Dress: Calypso St. Barth (similar, high, low) / Sandals: Splendid
I wanted to give a more in-depth tour of the patio makeover that I had been working on since the new year. This patio has already gotten so much usage since we completed it starting with my in-laws in town, Easter, hosting a bridal shower, Cinco de Mayo dinner, and lots of one on one time with my best friends and their kiddos.
I painted so much, and many of you know how tedious I find painting. I’ll do it, but I really dislike it, heavily dislike it. For me, watching paint dry is just as boring as painting it!
But, with budgeting and when you do a DIY you have to save money here and there and as my mother-in-law says, If you want it to be done right, do it yourself! Or, ask your in-laws to help because they are also very helpful too ;)
Repaint of cement flooring
It’s been a few years since the patio had a fresh coat of paint. I knew a fresh coat would liven it up – but be aware that you need to spray paint anything far away to prevent spray paint mist to hit anything you don’t want it to (like my deck I had to repaint again!).
I also did the technique of dump the paint directly on the floor and roll it on. But don’t do too much and not on too hot of a day because the paint will quickly dry and then you have to rub out the outline of the already dried paint splotch! True story!
- Behr Porch & Patio Floor Paint in Fresh Cement
- Went back with a brush to do the edging
Paint a Welcome Sign
I saw a painted floor on Pinterest that said “Welcome” and I just knew I wanted to do this somewhere around our home, I wasn’t sure where. I found an Etsy owner who could do a custom decal and I created my own script by blending two different fonts – using my graphic design talents to use!
I decided the front door of my photo studio because a rug would make me trip in and out of the studio since it’s on the same level (instead of stepping up into a home). I think it looks so fun!
- For $19 I got my template made, I actually got a backup just incase.
- I painted it using a black floor paint from Ace Hardware
- Use smaller brush for touch up areas (bleed)
Small seating area
I spray painted an old bench I bought from Joss & Main years ago and gave it a nice fresh look – and to think I had it listed on Craigslist for $15! My in-laws saw it last year and convinced me to keep it and I’m so glad I did.
- I used glossy Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch 2X green spray paint (two cans) in Meadow Green
- I added a small trestle dining table from Home Depot for $150!
- Bought this floral blue and white porcelain garden stool for a little style and also additional seating you can pull up to that area.
I think of this area as the kiddie table – it’s fun and small. The headboard bed bench I bought from Rust & Roses a few years ago and is still such a favorite of mine.
I get asked a lot about the bench.
New Dining Seating
The project that started it all, it was the dining set I selected to partner with The Home Depot that motivated us to get cracking on our unused patio space. Since our main patio will be undergoing renovation hopefully this fall, I decided the other patio would be the new patio space! So I sold some older patio furniture to make room.
- We added the Camden Light Brown 7-piece Wicker Outdoor Dining Set with Sunbrella Canvas Cushions courtesy of The Home Home Depot
- Added a lantern over the table from Pottery Barn
- Bought outdoor pillows from Pottery Barn – red gingham, green gingham, natural pillows
I decided against an outdoor rug because of the foot traffic and the size I would have to get to make sure the entire chair would still sit on the rug when scooted out. I would suggest when you pick out furniture to read how much space you need for it – I thought I wouldn’t need so much pull out space for the chairs but I did and that was surprising – so read recommendations to avoid any panic! Thankfully it worked out.
More details
The overall goal for a theme was The Ivy in Beverly Hills. It’s a garden restaurant frequented by celebs and I found the exact rose print linen on Etsy! I couldn’t believe it but I had to have it! The colors inspired this patio makeover and while I would have loved to have an all white patio, this is not really something that makes sense – and I’d also like to know how people keep their white dust free in Arizona!
- I painted the trim white around our windows, added window panes
- Added two outdoor wall sconces from Pottery Barn on both sides of the door
- Hired our handyman to add a greek key on a plain panel wood door.
- Painted it high gloss black shade from Benjamin Moore (I forgot the shade but its not a pitch black)
I wouldn’t suggest painting anything high gloss. Or if you do, don’t overwork the paint because it will have texture which is yucky with glare. Use the high gloss foam roller and roll it on thick but where it won’t drip, and then let it dry before adding another coat!
Brick Flower Beds
We have wanted to add real brick flower beds forever. We’ve talked about it not knowing when or how much it would cost. This seemed like a better time than any to add the brick borders and a real brick step!
Our handyman who helped with moving lighting also laid the brick. The cost for his entire handiwork was about $2k.
- We purchased used clay bricks
- Added more floral plants and had to add more drip irrigation
By the time you are looking at these images it’s filled with lots of floral plants and bushes already grown! The nature of how quickly our home changes!
And that’s it! If you have any questions please feel free to ask. It’s been nice to not be ashamed of this patio area – the current (was the main patio) now looks bare and sad but I’m OK with that. It’s like I traded one area for another but I find that area in a transition period until we expand. I would love to hear what you think of the new space!
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Are you going to do anything to your patio? Did you have challenges? Please let me know what you like about this patio space in the comments! xx
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