Our Back Yard Retreat

As many of you read in a previous blog post The Armstrong house has been working out our outdoor space spruce up this spring!  I wanted to share with you all the relaxing retreat that is as close to done as it is going to get for now :)!  I am an ongoing project person so no project is ever fully complete, just complete for now...there are always new ideas to try, right!  Both Ryan and I have so many ideas and thoughts of what we want to do with our outdoor space I am not sure we will ever be fully done.

I am ashamed to share with you how this space looked as the spring began, but in order to truly appreciate how this looks now you must see where it began.  Our deck was in desperate need of some TLC, and this spring it got it.

With the deck not only defining our space but it being the back drop and "bones" of our space it needed a face lift.  We took our deck through the same process we use on all of our clients' decks.  With the trend in dark wood tones I decided the Mahogany color would give us the look and feel we wanted for our outdoor room.

Once the deck refinishing was complete it was time for my favorite part...the decorating!  There are so many great products in stores for outdoor spaces now.  Being "Martha Jr." there are so many great things you can make as well!  Our space is filled with things that have been made over the years and purchased.  With the goal of putting them all together to create a cozy, inviting and relaxing space where we can spend many summer evenings.

When setting up our space, I worked to try to create intimate seating areas that flow together into one space.  We live in your average track home suburban neighborhood, so space is not abundant.

The heart of our space is our dining area under the pergola; this is the first part of the space you enter from the house so it has to be welcoming and very inviting.  I originally planted two grape vines years ago to cover the top of the pergola not only for appearance but for shade as well.  Our deck has southern exposure so adding curtains to the pergola not only add to the feeling of the space but provide some extra shade from both morning and afternoon sun.  We updated our curtains this year with some wonderful ones that were purchased from Ikea.  Hanging a candelabra chandelier and some lanterns we had originally purchased for our wedding from the top of the pergola provide interest and a wonderful warm glow in the evenings.

In addition to the candle light, the specially designed outdoor lamp in the corning not only makes this feel like another room of the house but adds additional light to the space as well in the evenings.  Ryan wants me to point out the Red Smoker in the back of the picture!  Let's face it digging into a big pile of smoked ribs is the perfect way to enjoy the deck!

Setting up a two person seating area across from the grill and right by the new fountain (more on that in a moment!) provides not only an intimate conversation area but a place for people to sit and chat with the grill master as we cook up some delicious grub!

When Ryan and I met we instantly bonded over a mutual love of Estes Park.  This year I decided to bring the sound of the brook that runs by our favorite place to stay to our backyard by creating this fountain.  I purchased a large urn, went to my favorite home improvement store to buy a fountain pump and used an over abundance of river rock by the side of our house to create a fountain in an afternoon and for only $42.

After removing and old and dilapidated hot tub we were left with a cement slab that we have transformed into a small patio and area for our chiminea. With two zero gravity recliners, aka Lazy Boys for the outside, a small side table, planters of petunias for pops of color and a small beach umbrella for a little shade this place is perfect to kick back and relax!  The two lanterns hung from the umbrella not only give the area more interest but are quite nice in the evening!

With a fire burning, the sound of the fountain, the warm glow of the candles and my patio containers and hanging baskets of flowers, and a beautifully refinished deck this is our favorite place to relax and unwind.  Heck since I work from home and now that everything is wireless I may just make this my new office this summer!