This post has been a long time coming from a project that I’ve been working on since Spring and dreaming of since we moved into our house a year ago. If you’re a longtime reader, you may remember that I was in love with our screened-in porch at our newlywed apartment and wondered if I would be able to turn our backyard into something as cozy. Coming from the apartment, I struggled with seeing it as the blank slate as it was, instead feeling like it lacked personality and charm. However, after much deliberation, I’m so pleased with the final result. Without further ado, welcome to our patio, y’all.

Since so much of our home is open-layout concept, I wanted the layout of our patio to feel the same way. I dreamt of our home full of guests, with friends spilling out from the kitchen and living room onto our patio. Though that dream hasn’t been able to be brought to life quite yet, that thought did help with the direction of designing our layout. I also loved having an eating and a sitting area on our old screened-in porch and I knew I wanted to carry that idea over, as well.

When it came to the style of the patio, I wanted to bring the Modern Farmhouse style out from inside, but also wanted a bistro vibe. My favorite places to eat include dining under a string of lights in a small and cozy setting, and I just knew I needed that as inspiration for our patio.

We decided earlier this year to invest in a conversation patio furniture first, since we didn’t really have any. I found a lot of sets that I liked and considered many (many!) options, and ultimately fell in love with this set from AtHome. However, it was more than I was hoping to spend, so I opted for this set from Home Depot. I loved the combination of the wood and texture, with the pop of the light colored cushions.

My mom was actually the one who suggested adding a privacy wall to our patio to give it a bit of character, and of course, privacy from our neighbors. I thought it would be a nice addition and give our dining space a bit more of a bistro feel, especially knowing that our string lights would be attached to it. I did look online for a pre-built privacy wall, but realized that building our own would be cheaper and easier. I’m thankful my mom is handy as she is, because adding this wall totally changed the vibe of our whole patio!

The chaise and pool weren’t part of the original design but fulling inspired by my love for laying in the sun and COVID shutting down our community pool. The chaise was actually the first piece of new furniture to arrive and I can’t imagine our backyard without it.The pool was a birthday gift from my sister and I could not love it more. The print is so fun! I spent every non-rainy day between June and September between that chaise and in the pool!

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I hope you loved seeing our patio reveal and getting a closer look at our outdoor space! Despite the constant challenges I ran into while designing this, I’m so pleased with the final result. Especially now that the nights are a bit cooler (and the mosquitos are finally gone), we are so excited to spend time out here, and love to be able to work from out here for a change of scenery on nice days. I’m looking forward to making seasonal updates and changes, and to host our family and friends out here one day soon!