Outdoor Spaces Inspiration

We have an old metal storage building that holds many of our garden essentials such as the lawn mower, rakes, etc.  It either needs to go away or receive a fresh coat of paint and landscaping.  I have been collecting images for inspiration.  Even though our little shed is nowhere close to being as charming as the images I have collected, I figure putting even the tiniest bit of effort will make a world of difference.  The other day I picked up the July issue of House & Home and fell head over heels in love with this sweet little shed.  The new paint colors, lanterns, window box, and vine completely transformed this little building!  The details are in the magazine and trust me when I say this is an amazing before & after project! 

House & Home

I also found inspiration for a deck project in this issue.  Our deck is narrow and does not have any railing to stop chairs from going too far.  As seen below.

The size makes me a little uneasy when we eat outside for fear that someone will scoot their chair back too far and end up on the patio below.  This actually happened once - YIKES!  So when I saw this idea...

 House & Home

I thought the built-in benches were perfect!  A permanent seat is the solution!  The white contrasts nicely to the natural deck.  I have been hot/cold about staining the columns on our deck white, but bringing in white furniture and built-ins could be even better.  So now we are also on the hunt for a new table and chairs.  

I'm rather digging this set from World Market and they happen to be on sale now. Looks like I need to get busy ;).