Garden Makeover Details

29 Jul Garden Makeover Details

It has been really fun getting to show you all our garden we have been working on for so long.  (see article on Domino.com here) It has been quite the journey these last three years, and in case you missed it, you can see all of the before pictures and read the background story in this article.

Today I thought I would talk more about the details of our garden makeover.  Keep in mind that this is where we started…

November 2013

And here we are now!

For this garden space, I really wanted a “put together organically over time” feel.  Our house was built in the early 1920’s, and back in the day, this area was supposedly a beautiful rose garden.  What I really love about design is bringing life to a space, breathing art and color and texture to it.  It is so gratifying to turn something not so great into something beautiful.

Once we got the pavers set in the center of the garden (we used these 18×18 pavers from Home Depot), I was immediately imagining what I wanted the dining set to look like.

When I saw this iron set from Ballard Designs, I knew this was it! I loved the classic pattern detail in the chairs, and the color was spot on what I was looking for.  The set gave off that English Garden vibe I was after, but when you order something like this online, the quality is somewhat of a mystery until you get it, you know?

But WHOA, when we got it, it was just perfect.  The chairs and table have a nice weight to them – heavy enough that you feel like you have a sturdy product, but easy enough to move.  I also added the stripe seat cushions which add a bit of punch.

Our garden actually has quite a bit of shade, but it can get sunny where the pavers are so I knew a pretty umbrella would be just what we needed.  I wanted an umbrella with style, something with a bit of old Hollywood, classic with a touch of regency.  When I discovered the California Umbrella line, I knew I had found it!  Narrowing down the styles and colors took some thought, but I eventually settled on this black and white version.  I bought it on One Kings Lane, but they have lots of pretty styles and colors to choose from.

Surrounding the dining area are these four gorgeous cream planters (also from Ballard Designs), where we planted four Indian Hawthorne plants in tree form.  I had never seen these plants before, and when we spotted them in a local nursery, I knew they would create a cozy feel arching over our table and chairs.  We added some white marble stones found at Lowes for a little extra style and protection from our hot summers here in Texas.

At the back of the garden, we created an area with pavers for a small seating/lounge space.  I envisioned a couple of chairs to sit in and read, all while keeping an eye on the kids.  I wanted the chairs to coordinate with the dining area but not be too matchy-matchy.  (again, I wanted it to look more collected, less purchased at the same time)

There is also a line of pretty stepping stones to the chairs.  They have aged over time and gotten mossy which I love!

The lines of these Newport Lounge chairs are so attractive, and the sweeping motion picks up on the gracefulness of the dining set.  I also added these quick dry cushions (which are awesome for unexpected summer showers)  Pretty detailing on the back ensures your seating looks stylish from all angles.

One of my favorite aspects of this garden has to be the antique kitchen sink turned potting bench.  I found it at my favorite local salvage store (a frequent stop for me!), and I just happened to catch it before it was even priced.  I actually had the idea of an old-kitchen-sink-turned-potting-bench a long time ago and scoured Ebay and Craigslist for quite some time to find the perfect one.  These antique sinks can be fairly pricey (even on CL) so I was super happy to find one locally that was affordable.  Originally, I thought I might paint it, but after I gave the old cast iron sink and metal cabinets a good scrub, I liked it just as it was.  The original faucet is such a cool thing to have, and while we had to replace the sprayer, it has been useful to have this outdoors for meal preparation or planting.

I also located this sweet pair of childrens garden benches at White Elephant Antiques in Dallas that I placed in front of each raised bed in the garden.  The kids like to sit there, or they move them to wherever they want to perch for awhile.

More to come regarding easy outdoor entertaining ideas and the garden after hours (i.e. tips for installing outdoor lighting)!

Are any of you getting ready to tackle and outdoor space, or do you have one that you love?  Is there something specific you want to know about regarding gardening or decorating outdoors?  Please let me know in the comments!