Before and After: A “Mildewy, Bland, Depressing” Patio Becomes a Backyard Oasis with a $240 Redo
Throughout the pandemic, outdoor living spaces, for those lucky enough to have them, have provided alow-risk way to gather with your pod, plus a much-needed escape from the home office. With vacation plans canceled or altered due to COVID, some people haveturned their outdoor spaces into dreamy getaways, like D.C. suburb dwellerElissa Poma.
“Given that my travel plans to explore Morocco and southern Spain this year were on hold because of the pandemic, I decided to transform the patio into an Arabesque/Mediterranean escape,” Elissa says.
The patio space at her 1950s split-level home was, in a word, lackluster — or as she puts it, “mildewy, bland,” and “depressing.” It didn’t live up to its scenic woodsy backyard views.
“The only time we spent out there was to throw some food on grill,” Elissa says. “And when I was in the family room just inside the sliding glass doors, I shut the curtains so I wouldn’t have to see how miserable the space looked.”
Over a weekend and two additional weeknights, Elissa worked to spruce up the place, which just needed a bit of TLC. It took a full day to do the power washing, but the drastically brighter, cleaner siding and concrete instantly boosted the whole curb appeal of the house.
“I love how it really feels like an outdoor living room now,” the homeowner says of her redesigned patio space
Elissa’s husband also power washed the dining table and chairs — a retro set that came with the house — and Elissa gave them a bright blue coat of paint (Sherwin–Williams’ Perfect Periwinkle).
Elissa says she let theoutdoor rug, with its royal blue and cerulean swirls, lead the design. The rest of the pops of color were secondhand finds and DIYs.
“The pillows came from neighbor giveaways, and I hand painted old terracotta pots to look like denim,” she says. “I have a potted herb garden and just moved around some more fragrant plants to decorate. The red lantern adds the right pop of color — I found that in the shed, too!”
Her best advice? Shop your own home for pieces you can repurpose in a new space. “Things you grew tired of take on a whole new life when you see them in a new light,” she says.
She made a macrame plant holder from old rope found in the shed and painted the artwork attached to the siding (graphic representations of arabesque doorways) on plywood recovered from drawers of a dresser her neighbor was giving away. The coffee table top and the substrates for the paintings were made from another neighborhood find: drawers of a bunkbed. “The table top especially made me proud,” Elissa says. “The cutout drawer handles were the perfect slot for the umbrella, and I affixed them to the base with Velcro tape.”
Elissa’s DIYs are weatherproof, too. Each item is removable for summertime storms, and she has anet that drapes perfectly over her umbrellato keep the bugs away. “I live across the street from a creek, and the mosquitos are brutal!” she says. “This is the first summer I can actually sit outdoors because of the netting.”
With a brand-new, bug-free hangout, Elissa can spend her final days of summer relaxing.
“In the early evening, when the sun goes down, the patio is filled with the scents of the just-warmed lavender, chamomile, and mint. Between that and the golden glow of the cafe lights, it feels like I’m far away,” she says.
Inspired?提交你的自己的项目。