I'm lucky in the sense that when I moved to the city I found a great place. Seriously. When I paid my first month's rent, I kind of gasped at the amount that I was forking over, and wasn't sure if I was making the right decision; but after talking with colleagues and friends I realized that I'd stumbled across a gem that I was excited to make my own.
While I've taken a lot of time to focus on the indoors, I've failed to really do anything with one of my favourite spots - my deck. I've got an 8' x 13' piece of heaven. Well okay, maybe not. It's more like a cement pad complete with peeling paint on the railing, but hey, it's mine.
So here's the thing - with the exception of my sexy Nexgrill BBQ that I picked up last spring, it's pretty boring. The goal for this season - to spice it up and turn it into a space that we can actually enjoy (and on a budget to boot)! I've had all winter to look outside and mentally picture how I want this space to look and how I want to use it and what I'd like to include.
I love outdoor spaces that are multi-functional and are thought of as an extension to indoor spaces. I want to be able to grill, entertain, enjoy some greenery and just kickback throughout the summer. Also, a bit of privacy is a must. Right now this space basically says "hey, look at us, we're grilling asparagus."
Being a rental, I can't really do a lot to the space physically (that said, I can't stand the ugly jam jar light and even the most basic of coach fixtures will be a vast improvement) and really don't want to spend a lot of coin. Here's what I'm thinking that I'd like to do on a budget....
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| http://www.jaysonhomeandgarden.com |
First off - some planters! McDiarmid Lumber, a local hardware retailer in Winnipeg has similar fibreclay planters on offer from $24.99-$49.99. I'd love to see a few of the larger units on my deck filled with -
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| http://ecx.images-amazon.com |
...some small cedars! How fun would that look?! I love the idea of potted cedars. I really haven't figured out how I'd get a couple of these guys into my car - I guess that they'd have to be smaller, but I love the idea of something that has some real size to it. Plus, how cool would two planters look flanking the door on my storage room?
I also like the idea of outfitting my deck with some flower / herb planters as well - I've got a couple of plastic planters that I picked up a couple of years ago. They're your typical 'faux terracota' style units, but I'm thinking that I can jazz them up with some Krylon Fusion paint in a sexy espresso tone. Fusion is an awesome spray paint made specifically for plastics. Rather than sitting on the surface of the piece being painted, the paint actually eats into (don't be scared!) the piece leaving an amazing finish that won't peel off right any time soon.
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| http://www.thegardenerseden.com |
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| http://jysk.ca |
Hmm....how does a guy decide?
While I might need a couple of days to ponder what I'd like to sit on, I do know that this space needs some lighting! I've already decided that this space is going to need some paper lanterns. I'm waiting to see if my local dollar store ends up with some nice white ones (no pink or purple thank you). But if all else fails and I can't find them, I'm going to pick up some from Ikea or Michaels. Or, maybe I should go with some mini lanterns complete with little lights. I'd love to find something like in the picture below -
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| http://farm4.static.flickr.com |
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| http://www.google.ca |
Lastly - what's a good deck without a couple of brewskies? I'll take a bottle of 67 any day of the week and will be on the hunt for my summer wine choices this weekend when we hit up the Winnipeg Wine Festival.
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| http://www.molsoncoors.com |
So that's the plan. What do you think?! How cheaply can I put this together!? We'll see as I source everything out!
D-
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