A bunch of folks have asked for a little deck mood board, just to see what we’re imagining when this beast of a project is actually complete (oh man, that might make our year). Of course since money is tight and we have yet to finish furnishing the patio that we built last year, we won’t have this thing thrown together overnight (which means any or all of the items on this board could sell out before we get to snag them all – wah!) but here’s what I’m loving today, just so you guys can start to picture it…
1. This fun indoor/outdoor pillow from World Market is really pretty, dontcha think? And at 50% off, it’s pretty tempting…
2. I’m obsessed with the idea of these yellow metal chairs for the head of the table (whether I DIY them with primer and yellow spray paint myself, or find them as-is somewhere).
3. This charming outdoor rug by Dash & Albert would be sweet by the sliding doors (and would catch dirt when folks come back in).
4. Some big bulb string lights swagged over the entire length of the deck would make for such pretty ambiance for alfresco dinners.
5. A few cute and colorful planters in the middle of the table would be sweet, maybe even full of fresh herbs to add to our dinner…
6. This table is ours. Literally. After I saw the price while making this mood board ($82?!?!) we measured to be sure it was a good fit and ran off to the store to grab it. It was actually $73 at our local store (I think it would actually cost more to buy wood & stain to DIY one!). We think the white finish will look so great with the wood tone of the deck and those fun yellow metal chairs along with some understated wood chairs to fill out the rest of the table.
7. A few hanging tea light holders might be sweet mounted to the sides of the house, just to make those exterior walls feel more integrated and cozy.
8. We got these wood chairs from Joss & Main for a steal (around $40 each with free shipping), so we’d love to use them for seating around the table (with those fun metal yellow ones at the head of the table).
And as for the layout of the deck, here’s what we’re thinking thanks to a little photoshop rendering (it’s around 20′ long by 8′ wide):
You can see the little welcome mat by the sliding door (we just added some planters on either side of it, so anywhere you see a green dot, imagine that’s a planter with something leafy and green in it). We’d love to place the table (we’re guessing it’ll seat 6-8 people, but won’t know how many chairs fit until it’s all set up) in the middle section of the deck between the zipper seams we’ll be adding, and then there’s some room at the end of the deck for us to put something else that’s still TBD – perhaps a sand and water table for Clara (hence the blue rectangle with a chair) or a little sitting area for mommy and daddy.
Oh and for anyone worrying about the width of the table and chairs in that narrow alley of ours, before we got the table we taped it all out, and thankfully there will still be room to walk around the chairs on both sides when they’re in place. Whew. Our first house’s den was the same width (eight feet!) so I think we might just be used to working with long skinny spaces. Haha. We’ll keep you posted as we go for sure! Although at this point I’ll just be excited to sit out there on the deck boards themselves and sip on something cold…
Psst- Folks ask how I make mood boards so a quick explanation is that I used photoshop to cut things out, size them, place them, and add numbers. There’s more info about the process on our FAQ page along with some free alternatives to photoshop that we hear are lots of fun. Hope it helps!
Marissa@ohhhsolovely says
nice & colorful as usual! can’t wait to see it all finished!!
Brenda says
I just purchased two bright yellow chairs like this (except they have white arms) from Crate & Barrel and they are sitting on my front porch. I love them!
John says
If the sun is a problem you could install a sun shade sail between the walls. Looks like an umbrella might be a little tight.
YoungHouseLove says
Another great idea! Thankfully the area is in full shade after 3pm, so we should be all good for dinners out there and will have to see if we end up out there earlier and want to add more shade!
xo,
s
Michelle N says
So pretty! I love yellow, so bright and cheery!
I had a question for you guys. I know you use Craigslist a lot but have you ever used the barter section. Believe it or I just noticed it a few days ago. ha Ever thought about trading one for one?
YoungHouseLove says
Never have- anyone done it? Would love to hear about it!
xo,
s
Audrey P says
Looks great! When/if you do the metal chair thing, you’ll have to let us know how they work out. I love them, but I remember the ones we had would always get flakey and the paint would come off after a year or so (and then it would discharge a white chalky substance, even though the chairs were green/yellow/blue). That could be the Tx heat/direct sun or the 1980s paint (I heard something about how our spray paint and spray auto paint is like 1000x better now). In any case, I’m excited for you guys! It looks like a lot of fun!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks! We’ll keep you posted!
xo,
s
Wrenaria says
Oh no! Now I’m also coveting those yellow chairs! Never seen those before. Love the shape. And everything else you have planned. Will be so fun out there.
I’ve always wanted bulb string lights. If only I had somewhere to hang them.
Claire H. says
Love all the bright colors- will be such a relaxing and fun gathering spot when it’s finished!
Elizabeth @ The Little Black Door says
We got that deck for our deck, which isn’t very wide either, and it has been a hit. It looks fab and stands up to a lot of wear and tear. The finish is great. You can see it on our deck reveal here – http://thelittleblackdoor.blogspot.com/2012/06/i-wear-my-sunglasses-at-night-deck.html
YoungHouseLove says
Looks great!
xo,
s
Momcat says
We have an awkward deck arrangement too. It’s a good size deck but between our furniture and the grill and having to keep a walking space open to reach the wheelchair ramp, the usable space (for seating/tables) becomes narrow & awkward.
