I lived in an apartment with my family most of my life.
Don’t get me wrong–it was home & my mom, sisters, & I really made it our own. But I admit, I always dreamt of what it would be like to have a nice to have a yard, to grow flowers & plants, maybe have a dog (instead, we became cat mommas).
My husband & I just became first-time homeowners this past year so we’re still organizing, decorating, and learning all the joys (and sometimes challenges) of home ownership. One thing we agreed on is that we wanted our space to be welcoming & hospitable for any visiting family, friends, church fam, etc.
We’re in the Sunshine State now, where most days are bright, warm/hot/scorching, and you just want to be outside and enjoy it. But we had quite the project ahead of us to get to that point.
The lanai section of the house we bought had a concrete floor…which to me was the biggest eyesore. It also got dirty really fast. When the wind picks up, debris sometimes blows in & it was very obvious. You certainly couldn’t go out there barefoot–you risk scratching up your feet. Good bones, but it looked unfinished. Definitely needed an upgrade.
Of course, we also needed patio furniture (first time buyers for that! ☺️), a nice planter or two, a place to put shoes, a rug. You know–the basics.
It’s a work-in-progress still (I’ll be sure to provide an update when we get the few other pieces we’re looking at) but we’re very happy with what we’ve gotten so far. My family will be visiting from out-of-state for the holidays and hasn’t seen it yet–I’m so excited to share it with them, too!
Today, I’m giving you all a first look! Below, I’ll share all the items I purchased to bring our vision to life.
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These are so cool! These composite deck tiles just snap together and can be laid all the same direction or alternating like we did to give it more of a design element. We actually purchased two colors: Sahara Sand and Japanese Cedar. You can also cut these with a jigsaw. It’s also rained a lot these past few weeks: the tiles exposed to the rain do not appear any different than the ones that remain dry. These feel nice even on bare feet and have thin gaps between each plank to allow for drainage. We’re both very impressed with the quality & have had so much fun DIYing this.
Highly recommend!
I cannot get over how beautiful and comfortable this set is! Less than $500 for this entire 7-piece & it’s got great reviews. I was searching online for patio furniture for weeks and so happy we went with this. Highlights incoming:
- 4″ foam for extra comfort
- Can configure however you like
- Easy & straight-forward assembly
- 27.3″ back height, which is on the taller side for patio furniture
- Waterproof & UV resistant cushions
- Different colors & set size options
This bamboo rug is scratch resistant (tested by my tuxedo cat) and strong. The rug was our way of introducing some color into the space and also adding more of a Florida vibe. We got the Ivory Green one. Other colors & sizes available.
This mother of pearl top bistro table is so gorgeous & all the neutral tones complement our space perfectly. This is a actually a 2-piece set–you can buy a single piece here.
I find it so classy and traditional. The height also goes well with our other furniture selections.
I had several different cushion options in my cart but held off making a choice until we got the outdoor rug above. Once we got it, I felt pretty good about getting these pillow covers for the palm design. We got the Grayish Green & Coffee Brown colors (both 2-packs) to coordinate with the rug & the neutral floor + furniture. They’re also waterproof and look great!
These are the inserts we chose for the covers above (two 2-packs). For both the covers & the pillows themselves, we went with the 18×18 size. We found that was the perfect size for our space. Reference the photo of our patio above for scale. Note, these are more squishy than they are firm.
This bench is both a shoe organizer and a seat (love multipurpose pieces!). It can be used indoors or outdoors. Multiple colors are available for this piece but the rich dark brown worked best with the other furniture we have in the space. We mostly use it for slippers & flip flops in the lanai area. Don’t want them just laying about & having someone trip on them!
Yet another multipurpose piece: a seat and an awesome storage bench! I put my extra solar garden lights in there, a furniture brush so I can dust off any debris, ant repellant spray, some garden tools, and I still have so much room to space. Also nifty: you can add a padlock to the bench to secure it.
And this lovely cushion is actually meant for a porch swing but I figured it’d make the storage bench more comfortable to sit on–and it totally does! This is 5″ foam and the backrest and seat cushion parts actually zipper together, which helps it to stay together. It also came with a non-slip mat to put under the seat. With the zipper, ties, and mat, this thing does not budge! If you’re looking to update your porch swing or bench cushions, I think you’ll really like this one.
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