We rarely ever used our back porch. My husband grilled out there (and still does), but we never really spent time out there. The house even came with a built-in sunshade that extends & retracts with a click of a button! (What?! Yes!) We have a gorgeous backyard with a great view of trees & nature. So WHY did we not spend time back there? That’s a great question… I like to think it’s because we had a tired old “patio” set. My husband had previously purchased a square glass table and 4 fabric & metal chairs. You know the kind. Unappealing and 100% functional. BUT- are they truly functional if they are seldom used?
I knew that I wanted our family to spend more time outside, so I was going to revamp our back patio in a way that I knew we would utilize it. What did we need? First of all, we needed a GATE so that my son wouldn’t run towards the stairs. (I’m always scared he’s going to fling himself down the steps.) So I worked with a local woodworker to build one. I sent him detailed sketches with dimensions and we worked together on the hinges. He built & installed my vision and it works perfectly! Then I tackled the furniture grouping. I wanted a comfortable place for us to sit, but it had to fit within the tight parameters of the little inset on the back of our house. So I measured it out and drew everything up in AutoCAD. Then I drew the ideal size of rug, sofa, cocktail table and chairs. Then I began my search.
I LOVE the outdoors. I love green. I love textural pieces. So I went for a neutral sofa that has a reversible chaise on it because it fit perfectly in the allotted space. Then I decorated it with large outdoor pillows. The first one is green with a subtle stripe, and the second one is more of a black and white (salt & pepper) boucle look. I love the contrast they add to the sofa! However, when my son saw the pillow, he said his new favorite word “ucky.” Thanks daycare lol.
So where oh where did I get all of this lovely furniture from? The people who follow my LiketoKnowIt page found out first! And my blog followers are finding out second. So thank you for being here! :)
This sofa is actually a reverse chaise because the sofa frame is separate from the “ottoman” frame. It is from West Elm. Then it’s the cushion that you can flip on the left or the right side. So it is truly reversible! This unit fit perfectly in the allotted space that I had, and I liked the neutral finish of the fabric. I loved the warmth of the wood stain so I went with it! So far I love sitting on the back porch on the chaise side. I always sit there! It’s so nice to kick my feet up and relax while watching the fireflies dance. :)
This outdoor rug is SUPER durable. I love the natural color and how the pattern is tone on tone. I didn’t want too much contrast on the rug because I did not want our eyes to go there first.
The outdoor coffee table is truly the star of the show. It is the number one piece that I’ve gotten questions about. First things first- it is NOT real marble. It’s actually made out of cement then they applied a faux finish to the surface. I absolutely love it! I bought it because I love the appearance of natural stone and I love all the shades of green. It really is the eye candy of the space, and I am here for it!
The outdoor pillows are both from CB2 and I went with them to pull in the green and black accents. I wanted to go with more of a textural pattern rather than a graphic pattern for these throw pillows. They’re nice because you can layer them together or place the green ones on the sofa and the black ones on the black chairs. You can easily mix and match them. The green pillow is 23” and the black pillow is 20”. The black chairs are from article. I chose the 2 black chairs because they had a small footprint and wouldn’t feel oversized for the patio. I also chose them because the back and arms provide a sturdy support for people to lift themselves up out of the chair. I love spending time with family so I think about the functionality of furniture pieces and how my older relatives like to have chairs with arms so they can push themselves up out of the seat.
All the accessories are from World Market. Even the fun bell wind chime! If you have any questions about my back patio revamp, please let me know! I’m happy to answer any questions for you.