy to duplicate. A great idea for a Bar-B-Q area, deck or even the front hall ;):

Pinterest Source

Here is how ours turned out.

Inspiration for your outdoor spaces.

This lovely porch had me wanting flower boxes all along the railing.

All Things Shabby and Beautiful

But knowing my black thumb, we opted for just one.  Someday I’d love to have these gorgeous blooms spilling out of it as well.

Inspiration for your outdoor spaces.

Our shelf by the window came about after seeing this image.

window buffet for patio

Bright Green Door

Inspiration for your outdoor spaces.

While we were debating back and forth if it was worth it to paint our railing white and replace the top, I saw this deck picture and knew it would look great if we did it.  It was a pain to paint, I wont lie – but the results are well worth it.

Deck skirting can be an attractive feature that can be added to any low level deck.:

Decks.com

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We were trying to fathom how to squeeze in more sitting room and work space by the grill area, and this image below helped us realize we could double up on the railing top in a spot and provide an extra spot to pull up some bar stools for guests and kids to eat at.

south riding deck seating

Bull Run Valley Construction

Inspiration for your outdoor spaces.

I was originally dreaming up a white pergola, but wondered if we should keep it natural wood.  Then I saw the image below and it reinforced the fact that white is always right. 😉  At least for me!

Back DeckPergola Reveal 2

Love of Family and Home

Inspiration for your outdoor spaces.

This patio makeover by my friend Liz had a huge influence on me for the general feel I wanted to create.  Lots of whites, woods, and simple greens with touches of old metal here and there.

A boring, bare patio turned into a gorgeous outdoor entertaining area! See the incredible before and after of this beautiful patio makeover!

Love Grows Wild

Inspiration for your outdoor spaces.

I loved the idea of some hanging plants on a trellis.

vertical herb garden trellis wall

Making Lemonade

I actually bought the trellis from Home Depot, then returned it when I spied a crib spring stored up in our garage for a special purpose.  I used that to hang my plants and garden decor instead, and is always the first thing guests comment on.

Inspiration for your outdoor spaces.

This is just a sweet image that inspired me with colors and time worn character.  I really wanted a old watering can and was thrilled to find the light blue one which you see featured in my images.

♥:

Pinterest Source

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I loved the idea of hanging lanterns, brought about by this image.

Running with Scissors

I found our hooks at an antique store and I love our solar lanterns from Joss and Main.

Inspiration for your outdoor spaces.

I’m not sure if there is an exact element I implemented from this image, but the casual and cozy feel was inspiring to me.

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Our furniture set from Joss and Main is perfectly cozy, and easy to upkeep.  I keep the pillow and blankets minimal so we can plop down without having to move too many things.

Inspiration for your outdoor spaces.

These 2 images from the same gifted UK blogger exemplify my love for mixing old and new and natural elements.

White and green:
VIBEKE DESIGN - love the shelves teamed up with the little table!:

Vibeke Design

Inspiration for your outdoor spaces.

I love the soft touch of blue mixed with the whites and florals in the image below.

I Heart Shabby Chic:

I Heart Shabby Chic

Inspiration for your outdoor spaces.

While I’d love to get my hands on this hanging swing, I just love the relaxed vibe from this outdoor space.

Summer Hammock & Palm Tree

City Farmhouse

Inspiration for your outdoor spaces.

I love the mix of old metal, white flowers and soft touches of green.

This would look so cute instead of just hanging baskets! Need to look for these buckets at yard sales/ antique shops this summer!!:

Source

Inspiration for your outdoor spaces.

I’ve adored these metal chairs from Miss Mustard Seed’s deck.  Ours are not antiques, but a similar purchase from Walmart.

mms-9657
Inspiration for your outdoor spaces.

I loved the use of old shutters and implemented them into our TV storage hutch.  The darker blue color was also inspiring.

mms-9647

Mustard Seed Interiors

Inspiration for your outdoor spaces.

The simple design of the table below has been in the back of my head for years.

Dream Whites

I was excited to implement it into our deck.  I did a pickled white-wash stain on the top boards and painted the legs white.

Inspiration for your outdoor spaces.

I love how the French coffee table adds character to this outdoor space.  I think it takes the comfort and reliability of new, store bought furniture and adds life to it.

French Country Cottage

I was thrilled when I found something similar for a great price!  Every room needs a touch of French flair.

Inspiration for your outdoor spaces.

I knew some curtains were needed to add that bit of romantic and relaxed feel to the pergola.  I wanted something that would hold up to the heat and rain and a mesh curtain felt like a good option.

Sheer panels on covered porch

Magnolia Lane

going to do this when renew our vows lol:

Source

Inspiration for your outdoor spaces.

This image of a skirted hutch inspired me as well.

Hutch with my collection of Brown transferware:

Source

I made good use of some old grain sacks I’ve been hoarding for just such a purpose.

Inspiration for your outdoor spaces.

I think that about covers my inspiration for this space.  I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing how things came together and why I do some of the things I do.

I’d love to hear where you get your ideas and how you implement them into your spaces!

Thanks for being here today!

Cami

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11 Comments

  1. Thanks for sharing such amazing ideas for outdoor spaces! Where do you get your inspiration from?

  2. Really love your ideas, Thanks for sharing the amazing outdoor decoration idea with us. I will surely follow your guide to makeover my outdoor space.

  3. Having a rolling cart by the grill seems like a cute and functional design direction. You could even use it as a starting point for your design. I finally got a home with a sizable yard, so I can try your design ideas out.

  4. Saving this article for the use of my yard decoration. Will try to make the wooden trolly for my own.

  5. My favorite is the french cottage. Excited for your future articles. I hope you can feature a design that is both homey and useful in a innovative way. Maybe like a rain chain that stores clean water or a window design that has good ventilation. Thank you for sharing this!

  6. Cami,
    You have such a wonderful, creative eye for design. I absolutely drooled over all the pictures!! Thank you for sharing with us :0)