Welcome to Spring in Your Country! Specifically, the backyard. Spring is the season when you would want to stay outdoors during your stay at home. The places surrounding your home fills in, and the fragrant environment comes to life. With new ideas lingering from the past three five decades. It’s truly a beautiful time to bring every day living outside.
When our twins were around 1 year old and we were pregnant with their third, we built our deck with high hopes of spending those long days with young children outside. We bought a cheap outdoor table and chairs at IKEA and I actually spent quite a bit of time with my little ones! We played, brewed and ate together during all the beautiful days outdoors. Fast forward until the kids started school, and we just stopped using it like we used to. In part, the natural course of children growing up and having their own activities and schedules, and in part, the mosquitoes became TERRIBLE! On the advice of a friend, we got a canopy structure with zippered mesh curtains so we could at least enjoy dining outside without the critters. But, if you’ve spent any time in Northern Virginia in the last 5 years, you may have noticed how windy it is. Our home has survived multiple tornadoes despite repairable damage to our home. A semi-permanent canopy is only looking for trouble! So now everyone is aware of the evolution of our deck, and until two weeks ago, this is what it had become:
It has been a sad and unwelcoming extension of our home that we had every intention of enjoying. It was time to reclaim this space and give it some fresh life!
We change the dining room furniture for living room furniture, as they better fit our family. We have already enjoyed dining here as a family, entertaining friends, and Albus and I hang out here when I’m working during the week. The versatility of this space is now just what we need!
I found some outdoor pillows on Society6 to add a bit of color … since I wouldn’t let Matt buy the sofa in Caribbean Blue;)
To address our mosquito problem (we are nestled in the woods and we have a stream on the opposite side of our property), I went on the web looking for naturally repellent plants. I found some great recommendations, took a trip to my favorite Merrifield Garden Center, and put together a planter that would be visually stunning, and it got to work for us!
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