Outdoor Living Spaces

Like most Southerners, I love my garden and outdoor space. I find myself entertaining more outdoors than indoors, especially when the weather is warm and the sun is shining. We eat on our patio almost as much as we do in our kitchen in the spring, summer and fall. I love to read, nap, sunbathe, pull weeds or practically anything if it involves being outside.

We have been in our current home barely a year and our yard and gardens have been a constant project. We began with the beds around the house and we put in an English garden at our side entry. We planted trees and shrubs, installed a brick and stone walk, created planters with stacked stone, added wrought iron pieces, put in a water feature, all with the help of Mike Omar from Morgreen Landscape. He is a joy to work with and a master of design of outdoor spaces.

This year we installed a pool, added a waterfall, created more stacked stone and blue stone beds, added an iron fence and gate, installed more walkways and added an arbor to extend the back patio. The pool was done by another wonderful man named Jay West, of West Pools. His vision for the pool was amazing. He was also a joy to work with and we are most pleased with the project.

I really think that my outdoor space is now complete, except for a few more plants I would like to incorporate over the next few years. I just have to be patient now to let the new plants mature. It looks so beautiful now, I cannot imagine how it could look any better in years to come, but I am sure it will amaze me.

I love to entertain in our outdoor spaces. Having an outdoor area to eat, sit, talk, or play can expand the square footage of your home. Take a look at your outdoor spaces. Are you using them to expand your living space? Do you need to replace furnishings, cushions, or add a table and chairs? What could you do to improve your space and make you want to spend time outdoors?

There are so many options now for outdoor furnishings and fabrics. There are fabrics that resist fading, mildew and water. There is wicker that looks just like the real thing, only it is a vinyl product that will last for years. Outdoor aluminum never needs to be painted, it is very lightweight and comes in many colors now. This time of year is a good time to purchase outdoor furnishings, many stores have items on clearance now. Maybe you could use an old discarded table and chairs and paint them with an outdoor paint to use outside. Imagine how cute it would be with a big sunflower painted on top of the table and each chair painted a different color. So many ideas and so little time!

Here are some pictures of my outdoor living spaces, I hope you enjoy them. Stop by and have a glass of lemonade and I'll be sure to show you my tomatoes that are almost ripe.

Happy Decorating, Lisa