It’s just now reaching a temperature in Atlanta where I’ll consent to be outside for any length of time, unless I’m being forced to build a gate. So, it’s got me thinking about making over our outdoor spaces, BIG TIME. You may be thinking “but summer’s almost over”, and I’m thinking “Yes. Exactly. Thank goodness.” They call it Hotlanta for a reason, and the over 90 temps just never make me feel like spending much time outside sweating. We were visiting family in Oklahoma this past weekend, and it was unseasonably delightful there. And when things are bright and breezy, you just want to pull up a comfy seat and relax with a cool drink.
(Outdoor #goals provided by the view from our favorite: Two Urban Licks)
We have great outdoor spaces at our house, but we’ve pretty much done nothing with them yet. Maybe it feels like decorating the outdoors seems more frivolous? Or maybe it’s just that we have a whole list of things to tackle, and hadn’t made it a priority. But now, my wheels are turning.
The main feature of our front porch is our wedding bench, but we’d love to make that space even more inviting, and maybe even spend some time out there. There’s not much on the porch now, so we’d just be bringing a few fun new items. However, the current flush mount light has got to go. There’s not a ton of head room, but this simple modern light is a much better option than the brass bug-catcher we’ve got now.
We’ve had the adorable welcome mat and string lights for a while, and they bring wonderful little touches of joy. I think adding a larger outdoor rug would be a great dose of personality (and it would liven up the painted concrete that’s there now, without the total overhaul of exterior painting that we’re looking at down the line). I’m really picky about pillows, and would prefer something all-season, so I think simple outdoor covers would be perfect to bring in a touch of that chartreuse from the rug without competing with the pattern. For another small dose of color, this fun turquoise chime would be such a pretty addition, and we love the peaceful vibes of a chime.
A nice garden stool would be great, we could use it for a small lantern, a shade-loving plant, or even drinks. I fell hard for this elephant stool from Wayfair, but I like that it’s still simple. I think with such a strong pattern on the rug, it’s nice to keep other elements minimal since this isn’t a huge space.
Speaking of plants, I’m getting real aspirational with those red lovelies in the over-deck planters. We’ve got big goals to have non-embarrassing plant life in our front yard, and I think some coco-lined planters over the railing would be a really great complement to our cute rancher. Our deck railing isn’t in tremendous shape, so we’d also love to update the posts to a horizontal style to match our new gate.
Overall, this wouldn’t be a super costly makeover, so I may do some arm-twisting and get Ben on board. I know he can’t wait to update the railing, so maybe that’s the best place to start 😉 That, and the promises of a refreshing beverage in the September breeze.
