"Sprucing Up My Parent's Patio"

Hi there! Sorry for the recent radio silence.  I neglected to share with you all that I was going on vacation last week. I had a wonderful time at home in Mississippi last week with my family.  Funny enough, the trip was not without a design project.  My mother insisted that I help her pull together her outdoor space. 

My parent's have a pretty nice space, complete with a large front and back yard.  My mom spends lots of time on the back patio and really needed it to be much more inviting. (I apologize for the cell phone pics.)

Let's just say the space began as a hot mess.  My mom has quite a green thumb but that's about where it ends.

 

She recently purchased a new patio dining set and needed some help with the layout.

via Home Depot (Discontinued)

 

So with a huge space to deal with we decided to break it into areas. 

 

 

This little nook was perfect for a seating space.  We reoriented the furniture and added a small rug to define the area.  Pillows and accessories and of course (my fav), greenery in basket planters finishes it off.

 

For the dining space we opted for a configuration that would keep most guests out of the scorching sun.  I think it actually works so much better.

There's another area that allowed for a small bistro table and two existing chairs and her new QVC umbrella, complete with lights provides some much needed shade. 

 

We were obsessed with this umbrella.  It has solar lights that provide quite a bit of illumination in the evenings and lots of shade during the day.  You can find more info on it HERE.

 

 

As always, design is in the details and we added a few here and there.

 

There's something alluring about a string of lights in evening, so I couldn't finish this makeover without adding just one strand. 

 

 

They were the perfect finishing touch. 

The best part of the entire patio makeover was the time we spent there every morning and evening.  I love that design has the power to change the way you live and enjoy your home. 



 It may have even inspired me to utilize my outdoor space a little more often.