Summer Backyard Tour

Hello and cheers to summer!  If you’re stopping by after seeing House 214 Design, welcome. I’m so glad you joined us for this inspiring tour of summer homes where we share simple ideas for adding seasonal touches to your home. Be sure to scroll down to the bottom for links to all the homes on the tour.

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Daytime Summer Backyard Tour

For this seasonal home tour, I decided to take things outdoors. First, I’ll show you around our backyard deck during the daylight and how it looks most of the time. Casual and comfy.

Last fall we won a deck makeover contest from Thompson’s WaterSeal, which was pretty flippin’ amazing. You can get the details (and see what it looked like before) here. Basically, we got to add this farmhouse style roof to our upper space (that’s why it’s a different shade than the lower deck) and purchase all new deck furnishings.

This is our first summer to enjoy the newly renovated space and decor… and we are still pinching ourselves that this little outdoor oasis is OURS! Indiana weather doesn’t always cooperate but we spend every moment we can out here. Every. Moment.

This upper deck area wasn’t anything special before. But, adding a roof over this area has really transformed this upper space into a cozy outdoor kitchen and sitting area. You could achieve a similar effect by adding a simple canopy to your outdoor space. Now that we have a little protection from the elements overhead, we are officially year-round grill masters.

I created a simple vignette by grouping together a few flea market finds. Retro coolers have that summer reunion vibe, don’t they? I found that wicker chair at a flea market last month for only $10. What a steal!

Garden stools are an easy way to add pops of color. You know, with all this space and new deck furniture, this area under the shade of our red maple tree is actually me and my husband’s favorite place to sit and chat. Occasionally we even enjoy a night cap together in this spot. It’s just the perfect little conversation space.

I’m obsessed with all things aqua so naturally, I came up with a color palette that honored this lovely shade of blue. I added in some navy and coral to mix it up a bit.

One of my favorite additions was our new dining set. I wanted to create all the feels of a farmhouse since we added a rustic metal roof to our deck. This one is from Home Depot and I loved the X-style table legs, resin wicker seating, and the fact that it had a metal top instead of glass – making it easy to wipe down before we eat.

In the spring/summer/fall seasons, we dine outside on the deck as much as possible. Food falls on the floor – who cares – we are outside already. Casual dining at its best.

Adding a cantilever-style (or offset) umbrella has been a GAME CHANGER. I really disliked looking across the table at a metal pole. Sometimes I would raise the umbrella just so it wasn’t in the way of conversations. Also, I secretly desired to have a cute tray or centerpiece in the middle of the table without a stupid umbrella pole in the way.

Vintage decor is the name of the game around here. And, you can see that we like to sprinkle it in wherever we can. One of my most beloved upgrades are these old corbels we added this summer. They are perfectly weathered and really notch up the farmhouse style of the roof.

In all my years of flea market searches, I hadn’t been able to find a sturdy vintage metal glider for my backyard. But, I was finally able to purchase this glider sofa and chair with our winnings last year.

These are so, so lovely and exactly what I’ve always wanted – and they’re new. Sometimes new is better than old. Like when they’re rust-free with a durable finish. You can’t find that at a flea market.

Speaking of flea markets… old buckets make the best planters. This bucket was missing a bottom so it was a steal. I simply removed the hanger from a hanging plant and set it inside the bucket. I love purchasing hanging plants for containers because they always look so much fuller from the start… and I’m not a patient person.

Nighttime Summer Backyard Tour

Now, let’s take a look at our deck at night and some simple ways to light up your backyard. Gatherings at the Robb household almost always carry into the evening. We added a stamped patio next to the deck a few years ago and added some aqua Adirondack chairs. We created our patio with an inset fire pit. It helps us extend our evenings with both warmth and light.

As for that fire hydrant… we happen to know someone who works for a water company and they found one for us – I love incorporating vintage elements into our landscaping too. Oh, and if you’re curious about that crazy shed in the background, you might want to click here for the story.

There are plenty of SIMPLE ways to extend your backyard gatherings into the night. But nothing sets the mood like a set of string lights. It doesn’t take a lot of them to provide enough light. We added an outdoor set over the edge of the deck and patio. Then we strung a smaller set of lights around an old outdoor chandelier.

Summer party decor!

Since the 4th of July holiday is coming up, I wanted to also share a little patriotic backyard party inspiration too. Stay tuned for a more detailed patriotic deck party post coming soon. Until then, here’s a sneak peek.

As you can see, we have adapted our outdoor space to fit our lifestyle and our obsession for vintage decor. Before we renovated our deck, I hadn’t really thought of it as an outdoor room… but that’s exactly what it has become. And, when you think of your outdoor spaces as a room it’s much easier to create a cohesive design that reflects your personal style and your fits the way your family uses the space.

More summer home tours.

There are 22 MORE talented bloggers participating – so be sure to grab a mason jar filled with iced tea and visit the rest of these beautiful home tours. All the links are included below.

What if…

I’m curious… what if you won a Deck Makeover of Your Dreams contest? How would you spend the winnings? Let me know in the comments below. Believe me, it’s something my husband and I still can’t believe happened to us!

Don’t forget to stop by At Charlotte’s House next.