Friday Favorites – Outdoor Decor for the dining space

We’ve been in this house for almost two years now, and I am always trying to make this house our home.  It was really hard moving from the starter home we built to an older home that had some not-so-nice “charm” that came along with it.  There’s things about it that I can’t really change (hello, ceiling height), but there are things that can be redone, and sometimes they aren’t that expensive!

Right now, I am currently giving our back patio a bit of a makeover.  We have a back porch, and the previous homeowners extended the porch to create a larger area, which is really nice.  Since we’ve moved in, I’ve always want to create a little outdoor oasis in hopes that we would spend more time outdoors than indoors watching so much tv.

The first thing on my list was to create a privacy wall.  Our house is pretty close to the neighbor’s house, and our neighbor is outside a lot.  A LOT!  He’s very nice, but I wanted to be able to be outside too and not feel  like I was being spied on, even though I know I am not.

So, I wanted to give us a little privacy and install a wall on one side.  My plan is to decorate it with plants (palms probably) and maybe a wall fountain or something fun to hang on the wall to create a focal point.  I’m still trying to come up with the exact vision for the outdoor space, but it’s starting to come together slowly.  I’ve been on the hunt for some outdoor decor to help create my little oasis on a small budget.  Here’s a few things I am currently loving:

1. Standish Slat Top Dining Table – Threshold – We recently purchased this outdoor, and it should be delivered next week.  I wanted something a little long, not round, and one that could seat 6-8 people.  With this particular design, if I need a longer table, we can always purchase another one and push the two tables together, and it’s such a great price that it wouldn’t cost a fortune either.  I’m not expecting it to hold up forever, but hopefully it’ll last a few years, especially since it will be under a covered awning2. Carlisle Dining Chair Metal – Set of 2 – Since we’ve purchased the table, I’ve been trying to find some decent outdoor metal chairs that don’t cost a fortune.  Who knew that would be so hard to find?  I’m loving these metal chairs, but I don’t know how well they’ll hold up outside.  I may try them out though if I can’t find anything else.  I can’t decide if I should get black or a fun color like the natural metal or teal… but I have time to decide.  Woohoo!3. Antique Zinc and Colored Glass Raya Lantern Collection  – I love this little lanterns.  They’re a great way to add a pop of color, and I’m thinking about hanging these above our outdoor table.  They wouldn’t provide any light for us, and we already have enough lights outside, but I think the extra color would be a great thing to add to the decor.  I would probably purchase three of them in different colors and design.  Aren’t they really pretty?  I love them and especially their price!

 

4. Swirl Acrylic Tumbler Glasses – These acrylic glasses are cute in color and would play off the hanging lanterns.  Plus, they’re plastic, which is a huge bonus for outdoor parties and dining.

 

5. Blue and Fuchsia Abaca Table Runner – I love this colorful table runner, and it goes great with the glasses and lanterns.

 

I love those fuchsia, blue, turquoise, orange, yellow and lime color scheme together, but I have a slight problem.  I have outdoor pillows that I’ve never used, and to be honest, they aren’t my absolute favorites anymore… but they work with those colors pretty nicely, except there’s no fuchsia in the print.  So, I just need to find a fuchsia pillow to make everything cohesive and go together.

Here’s what my pillows look like:

I think the rest of the colors will work just fine, but a fuchsia pillow is a must if I plan to use any of the fuchsia in some of those items listed above.  Here’s to hoping it all comes together soon!  I’ll share an update of our space once it’s all complete… hopefully in the next few weeks!