Now the weather is finally turning warmer, we’ve started a bit of an impromptu spring spruce up of our patio area. I hate the cold so much that I could easily refuse to venture into the back garden at all during winter months and as a result it always looks a bit forlorn by the time it’s warm enough to want to spend time out there again. Tangled ivy, weather-worn furniture and weeds make it look very uninviting which is such a shame because it catches the afternoon sun and is a lovely size that we could really use to extend the living area.
Here are a few pictures of it at various points in the two years we’ve lived here – it runs along the back of the house with steps up to the lawn. There are two dilapidated cupboards with a built-in brick BBQ between them that we’ve never used and despite so much potential we haven’t really done much with it until this year.
As you can see, it’s been unloved for so long! I cheered it up a little bit back in March when we paid a visit to Columbia Road Flower Market and I picked up some colourful pansies to go in the pots in the corner, taking it from this to this. The pansies are still going strong two months later and add such a colourful focal point when we look out of the dining room.
But it was really a couple of weekends ago that we started in earnest when both Saturday and Sunday were beautifully sunny and warm. The previous owners had left a lovely rectangular patio table in really great condition which we discovered a good few months after we moved in, when we ventured out of the gate at the bottom of the garden to discover we had a whole separate storage space backing onto the garage. We didn’t do anything with the table at first but I finally convinced Pete to drag it out of the storage to replace our battered little round one and with a bit of a clean, it looked lovely. We then sanded and stained our patio chairs to match and what a transformation!
Next, the pretty Acer with its fiery red leaves has been relocated from the top of the garden. We picked this up from a local garden centre early last Spring and I didn’t really know what to do with it, so when all the leaves crinkled and fell off I assumed it had died and was delighted to see it tentatively coming into bud again this year and in the new position it’s doing better than ever.
We’ve started to refurbish the cupboards either side of the built-in BBQ, using Cuprinol ‘seagrass’ for the doors and a pale grey for the frames and knobs – this is still a work in progress but there will be enough of the green left over to paint up some wooden boxes so we can add more planters to the patio and make it all co-ordinated.
We’ve also bought some shelves for the BBQ itself so we can actually use it, it seems such a shame bearing in mind it’s already there not to take advantage, and some new post lights to replace the old-fashioned Victorian looking ones which don’t work. Our plan is to have Pete’s Mum and Dad down for her birthday towards the end of June and to try and finish with all our little updates by then. For now, last but by no means least, Clas Ohlson very kindly sent me these beautiful outdoor solar-powered basket lanterns in a small and large size and I am absolutely in love with them.
There’s still so much to do, we’ve got some pretty lanterns to hang behind the table and I’d love to fill the tops of the cupboards with terracotta pots full of herbs because we have zero space in the kitchen. Already though we’ve spent more time out there enjoying the new space in the last two weeks than in the previous two years and I’m excited to keep working on out outdoor space over the next few weeks.
I’m currently running a giveaway with Clas Ohlson to win £50 to spend at their online store so if you’d like to enter, please do check out this post here.
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Love your garden, it looks so pretty 🙂 Love your flower post and everything. Our table broke last year, so did the lawn mover and strimmer. My grass is over grown and garden bare. I can not wait to make it look pretty again 🙂 Can you believe I brought a new lawnmower today and now its raining!!
Our garden is a constant work in progress – yours is coming on so nicely! x
Thanks lovely, alas I fear this may be a constant work in progress too for the next 20 years X
Your patio is looking lovely, can’t wait to see how those doors turned out. Those solar lamps are really pretty, and the patterns they leave at nighttime are beautify. #HomeEtc
Thank you Jo, it’s amazing how just sprucing up the furniture and doing a bit of weeding has made a difference X
I have fallen in love with those lanterns so had to enter your competition!
I really like your colourful umbrella & chair cushions, I have similar ones.
Let’s hope for a beautiful summer so we can all spend more time enjoying our gardens and the outdoors
#HomeEtc
Hear hear Elena!! I long for some warmth to spend more time out there Xx
Wow Lins, you are not even finished and the change is already massive. Such an improvement! I love the shade of paint you have chosen. Best of luck getting it all done before your mum-in-law’s birthday. I bet she’ll love it.
#HomeEtc
Thanks so much, I dash home from work every evening and pray it won’t rain at the moment! These houses aren’t half never-ending projects X
It’s looking good already – so it’s going to look great when it’s complete. Some herbs growing on those cupboards would be fab, look good and be practical too – do it! 🙂 #homeetc
Thanks lovely, now I’m just getting so frustrated every time it rains because I want to be out there carrying on with changing it all! X
Looking good -your garden has loads of potential! And your done loads to it!
Ours is a bit lame, all paved over, everywhere (ugly paving stones too, beige…) and with limited funds the all we’ve managed to do is pot some plants… But one day 🙂 I love that built in brick BBQ, I think it would be perfect for summertime parties! #homeetc
Thanks lovely, houses are like bottomless money pits aren’t they?! But I love pots and they can make such a difference to making an area look pretty Xx
Looking WAY more summery and bright! I know what you mean, I hardly go into my garden in the winter and then in the spring/summer we are never out! Looking very pretty indeed xx
Thanks for linking up #HomeEtc xx
It looks AMAZING!!!! I bet you’re thrilled with it so far — what a difference. I love the shade you’ve chosen for the outside cupboards. And that Acer is just gorgeous!! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂 Caro x
#HomeEtc