When AnneMarie and Anne asked us if we wanted do share our outdoor spaces, we gave a resounding, "YES!". We loved joining in their Spring Home Decor Blog Hop, and outdoor spaces are our arguably our favorite parts of a home.
Living in the South, being outdoors is a way of life. We spend most of the year outside. Meals, entertaining, vacationing, and everything in between - outside is where you can find us nine months out of the year. Because of that our outdoor spaces tend to be extensions of our homes. Porches, decks, and yards are often more used living areas than most other rooms in our home.
For the hop today we thought we'd both share a peek at some of our favorite parts...
CARRIE BETH'S PORCH & PATIO PERFCTION
I've shared a ton about my house recently as part of my Home Sweet Home tour series, but one space I haven't highlighted yet is the outdoors! When we were building our home I knew I wanted to a screened porch and we have loved having this space. We watch football out here by the fire in the fall, but in the summer we spend a lot of evenings relaxing on this bed swing!
The patio under our screened porch and just off our basement is where we spend a lot of time with friends!
It overlooks where the kids play, so we can sit and relax while still keeping an eye on them!
It's got a ton of seating, it's where we grill out, and because we use it a lot during the summer, I love adding red, white, and blue touches!
One of my favorite tips about decorating outdoor spaces is to not think of it as an outdoor space, but rather an extension of your home. Outdoor rugs, fun pillows, and other decor accessories can make it feel more complete and inviting.
JEN'S POOLSIDE PARADISE
Last year when we were home shopping, the home we bought caught our attention because of it's gorgeous outdoor spaces. The home was okay, but the outdoor spaces? Ahhhh-mazing.
If you've been following along, you know that it has been a work in progress for the last few months. If you're new here - we have been renovating a home since the beginning of the year. As of a few weeks ago we are officially moved in, but still have a ways to go until we are finished with all of the work. However, we are finally able to see the light at the end of the renovation tunnel.
I'm not going to deny it, one of the major bonuses of the house was the spacious backyard - complete with a decadent pool. I was on the fence about moving, but picturing our little family swimming during our hot southern Summers, entertaining friends and family with tons of green space to enjoy, and the hours our kids could play in the surrounding acres of woods finally swayed me.
The previous owners of the home also owned a local pool design and landscape architecture company. And it shows. We can take no credit in the outdoor space other than the decor. They thought of every gorgeous detail.
Because this was one of the few spaces that we weren't touching in our renovations, I was able to get my hands on it pretty quickly to start decorating. This large ceramic planter was left behind from the previous owners, and after staring at it for six months it became my inspiration for the whole back yard.
I mean, what Southern lady doesn't love her blues and whites?
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| | Blue Ombré Planters | Outdoor Pillows | White Planter | |
The band of pool tile is made of glass in various shades of blue as well. So one of my first orders of business was incorporating all those colors that I could with our existing outdoor furniture pieces. This blue POLYWOOD adirondak set was bright purple before I got my hands on it (see the before photos and about the process here. )
I love how they turned out, and have no regrets about painting them. I love that I was able to find some fun blue ombré planters to match the large one left on the property, too! They are super inexpensive and help pull all the shades of blue together throughout the patio.
The rest of the pool deck features lots of darker blues and whites, so I love that I gave these the aqua treatment to give it a brighter pop of color.
The second set though...a glossy navy was the winner.
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| | Striped Umbrella | Striped Pillows | White Planters | Lanterns | |
On most of the tables surrounding the pool I have these empty planters. Instead of using them for flowers, I use them for guests to place their cell phones, sunglasses, or sunscreen. I also have a citronella candle ready - because this is the South and the mosquitos here are like the size of small children and just as aggressive. I thought these blue tin ones were super cute.
On our patio table sets you will find these mesh organizers from Target. At the beginning of the pool season I realized I wanted everything easy to grab whenever needed, but easy to store when we aren't swimming.
These hold sunscreen, extra goggles, lighters for the candles, and some have a few blank spaces to be used for sunglasses and cell phones.
I'm a self proclaimed pillow addict, so you will find a ton of pillows throughout the loungers and seating as well. Some I had. Some I re-covered. And some I just flat out couldn't resist because it matched the color scheme.
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| | Blue Dot Pillow | Blue Striped Pillow | Blue Ombré Planter | White Planter | |
There are tons of seating options around the pool deck. At first we were overwhelmed with the large space and how to furnish it, but then we realized we had a lot of furniture we could incorporate into the space from our old home (where we already had a lot of outdoor furniture).
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| | Sectional Set (similar) | Throw Pillows & Planters | |
This little corner nook ended up being the perfect size for our patio sectional we purchased a few years ago. I mixed some new throw pillows in with some ones I had on hand, and it worked out perfectly. I'm a little nervous about how the cushions will hold up since it was previously in a covered space, but we will see how it does this season.
If anyone has a great mildew protectant or mold cleaner for outdoor cushions they love - let me know!
We've only been in the home a few weeks, but already this is where you can find us most of the day. Even though the house is in total chaos, it's been so nice to go out in the backyard and enjoy what feels like our own private resort.
I'll share more of the backyard soon, and some of our other outdoor spaces as I finish them, but for now I hope you enjoyed this little peek into our home!
Thanks for hanging out with us today!
The Summer Outdoor Spaces Blog Hop continues with Jodi from Lyndale Drive. You can find links to all the inspiring outdoor spaces below!
Wow what a great pool area. So excited that I got to join you fabulous ladies today on the Hop. Rachel
ReplyDeleteThis home so amazing. I would have bought it too my friend! And those water spouts are so fun too!!!
ReplyDeleteCarrie Beth that bed swing is amazing! We'd love to have a place outside for watching the games in the fall. And Jen...wow what an incredible pool area in your new home! Thanks for joining our summer outdoor spaces blog hop.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! I love the bed swing and the fabulous pool! You are so ready for summer! It was so fun blog hopping with you today!
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