Might I suggest something? For everyday access/walking across deck/etc., push your table up against the wall. Place 2 chairs on either end, & the 2 other chairs along the long open edge. Use your extra 2 chairs to create a little seating area at the end of your deck (where you suggest the Clara-space). We did this and it made all the difference!!
On your deck, this would keep one side open for access to the stairs/yard, and you can always pull the table out from the wall if you have a larger group. (But–we don’t ever pull ours out; instead, we bring out another small round table, and use it with the 2 chairs in the little seating area.) Using two tables actually makes the deck feel larger, yet it’s still a small enough area that you can certainly all be a part of one conversation. Just a suggestion, maybe it’ll work for you too! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip Momcat! Love it!
xo,
s
Vanessa says
We have yellow chairs mixed with wood on our deck and it makes a great statement. We get nothing but compliments! Can’t wait to see the plan executed.
Louisa T. says
Oh my gosh! I was just at World Plus not two hours ago. The only reason I didn’t snatch up all the patio furniture they had on sale for, wait for it……..75% OFF was because that was preceded by a trip to Ikea and my trunk was already full to the gills. Boo. Such cute stuff. I got a few small things but seriously wanted a chase lounge that they had for, and I repeat here, 75% OFF! Amazing!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, such good sales! I think some things were 80% off at ours! It’s crazy!
xo,
s
Becky says
That yellow chair is da bomb!
how2home says
Here’s the deck update! Really loving all the products you have on your mood board! It’s very bright and colorful. Adding a pergola kind of roofing would be so cute with the light bulbs. Are you guys considering adding some sort of roofing?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes we’ve talked about a pergola type thing but we’re not sure we need that since it’s all in shade back there after 3pm. Might add something down the line though! You never know!
xo,
s
Brit says
I’m not sure if you know anybody that has that Dash & Albert rug, but I do, and I haven’t been very happy with it. I’ve had it for under 9 months (indoors, and I live alone with a small dog) and the weave is coming out in places and it stains like crazy… especially for an indoor/outdoor rug. Maybe I just have a dud, but heads up!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh no! Thanks for the tip! I heard from two folks who love love love their D&A rugs, so maybe certain ones don’t have the same quality! That stinks! Especially since ours will be outside and get lots of wear! We’ll have to do some more research before we jump on it!
xo,
s
Jillian says
Sherry, have you seen the yellow all weather tub chairs that world market has on sale for 39.99 they are adorable and would make the perfect head table chair.
YoungHouseLove says
We thought they were so cute but the ones in the store were all unwound (coming apart, ack!) so we worried they wouldn’t last!
xo
s
Ashley C. says
Hey, I don’t know if anybody’s mentioned this yet, but Target has some very similar string lights for a lot cheaper than that. We just used 4 sets of these to light the backyard for my mom’s birthday party, and they looked fantastic. Here’s a link:
http://www.target.com/p/room-essentials-clear-globe-lights-25ct/-/A-12958843
We used the clear ones, but they make frosted ones too. They cost us 12.99 a string, and each string is 25 feet.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much for the tip! We have some lights leftover from our wedding that we’re hoping to use but if we can’t find those or they don’t work we’ll be on the lookout, so that helps a lot!
xo,
s
Christina P (NS) says
I am so jealous of this space and it’s not even finished yet! It is going to look fabulous!!!!
I cannot wait to see the finished project!
Megan says
Someone might have already said this but those yellow chairs can be found at Lowes. My husband bought two of them and a matching round table for our front porch. I LOVE them!! I am totally a girl born in the wrong decade and love that style of vintage chair. My parents have some that I grew up with and when my cousin moved to NYC and down sized everything, he took her two old ones, sanded, primed and painted them. They’re so beautiful! Here are the yellow chairs at my house (don’t mind the yellow candles and the floor that needs some TLC!) http://thebrickbungalow.blogspot.com/2012/05/yellow.html I want to say that the three pieces were well under $150!
YoungHouseLove says
Looks so cheery! Thanks for sharing the link.
-John
Liz says
Hi! I live in Charlotte and have 2 of those yellow chairs that I would love to find a new home for!
Mine are white and kind of rusty so I’m not sure they would be worth trying to fix up but I can send you a photo if you’d like…
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh that sounds awesome! Feel free to email us a photo and if we’ll ever be out that way we’ll see if we can give them a new home! Of course we’d pay for them a la Craigslist!
xo,
s
Christine from Decorated Life says
love all your ideas for your patio – love the lights, rug and tea light holders for extra coziness.. the bright colors are great; especially at night.. neutrals are too dull!!Great choices
Tracy says
Been out of town and off the net, so missed all last week, and am catching up now…
We have #1 and #7 in this mood board! We use the pillow inside (with a few other patterns from World Market), and we use the hanging tea light lanterns outside. We don’t have them hung, but on a try in the middle of our outdoor picnic table (under our back porch). We actually use battery-powered tea lights though.
I looked at the World Market website due to things you’ve mentioned on YHL (after discovering the closest brick-and-mortar WM is hundreds of miles away) and found those products/deals!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so awesome! I love that.
xo,
s
Kendra says
I skimmed the other comments (there were a lot!) and didn’t see anyone mention this…Menards has the yellow tulip chairs in a set (2) with a small table for $50. Lowe’s also had them last year so you might be able to find online.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tips Kendra! Wish we had a Menards here!
xo,
s