Small Changes – HUGE Difference (My Courtyard “Makeover”)

We have a walled-in courtyard area in our front yard which we very seldom used since we love hanging out on the back deck with all the wildlife. For years we kept just a basic table/chair/umbrella set there. (Very similar to this one.)

Well, this summer when we did go out front to sit, I literally busted through the chair. One minute I was sitting there enjoying a glass of wine and the next minute I was falling through the seat…ha!

The weaving was just old and weak. As my husband was laughing, all of a sudden he fell through his too. All four chairs were goners and it would have been just as expensive to have someone replace all the material so we decided to start from scratch. And hopefully design something that while budget-friendly, would make better use of the space.

…We found this set at American Furniture Warehouse for around $400. Once I saw this I knew the direction I wanted to go for in the courtyard, something relaxing and peaceful.

As I took stock of the courtyard area I decided to do something about this wall too, which has just bothered me for years. I just hate all the wires.

…I found these cool pillows and the planter at Ross. The pillows were $8 each and the planter $9, which added some fun color. I had the little glass holders which I’ll add candles to.

I found this light fixture at Big Lots on sale for half-off (I paid $17) and even though I didn’t need it, I bought it. I’m sure it went down further in price but they only had two in stock so I got it. I wasn’t quite for sure where we’d hang it but since the candles were battery operated, I knew we’d use it. (It’s so dry and windy here and we have so many trees, I limit the amount of wax candles we use.)

We had this old nightstand just sitting in the garage for years. I actually got it for free at a garage sale and was going to try to repurpose it but there it sat.

A coat of paint later and voila, it adds some dimension to the courtyard and gives us extra table space. Plus I use the drawers to store candles, matches, extra cocktail napkins, etc.

My husband painted the nightstand for me so I figured, while he was at it, he could paint these too. (He hates these frogs but puts up with them.)

The courtyard was looking exactly how I imagined and wanted it to look like. Coming along quite nicely with minimal work and not a lot of expense.

…We found this bench on sale at American Furniture Warehouse for $30 which we filled with pots of plants I already had and it hid the wires. Yes, I know it wasn’t that big of a deal but it makes me feel good now when I look at that space. (A lot of my plants are ones I just transplant from other areas of the yard so there’s not a lot of added cost.)

Earlier in the year I bought this birdcage at Toscano Interiors http://www.toscanointeriors.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html during her yearly parking lot sale. It was half off, mint green and I had no idea where I would put it but I liked it…I tend to do that a lot. We painted it with some spray paint and I love how it looks hanging from the shepherds’ hook.

This is a good time of year to buy yard/garden items since we’re nearing the end of the season and prices have been slashed. Garage sales and thrift stores are excellent places to pick up odds and ends too.

I love this! We hang out here in the evenings when we want a bit of “privacy” (no fences allowed in our area,) or just want a different view. It feels like an extended room to our house. I decided to leave it just like this and not add anything else so it would remain airy and open. Again, little expense, no hard labor, and what a transformation of space. I did take the light fixture down and am using it elsewhere, not liking how it hung from the umbrellas.

A perfect place for a sip…