Last month when I shared my NEW Outdoor Living Space & Patio, I had all intentions of sitting out here, enjoying the fresh summer like air in June surrounded by green and colorful lush landscaping and a bright new lawn. Well, we planted full green shrubs surrounding the patio, but our lawn is just not quite there yet. We’ve had only a sprinkle of rain this whole month, but I’m optimistic that with a nice day of soaking rain, our lawn will come in nicely. Out in the country here we have a well, so I’ve carefully watered my flowers and the seed. If you look closely, there are a few patches coming in. Yay! For now, I’ve focused on adding color to our space and getting ready for summer with Simple 4th of July Decor!

I’m a huge believer in not going overboard purchasing seasonal items for decor. I think small things can make a huge difference and since I cook and bake a lot, I think food itself can be displayed easily to add a special touch.

My neutral Outdoor Sectional from Raymour & Flanigan is not only a comfortable and inviting place to be on our patio, but it’s very easy to style differently for several different occasions.

Once you have a great piece of furniture, you can even “shop” around your home for items that might pull it together for an event. In this case, I pulled pretty red, white and blue patterned pillows out of my attic to give the sofa a festive look. Once the sun sets, it’s always nice to gather around our fire pit table for some cozy conversation too!

The fragrant smell of my white peonies has been drifting over to our patio the past few days and it’s wonderful! Freshly cut flowers always look nice displayed in a vase indoors or out. I wasn’t ready to start cutting my flowers just yet though, so I once again made a trip up to my attic and pulled out 2 lovely faux peony arrangements and added several mini flags to them.

These mini flags can be found at practically any store and they are really inexpensive too. I think if you add them to a vase of flowers, a pot of flowers of even in an ice bucket along with old fashioned bottles of root beer, they are the perfect subtle touch to your 4th of July Patio Party!

Now- lets not forget that food I was talking about. When we have a family get together, especially on the 4th of July, I like to make sure that the menu includes a lot of things that people can just grab and go. There’s visiting to do, games to play and simplifying dessert with items like cupcakes and M&M’s is not only convenient, but also makes for an easy cleanup later.

Homemade or store bought cupcakes with colorful patriotic sprinkles and red, white and blue candy filled mason jars add just enough color to your space without putting it over the top. I even found this pillow on clearance after Memorial Day and I thought it would be perfect for the Fourth!

After a few weeks of enjoying our new space, I decided that our pergola needed a little something extra. Hanging baskets!

I wanted something that would look nice for the 4th of July, but that would still blend well with the other patio decor for the rest of the season. I chose these simple delicate and beautiful baskets of small blueish flowers.

These look so nice along with the outdoor pendent lights over our dining set. I’m so happy I moved the furniture around, because I’m, really enjoying our table over here.

Someone else is really enjoying our sectional in it’s new place too! He’s all ready to start celebrating the 4th of July!

What simple ways do you decorate your outdoor space for the 4th of July?

The post Simple 4th of July Patio Decor appeared first on Cozy Country Living.

If any of you have lived in a home while it’s being remodeled or while you are adding on an addition- you know that it can get really messy. For us, it was great to add more room for everyone to the inside of our home, but for the past 4 years, the outside has been surrounded by dirt and dust. These things just take time, and over the past few years we enjoyed our front yard and a floating deck my husband put together in an afternoon so the kids and I had a “not dirty” place to play in the sandbox and cookout on those hot summer days.

This Spring, I was really ready for our patio though. When we poured the patio earlier this month… it felt almost too good to be true!

No more dirt! I could walk right out from our living room to this amazing NEW Outdoor Space! Finally….

Let me show you around…

I wanted to create an outdoor space that was multi functional. We work hard during the week and at the end of the day, we want to retreat and relax here, just as we would on vacation. A comfortable lounge area, casual dining and room for the whole family to unwind while still being a space that can be special for just 2 as well.

Size was the most important factor here for us. We are a family 6 and like to entertain for birthday parties and holidays, so we wanted to make sure there was room out there for everyone on those occasions.

We decided that the half of the patio you walk directly out onto would be used for cooking and be home to our grill and patio set. The children’s picnic table fits here nicely as well.

When forming up the patio, we decided that like our living room inside, a step down onto a more casual outdoor seating area would look nice and be inviting.

It was like being inside- but only outside! I absolutely am loving it!

I chose a weatherproof faux wicker sectional for comfortable seating and to help define the space.

Instead of a coffee table in the middle, I decided to use the outdoor fire pit/table that I purchased last Fall.

I LOVE this table because it’s so versatile. We use it in the mornings to enjoy our coffee and in the evenings we start the fire with just a turn of a dial for a little ambiance so my husband and I can enjoy a glass of wine together.

It’s really nice to have the ability to get cozy by the fire on a chilly night, even spur of the moment and not have to worry about gathering wood or waiting for the fire to die down before going to bed. Just turn the dial and it’s out! No more smelling like smoke either. So convenient!

Because my husband is just the best- he decided to build me a beautiful wooden pergola to go over the lounging area.

We painted it white to match the house and added an outdoor floor lamp and these really great casual, summer type feel pendant lights. He was ready to hard wire these into the top of the pergola, but as I carefully took them out of the box, I noticed they just plugged in! BONUS!

My husband really loved this feature. It’s hard to find such a well made outdoor pendant light that you don’t have to permanently install. These lights go on and off with the ease of pulling a chain too.

I also added this soft Maya Outdoor Rug for a pop of color and comfort as you kick of your flip flops and sit back on the comfy cushions to relax. I think this is the perfect place to take a nap on Sunday afternoons don’t you?

The day after we installed the lights, it rained. After having snow on the ground less than a month ago, we’ve had a full week of that hot and muggy 85 degree weather that almost always comes with those afternoon storms.

I will admit, I was a little nervous about how everything would hold up. After all, this furniture looks like it could easily be indoors.

A few hours later, with the help of the hot sun, everything was dry! I couldn’t believe it! The water almost beaded up on the cushions and although they were slightly wet directly after the storm, I was able to sit down and enjoy the rest of the evening on dry furniture! Even the rug was left just slightly damp and by the next morning completely dry too.

My husband’s been busy hauling in more topsoil for the new lawn (Yay! A green background instead of brown) and we’ve started to landscape. Now we need more rain so things can grow, grow, grow!

I couldn’t resist these beautiful deep coral colored hibiscus trees and several other colorful flowers in planters to place around the patio. It takes away from any brown around the patio while we wait for fresh grass to grow in.

Our golden retriever loves to keeping an eye on all of the new outdoor action when he’s not napping by the patio door, especially when we get the sprinkler out for a little summer fun too!

Whatever your dream outdoor space looks like, you can make it happen this year. Sit down and do a little brainstorming.

What is it that you enjoy most when you are on vacation? Is it a cozy fire on the beach? Or a private grilled meal for 2?

Take the things you love most and bring them home. Enjoy a vacation in your own backyard this summer… every single night.

Even one piece of furniture, one landscaping element or a new dining set can easily help to transform an underused outdoor space into an oasis that you can’t wait to get to at the end of day, right in your very own backyard.

Stay tuned this month for more patio ideas, the addition of outdoor curtains to the pergola and a more colorful & green landscape!

So, are you ready to get started on your own patio?

What pieces do you need to complete your outdoor space this season?

You May Also Enjoy:

The post Our NEW Outdoor Living Space & Patio appeared first on Cozy Country Living.