Budget Patio Refresh

New patio furniture keeps calling my name.

Especially this time of year when every possible second is spent outdoors.

I shared on this post the beautiful Pottery Barn outdoor set that is so gorgeous.  And I also shared the cost.  Yikes.

It was a tough call, but I made an executive decision and went for a budget patio refresh this year.

Here’s what happened.

Sitting Area

A nice sitting area good for relaxing with comfy furniture was my top priority.  I love, love the little sofa I bought last year from World Market, but I needed a couple chairs and tables to make it more friendly.

I seriously considered getting the Better Homes & Gardens wicker-look set from Walmart.com, but it is still pretty expensive.

And here is the thing.  I’m not getting new furniture without getting rid of my old stuff.  And that is difficult.  And stressful.

If I pulled the two chairs in from the fire pit area, I would have comfy seating for four.

But the cushions would look awful.  Nothing on my patio coordinated.

From BH&G I found Outdoor Cushions in a set of two in the perfect neutral color I was looking for.

They must have been stocked at a nearby store because they arrived next day.

I used the very old side table I already had out here. Truth be told, it’s the perfect size, so it’s staying.

The also-very-old ottomans are doubling as a coffee table and pulled to the chairs when feet need to be propped up.

Please don’t look closely because things are a bit shabby, but heck, it’s the outdoors, right?

Soften It

A sitting area on brick pavers isn’t terribly inviting, so a new rug was next on the shopping list.

It’s so hard to choose rugs online because they almost never resemble what you end up with. 

And such was the case with the 6’ X 9’ Indoor Outdoor Area Rug I found. 

But serendipitously, it actually works better than what I had planned.  The gray and taupe and beige is just perfect.

There is a tiny pattern, the rug is soft and it lays nicely without a tripping hazard.

It didn’t come quite as quickly as the cushions, but still arrived in 2-3 days.

Shade It

The covered portion of our patio isn’t all that large and everything gets crowded together looking for shade in the summer.

That crunch is also not inviting.

So I moved the dining table out to the middle of the patio and moved the sitting area down where the table used to be.

Now you can walk out the sliders without running into furniture or people sitting on furniture.

But the table is not usable between the hours of 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. due to full sun.

A giant Rectangular Umbrella to the rescue.  The 9’ length covers the table nicely and we have been able to eat lunch out every day.

What I Didn’t Do

I wanted new throw pillows but at the end of the day, the pillows I purchased from Walmart a few years ago are still like new and they still look really cute.  So they are being used another year.

A visit to the garden center is one of my favorite spring activities.  But keeping plants looking decent is really challenging and they are now quite expensive.

This year I decided to just use the palms I have for a little greenery, and skip the flowers.

Some faux plants in small pots help soften the area and it is just fine.

Wrap Up

The patio is truly my happy place.  I spend hours in my new reading nook.  Roxy spends as much time as I do out and the other girls join her as their napping schedule allows.

The budget?  All of these items came from Walmart and the cost was around $250.  The quality is unbelievable and I couldn’t be happier.

I’m not sure how much more perfect weather we will have, but my patio is ready for entertaining or just relaxing.

This is not the greatest patio reveal in history, but it’s so much more usable now and actually quite pretty.  So until my ship comes in, budget solutions will have to do.

Are you planning outdoor time this weekend? If you’re celebrating Mother’s Day, God bless you and if you’re not, God bless you too!

XO