Backyard Dining

When we first moved into our house – it was new construction from another couple who had built it and then didn’t end up moving to Florida – thankfully for us. So when we purchased it, maintenance wise the house was in great condition (brand new) and under warranty. That being said, it had no personality, customization and didn’t quite feel like a ‘home’ yet, especially our backyard.

Our lot is extremely large – especially for being walking distance from the beach – but our entire back yard was actually still woods. The builders didn’t clear out the lot any more than they needed to build the house so it left us with a LOT of work which took us about a year to clear the lot ourselves, as well as hiring when needed for larger trees. We installed a half basketball court for Ryan and the boys and also a multi level deck.

When creating our space we wanted it to almost feel like an outdoor home outside – like it was just another area in our house. We wanted it to be comfortable, we wanted it to be practical and I, of course wanted it to be beautiful and an extension to our home decor outdoors.

I wanted to have a one stop shop for our pieces, and I am a HUGE online shopper – which I am sure any mom is with kids, so I also wanted to be able to shop from the comfort of my couch after the kids were in bed.  Hayneedle.com has abundance of brands, options, quality and helpfulness. We have ordered from Hayneedle.com several times and their shipping time, customer service, and quality have always surpassed our expectations.

Now for the fun part, what did we need? We wanted a space that we could eat outside as a family, just the 5 of us, and also entertain and have people over for back yard bbq’s, holidays, birthday parties, etc. I didn’t want anyone to feel crowded or that there wasn’t enough space. I fell in love with this table and chairs set, we loved that it could seat up to 8 people comfortably with the extensions. I also liked that it had a spot for an umbrella, as well as could also be reduced to a 6 person table if we needed more room on the deck!  If you want to style it with other chairs, you can also purchase just the table without the chairs. We chose a 9 ft striped striped umbrella to give it a neutral coastal feel. They also have the stripes in other colors – which I considered for a while, if you want something to pop more than the neutrals. Oh! By the way, the Belham collection, which is what our table and chairs are from, also have a great storage bench that not only allows for storage for your cushions when your expecting rain or when you won’t be outside often. But also, additional seating!

For our pops of color we decided to pick different shades of blue. We LOVE living at the beach and I wanted to bring shades of our ocean to our backyard. Our pops of blue included two gorgeous bistro barstools to allow for extra seating at the bar area, if we have more than 8 people eating, as well as, a good place to sit and have a beverage while the kids are playing on the basketball court. We also picked out these gorgeous teal outdoor dining plates and Barcelona blue flatware. They are durable enough for outdoor wear and tear but still look like beautiful pottery pieces that you would serve indoors.

For additional dining experience pieces we stocked up on a water dispenser so everyone wasn’t having to go back inside for refills, a copper steel tub for sodas and adult beverages, and a matching copper tiki lamp to keep the bugs away from the food!

For additional decor and deck details we added three oversized white planters. Two cubed planters and one corner planter. Bringing in some greenery to the deck made it feel more peaceful and finished.

Once all of the details were complete all we need to complete it is some great company and in Walker’s opinion – all the watermelon he can get!

For easy shopping to recreate a similar space in your home – head to Hayneedle’s Style Board featuring our backyard!

 

All items c/o Hayneedle.com. As always, opinions are 100% my own.