We wait all year for sunny summer days; today I’m showing you my patio oasis and where I’d spend all my time if I could.
My favourite place to be all summer long is my back patio.
It’s nothing fancy and my patio furniture is around 15 years old, so I won’t win any magazine covers – but it’s cozy and welcoming and the best place in the world to settle in with an iced tea and a book.
Today I wanted to share my backyard oasis (2021)!
If you enter my backyard from the side of the house the first thing you see is a hot tub. Not particularly pretty, but I’ve flanked either side of the walkway with rock gardens full of different hostas – it’s so lush and full when it’s in full bloom. On either side of the hot tub you are greeted with a shot of red in the tall tapered planters I built last summer.
This hot tub must be 20 years old – you can see how run down it looked before the hot tub makeover I did last summer. It’s a hand-me-down from my parents and while I don’t use it in the winter, I love lowering the temperature to about 85° to use it for a dip in the summer. Not too hot, not too cold – just perfect for lounging in. I made a corner shelf to hold a few nibbles and a glass or two of whatever and the DIY privacy planters save passers-by from having to see this old broad in a bathing suit.
As you turn to your left, you come to my little sitting area.
The roller blind is usually up, but I like to bring it down if I’m out reading.
Lacey, our Bernese mountain dog, has quite a fan club, so people stop by my back gate all the time with treats for her; the blind gives me a small barrier and a bit of privacy.
I made the slatted patio coffee table a few years ago, but I used scrap lumber (none of it was pressure treated) so the table is showing it’s age already. I might add a coat of stain this summer to see if I can pretty it up. The black side table will be coming to the blog soon – it’s full of mini-lights so it glows at night!
The two armchairs face towards the wall of my house and my baby barbecue and prep area.
This patio console table was a great build! It provides a space for my little BBQ, stores patio cushions when they aren’t in use and the baskets on the other side are filled with backyard games and barbecue accoutrements.
A small window box with ferns and petunias softens the look of the wall and brings some green to the space.
Just in behind my sitting area you can see my patio dining furniture. I picked up the table about 5 years ago, but the chairs are around 15 years old as well. (Thank goodness for Rust-Oleum paint – they may need another touch-up soon)
I love these little flamingo side plates!
The pergola over the patio is over half covered with wisteria. It’s taken YEARS to grow, but is finally starting to provide a bit of shade. While I love it for the delicate purple flowers that drip everywhere, and the hum of the bumble bees, it is a plant that is super-messy.
In the Spring it drops its seed pods all over the patio, then come the wisteria petals as the flowers wilt, then the leaves fall, and small branches get broken off in the winter. I love the idea of wisteria, but there’s really only about a month when it isn’t a pain in the ass.
I had to put a shade sail underneath it so that foliage wasn’t falling on you year round. 🤦🏻♀️
No high-end furniture or expensive decor, just a few DIYs here and there and a lot of love.
I think you can see why this is my favourite space in or out of my house.
I managed to get it all cleaned up and staged for photos and now it’s threatening to rain. 🤦🏻♀️
It’s okay, it gave me time to write this instead of procrastinating in the sunshine.
Have a great one!