Deck Reveal

Out of all the makeovers we've completed in the house, second to the kitchen, the deck has to be my favorite. We tackled this project in two phases. Expanding the deck and adding a door from the kitchen was completed last year. We then spent that summer & fall out on the deck "living" in it and getting a feel for exactly how we wanted the space to function.

Once spring 2013 rolled around it was time for Phase two: the addition of furniture. We needed to accomplish several key objectives:

• Comfortable table seating for 8.
• Lightweight chairs the kiddies could easily maneuver.
• Sturdy furniture to accommodate our multigenerational family. 

This table & chairs set satisfied both the seating requirement and my desire for a neoclassical style. The aluminum construction makes the chairs very lightweight and easy to move around the deck or carry into the yard for seating during pool/slip-n-slide time.

In the lounge area we opted for a full size sofa and club chair rockers in wicker; Hubby's preferred look. Throw pillows on the couch carry over the dining chair cushion color and unify the space. The look was easily accomplished by dressing up store bought pillows. You can read my fretwork pillow tutorial here. For the lumbar pillow, I removed the original embellishments and replaced them with a ruffle I fashioned from the basement drapes fabric remnants.

The best part of all is that I can lounge in the rocker with an ice tea or glass of wine and have a direct view of the littles on the swing set. 

When it comes to outdoor accessorizing white flowers fit the bill. From my favorite double impatient in the hanging basket to urns of white blooms surrounding the deck fountain. (Belle gifted it to Hubby on father's day back when she was 2 years old!) White flowers are the perfect accent. I even have them lining the deck staircase & railings.

I planted these pure white hydrangeas in the bed in front of the deck addition. My hope is they will eventually grow large enough to camouflage the deck footers. I'm thinking I might need a back up plan though. I'm not convinced they'll be happy under the gigantic river birch who's foliage provides shade for a good portion of the deck along with the swing set.

When planning the deck out on paper it was hard to judge how well the different styles of furniture would work together. Happily, the look is exactly was I was going for…..similar but not too matchy matchy. And the gentle pop of color in the chair cushions brings just enough contrast to the otherwise tonal color palette. The deck has become our own oasis and the kiddies beg to eat nearly every meal out here.

Most importantly though, our home now has an outdoor space where we can comfortably entertain our friends and family from the youngest to the oldest. With all three objectives satisfied I would have to say mission accomplished. Bring on the summer BBQs!

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