This post is in partnership with Raymour & Flanigan.
Hey there friends!! We’ve been so mired in renovations these last few months that I haven’t even finished my kitchen reveal post (it’s truly been nutso over here!!), but I promise you, it’s coming!
You may have seen on my Instagram stories (follow me right here for behind-the-scenes, unedited snippets of DIY and design projects!) you know that we went directly from our huge kitchen and flooring renovation right into ripping off our rotting deck. We actually tore off the old deck all the way back in March, but have had one delay after another – first with the endless rain in April and early May, and then with our materials being delayed a bit. We decided to hire out the rebuild, and the last week or so our contractor has finally been able to get going! Now that there is a light at the end of the renovating tunnel, I’m getting so excited to decorate this space and have a big barbecue out here!!!
Here’s what the before looked like…….whoever installed our deck many years ago did not leave ample spaces between the boards and they just continuously rotted from the moisture on and between them and over time it became seriously treacherous to walk out there (our son’s friend’s foot went right through last summer!) Redoing the deck before the summer this year was a MUST.
In addition to the sad old deck, our outdoor deck furniture had seen better days, plus our fire pit patio has never had permanent furniture (we would drag down the deck chairs every single time) so our entire outdoor living space is getting a complete overhaul! I am so very happy to be partnering up with one of my favorite furniture companies, Raymour & Flanigan, on this makeover and have had such fun designing the deck and patio around some of their pieces. Today I wanted to share my plans for the deck, and I’ll talk about the patio another day.
Some of you may recall our manual roll out awning that the previous owners had installed.
We absolutely love this thing!!! Our backyard gets some serious sun in summer afternoons, and the awning makes our time out here so much more enjoyable!! However, we believe the awning is 15-20 years old (everything is getting old around here…..even the people! 🙂 ); the fabric has seen better days so this summer we are replacing it. We are awaiting fabric samples to make our decision, but are considering going with with a fade resistant navy blue awning fabric like this, that would make the deck feel like an extension of our interiors:
Since having our house painted white, really we could go with any color out here! The other awning fabric I LOVE is the classic black and white stripe that I think goes with EVERYTHING:
We are leaning toward the blue though because the white parts of our existing awning really show mildew and discoloration, and I’m so over scrubbing it at the beginning of every summer!
Our new deck flooring is the composite Trex color Gravel Path, which is a warm grey.
With our refreshed outdoor spaces, Mark and I both agreed our main priority was LOW MAINTENANCE!!! I loved our old teak deck table but we had no place to store it inside, so it had to live on the deck through our harsh New England winters. Teak can take a beating and restore BEAUTIFULLY – some of you may recall this before and after:
Check out the tutorial for cleaning and sealing outdoor teak furniture here.
In addition to low maintenance, the other item on our outdoor table wish list was that it be rectangular instead of round, to take better advantage of the shade under the awning. With all those elements in mind, here is what I came up!
Table | Chairs (Set of 2) | Bench
The dining table, chairs and two benches I ordered from Raymour & Flanigan are all made of composite materials that will never require staining or sealing, YAHOO!!! I can’t tell you how excited I am about that!! AND I found all these pieces in Raymour & Flanigan’s online outlet too!! After seeing the quality of their outdoor furniture lines that they carry in the showroom (see my hilarious shopping trip with my cute shopping buddies Hannah and her friend Payton on the “Outdoor Project” highlight on IG!) I felt totally comfortable ordering these ones without seeing them in person first. They just got delivered and I can honestly tell you they are SO nice in real life!!
I wasn’t looking to match the furniture to the Trex but as it turns out they are very similar – kind of a driftwood color. All this neutral-ness gives me the opportunity to bring in life and color with plants, flowers, dishes, a few natural wood and woven elements and a throw pillow or two! By the way I’ll be re-using the banana leaf pillow covers I bought a few years ago (this print was EVERYwhere for a while wasn’t it? I still love it!) – the Etsy seller still has the 2 for $34 deal! I love the farmhouse style base of the table and the inlaid “wood” look on top.
This week our oldest, Peter, came home from college (Hannah came home two weeks ago) and now that the nest is full again and the warmer weather is finally here, I am SO fired up to have the deck finished and get it all set up!!
Stay tuned for the details about our little pea stone patio and what I have in store for that part of our outdoor space soon too!
Wishing you a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!
I hope you’re able to get outside and enjoy some time with your friends and/or family!
xo,
cassie bustamante says
what gorgeous plans! it is going to look beautiful!
Suzanne Carrier says
Very nice. Thanks for sharing!
Sarah says
Oh Lisa your outdoor plans look beautiful! I can’t wait to see more! Xoxo, Sarah
Lynne says
Can’t wait to see it all come together!! It’s going to be amazing!