Secret Retreat Tucked Away in the City
July 21, 2010 by Raynee Crowe
Filed under Chic Modern Home
I’ll spill the beans if you promise not to tell anyone…my back patio lol!! Ok, ok maybe not to the masses, but to me nestled on my outdoor love seat, sipping a cup of coffee (or lemonade as I’m frying an egg on the side table in this 90+ degree heat) it certainly is. I have lived here for years and ya know, I’ve never really and truly invested into this space before this year. It was always something that I put off, but I made up my mind that this would be the year that I actually enjoyed the space.
The furniture came from Target and Ikea over the last few years. They actually held up very well. I even left these out all winter and no rust! Don’t try this at home though. The green and blue rug is from Pier1, pillows and cushions from Home Goods and lanterns from Cost Plus World Market. Flowers, plants and trees I got from my local farmers market in Detroit, Eastern Market. I really love the experience there. You can negotiate, get some really great deals and talk to knowledgeable folks who can school you on which flowers to get depending on how much sunlight they’ll be in. They were a huge help to me. I’m almost 2 months in and flowers still holding up well!
Show me your outdoor hide-a-way!
Or do you have one that needs a little TLC?
Check out the before and after pics.
Before
After
After
Before
After
Raynée Crowe, TMF’s primary modern home contributor, is an interior decorating consultant who ironically never considered herself creative, and then one day the ‘ol proverbial light bulb went off. Her love for mixing and matching colors, patterns and decorating had manifested itself into daydreaming of color swatches, textiles and room arrangements. That passion and excitement grew and soon it was pure enjoyment as she worked with friends and clients to select color pallets, accessories, furniture and arrange spaces. Finally she understood the saying “if you do what you love you’ll never work a day in your life” and so in 2008 Color Vision LLC was born. For more information, you can email Raynee at yourcolorvision@gmail.com.
For more great tips and ideas, check out her blog at www.yourcolorvision.wordpress.com.
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I loved the ideas in this article! Not only because it motivated me to start thinking about sprucing up my outdoor space, but because I hope it motivates our modern day moms to start focusing on more positive things, like home decor!It’s funny how choosing to start fresh can start with freshening up your space.
I loved this as well. Were the leaves covering that beautiful wood deck or did you install that as well. It is fabulous!
Di
Thanks so much!! Yes! Absolutely, there’s no better way to start fresh than to start getting your home in order and I believe that includes decor as well. It just makes you feel better when you enjoy your surroundings.
The leaves were covering the entire deck! I hadn’t cleaned it up since last year. I had the deck power washed and voila =)
The deck is gorgeous!!! You are inspiring me to do some outdoor renovations as well.
I just love it. You did so much with such a small space! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Debra and Diane!! Send me pictures of your spruced up space!