PATIO MAKEOVER

 

I've lived in my apartment roughly a year. It's been a lot of fun decorating my own place, finding things everywhere from flea markets to craigslist and Bed Bath and Beyond, but after devoting all my attention to the interior (especially my closet!) my patio seemed sad and neglected. My table and chairs had taken quite a beating from the harsh salty wind and the untreated wood was turning gray.  Same goes for my hammock, stools, and plants... (my poor palms, hibiscus and bougainvillea tend to go thirsty when I'm not in town, which is quite often).

I had this idea for the awning about a year ago. Its nice for privacy and creates a whole outdoor 'room', making my little apartment seem that much bigger. I made it out of Sunbrella, and it's held in place with hooks and grommets. It's easy to take up and down and all you have to do is fold it up and store it. Soon I will make curtains to close off the sides as well.

I also turned the couch into a daybed, which is waaaay more conducive to laying languidly in the sun than before. Working on a cover for that as well. As for the plants... I needed to get something much more low-maintenance (read: less watering) so the answer was of course, succulents!

For the furniture, I couldn't decide on which shade of blue to pick, so I got a quart each of three different paints and painted the table one shade, and two chairs in each of the other two colors. Man, this job was a bitch. Sanding, priming, plus two coats of paint, and do you see all those slats that I had to get between? Thank goodness I had some extra hands (thanks Ryan and Paul!) My favorites turned out to be the darker blue and the turquoise on the table.

Still a work in progress, but I'm happy with the way things are going!

This is what I looked like for two days painting the table and chairs...

not a bad view for the little guys

New BBQ as well. Grilling is my favorite way to cook!