Helloooo!! I’m late to the challenge as usual, but I’ve got a great story, some gorgeous inspiration and it’s actually supposed to stop raining next week, so I’m excited to get going and bring my vision for this space to life!
Many thanks to Linda at callingithome.com for her generosity and support and for opening the One Room Challenge for us guest participants to join in the fun and decor commaraderie too! There are over 200 participants with so much talent and amazing ideas that are linked onto Calling It Home, so be sure to head over and wander through the beautaay!!
Last spring I made some new white chair covers and repaired some old faux wicker chairs for our patio and it really spruced things up. (see here) But I’ve got so many ideas for our lanai and poolside areas beyond just fixing chairs. For years I’ve been wanting a comfy couch or sectional on our lanai, but getting a new outdoor sectional is always outside of our budget and used ones are usually too flimsy to last very long. So I’ve had the idea of getting a used sectional from the thrift store or craigslist and tweaking it to last outdoors and still be sturdy and comfortable.
In January when mum and I were both sick, a huge slip covered sectional showed up on craigslist. It was out on the curb and it being one of those days when you feel like you might be getting better, we drove 30 mins out of town to take a look. The sectional was DIRTY, but still in good shape otherwise. No bugs, just muddy paw prints and dog slobber, some coffee stains, etc, but slipcovers are washable, and because it’s a sectional the pieces are light weight, so we loaded it up and tied it on. We were exhausted and feeling sick again when we got back home, so the sectional got to stay on the truck. And it probably would have stayed there for a while, but the weather guy said rain was coming, so the next afternoon we untied it and sort of slid-dropped the pieces off the truck, and got them into the garage.
A couple weeks later I tackled the slipcovers. There was some sewing of open cushion seams and cleaning out years of thread, faux fur and hair out of the velcro closures on the slipcovers (this took hours but it was worth getting the velcro to stick securely again), they all got two washes, one with bleach and they came out pretty darn good. There are a few paint spots and light stains still, but otherwise it turned out beautiful!
I had intended to use it outside, but did I mention that its HUGE?! After measuring we knew it wouldn’t fit all together where I wanted it go, I had thoughts of separating it, but it started raining and it hasn’t stopped yet, so we couldn’t play with it outside to see.
The thing is, I’ve also wanted a sectional, and white sofas, since Hart to Hart had two white sofas in their house in the 80’s! And since this one cleaned up so beautifully, I started measuring indoors…..and you guessed it, it was too big to fit all together inside too! But since its not raining inside, I could bring it in and play with it, and we did, and I got it to fit. Well most of it anyway, the corner piece is still in the garage, but by taking the feet off of an old footstool and using the corner piece cushions on top, voila! it all fits! And we discovered that the cushions are memory foam over cushioned springs, wrapped in feathers, so it’s the most comfortable couch we’ve ever had. The last three weeks my naps have been epic on it!
So, you’re wondering what this has to do with an outdoor room makeover? Well, all the furniture in our living room and family rooms got shifted, the cream leather couch got moved to the family room and the old, comfy, lazy boy, craigslist, khaki couch got moved outside, and that’s where this outdoor room story will really begin.
Here’s what our lanai currently looks like. The furniture is still under covers, and things have been piling up a little over the winter. Not very comfy or pretty looking.
Part of my challenge this time, is that I really have no budget at all. We do already have a plethora of collected and rescued bits, bobs, fabrics and furniture. And my goal is to use what we already have, spending no or very little money, and then only if its an emergency, like if I actually run out of paint or craft cord or something like that. But I know all y’all know thrift stores and other emergencies do happen when decorating! ;-D
This is my inspiration. A little bit boho, some pretty colors and patterns, and lots of comfy!
I love wicker, but wicker is expensive and faux wicker tends to deteriorate faster than I would like. I’m thinking our old khaki sofa sort of looks wicker like in color, and y’all know I love white, and white outdoor fabric is really very easy to work with too. I’ve got several yards of leftover white fabric from last springs outdoor projects. So covering the couch cushions in white and leaving the body khaki, will be a pretty two tone, but still neutral sofa. I’ve got fabric sunscreen and waterproofer that I can use on the couch to make it more durable outside too.
We’ve have several neutral outdoor rugs, and I’ve been thinking about painting one to bring in color and pattern. We have an outdoor candelier, some twinkle lights, a couple of lanterns, umbrellas that just need a little freshen up. An old ottoman, a firepit that’s never been used, and I’m thinking of bringing the long metal and glass console table outside to use as a sofa table. I’ve got sooo much fabric, paint and lots of pillows and I’m excited to get going and get our outdoor home ready for spring and summer!
Now if only it would stop raining! And the forecast shows some rain expected through Monday, but then its clearing off and warming up into the 80’s, so here’s to summer and long warm nights and on with the challenge!
Thank you friends for stopping by and following along on our adventures! Hope your spring is extra springy and beautiful wherever you are! Have fun and be good!
Much love from mum and M! oxo
NEW PAIR OF WINGS 