Cheapskate chic outdoor living room reveal!

 

I cannot tell you how beyond excited I am about how our Outdoor Living Room turned out!!

Enter a squeal and a giant happy dance, and that is a start.

This space has been a project that has evolved over the span of three summers, and each summer we have accomplished a bit more.

But this year was more of the frosting on the cake, the super fun decorating part.

With life and bills and budgets, I knew I could not lose my ever loving mind out here and spend a small fortune on everything new.

And I really didn’t want to, I wanted our covered patio to have a warm eclectic vibe like the inside of our house.  And I didn’t want it to look like a showroom floor at our local outdoor furniture store.

Trust me, at times I wanted to as the weeks went on and I didn’t think the time spent scouring our local thrift stores and a neighborhood curbside find would happen and payoff.  The patience, elbow grease and some paint paid off!

 

 

 

 

Here is a picture of the curbside score that became our copper table with a wood stained top, not much to look at originally!

 

 

We flip flopped between creating an outdoor dining space vs. an outdoor living room.  

Realizing where/how we spend our down time inside the house, spoke to what really needed to be outside.  And I am so glad we went the direction we did.

Here is the mid-way picture before the table top was cut from plywood, rounded and smoothed and stained walnut.  We attached it with small metal brackets on the underside of the wood.

 

 

Here is how everything came together:

• The outdoor area rug was the first purchase, I have designed a room or area before and chosen the area rug last and it seems to be way easier to choose this piece first as the core that the remainder of the space is built around.  This rug is from Home Depot, just under $100 and worth every penny!
• While waiting for the bus to arrive one morning I noticed our neighbors had a very rusty fire pit with their recycling.  Yes, I put the kids on the bus, waved goodbye and they pulled away and proceeded to score the base of our “new” patio coffee table.
• The mini white fur rug was an Ikea store find for about $16
• The chairs I already had and as they have been moved and repurposed 1,000 times, here they are again this time outside!
• The pillows are all Goodwill finds, I cannot tell you how many throw pillow and outdoor pillows I have found at Goodwill that still have the tags on them.  A TON. 
• The white side table was a repainted $10 find at a local thrift store
• See the copper stand on the side of the couch? It was a floor lamp in it’s previous life, dismantled now, this old lamp got a coat of copper paint and how holds pretty things that make me oh so happy.
• A couple strings of outdoor patio lights, a metal vase stand turned into a hanging chandy…and a hard working hubby who built our industrial style wood and metal patio cover…and voila! We have the outdoor living room we have dreamed of

Oops, I almost forgot….the brown leather couch, which is super soft and so comfy (afternoon naps have taken place here) another Goodwill find, $40!

 

 

We find ourselves putting our feet up and having a glass or wine as often as we can while kids are flying by on scooters and the meat slow cooks on the grill nearby.  Everything I hoped this would be came to pass.  Not because we spent a lot of money or because it’s fancy, but because it’s comfy and a fun place for us to curl up and relax together, play a board game, or read a good book while enjoying the breeze and fresh air.

 

 

Whatever your budget, amount of space or time available you can always eek out a tiny or lavish space to call your own.  It might be the corner of your living room, a spare bedroom in your condo, or a shed that you trick out and turn into a retreat.  Whatever it is, wherever it is, it is yours, you create the vibe you dream of to refresh and recharge in your own zen space wherever that may be.

Happy creating friend, I hope you enjoy our cheapskate adventures.  Here’s to living a fabulous frugal life!

Stay crafty-

xo, Tanya 

       

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