All decked out. Part trois.

So do you remember this past May when I first shared with you how ugly my deck looked?

Yah, it wasn't that pretty. Being a rental, it had been neglected for a few years before my arrival, followed by a few more years of neglect after I moved in. No coin + no idea how to make the space usable = ugh.

But I've been busy over the past month or so (and may have spent a little bit along the way). Check it out - 

Not too bad, huh? How about from this angle?

Or if I focused in on some of the greenery?

I had a lot of fun putting this space together. Though I had pots on the deck last summer - successfully growing two tomatoes and a bunch of strange tasting lettuce, the space never really felt like it was living up to its full potential. In a lot of ways it kind of felt like that wasted space that a lot of people have - a catchall for all of their crap.

My goal in putting the space together was to create somewhere where I can come and kick my shoes off, sit, relax, have a drink and just forget about the world. Somewhere where time stands still and I can just enjoy my plants, the birds, the sun and my white-trash neighbours in the apartment below yelling at each other.

I had a few of the components when I first started - my BBQ and the tin star that I picked up at Winners years ago. The rest of the pieces came along slowly but surely. With each pay cheque a few more elements arrived. First the big pieces like bistro set from JYSK, cushions from Real Canadian Superstore, followed by the hanging baskets & plants also from Superstore and the black plastic urns from Canadian Tire.

Once I'd pulled the major pieces, I added in some eye candy like the candle sconces that I picked up at Value Village for $1.99 each, the cylindrical vases on the table - also a Value Village score and the coloured bottle tea light holders - snagged for $2.00 each at Dollarama.

I love how my planters turned out. I'd originally planned on going with ferns for the hanging baskets, but when I started to realize how much they cost I figured that it would be cheaper to go with flowers and trailing greens. In reality, I'm pretty sure that I spent way more on the plants for the hanging baskets, but they look gorgeous.

I went with a fairly basic colour pallet for the plants - red geraniums, salvia (I  totally thought about Miley Cyrus when I was buying it....), blue lobelia, a really cute trailing plant with yellow flowers - similar to that of a petunia and lots of fillers. I love plants, but I'm the first to admit that I can't remember their names to save my life. As long as they grow and look pretty then I'm happy. Oh yah - three types of mint & some other herbs....

So there you have it. Deck done. Now, time to just kick-back and enjoy. It's finally feeling like summer out there (two months later than usual)....time to cram as many mojitos in (complete with my own fresh mint....your choice of spearmint, peppermint of actual mojito mint). Bring on the sun (and fake *cough, cough sick days)!

The final rundown - 

Bistro Set - JYSK

Cushions - PC Home Collection @ Real Canadian Superstore

Wire Baskets & Coco Liner - Real Canadian Superstore

Nexgrill BBQ - McDiarmid Lumber

All Plants - Real Canadian Superstore

Black Plastic Urns - Canadian Tire

Cylinder Vases & Candle Sconces - Value Village

Coloured Glass Bottles - Dollarama

Candles - Zellers

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Why hello there...

I've spent a bit of time this evening going through some of my furniture design sketches and came across a grouping that I'm really digging.  As such, I figured that it would be fun to share with a you a mix that I've given the handle the Grant Collection.

Though I gravitate towards more traditional styled pieces, I do have a love of industrial style and clean lines. I'm all over stainless steel and exotic hardwoods. Though in some simplistic design and suddenly you've got a set worthy of any terrace or deck. Picture it - Holland style paving stones, loads of plants, perhaps a pergola and these pieces in something like a teak of a zebra wood.

First off, we've got a dining stool perfect for one. Stainless steel tubing creates the base followed by a hardwood slat top.

http://www.stock-textures.com

I like the idea of something like a teak, zebra wood or even a reclaimed barn board for the top.

http://elitewoodenpens.com

http://www.countyfloors.net

http://www.elmwoodreclaimedtimber.com

While we're on the topic of reclaimed materials, what if we switched it up a bit by using recycled steel for the base? Something with a bit more character and patina?

http://zuuzu.deviantart.com

So now that we know where we're sitting pretty, we need to add a dining table. I suggest something with a similar design and finish. Say a little something like this -

Wanna shake it up a bit? Instead of individual dining stools, what if we created bench seats for each side. Something like this bad boy - 

And there you have it folks, another Dan creation. Now all I need is a snazzy factory to produce and some clients interested in embracing the Grant collection. A boy can dream...

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All decked out. Part deux.

This past weekend, we (collectively speaking for the residents of Winnipeg) finally saw some spring like weather. All I can say is it’s about time! I was this close (imagine my fingers almost touching) to digging through my winter clothes this past week to find a pair of gloves.....it was that cold.

I’ve spent the past couple of weeks wandering around online and in store to see if I could hunt down a bistro set that would work with my deck space. I’ve seen a few that have caught my eye, but nothing that had really wowed me; both in terms of style and also retail. I wasn’t ready to blow the bank on a set, but at the same time I didn’t want to be bringing home the same $69.00 three piece bistro set as everyone else in Winnipeg.

As luck would have it I was wandering around JYSK (poor man’s Ikea for those of you not in the know) this afternoon and stumbled across the three piece teak set that I’d previously written about. I’d checked the set out briefly about a month ago when it had first arrived but hadn’t really decided whether or not I liked it enough to invest in it. Flash forward to this afternoon, it was on sale for $159.00, they had it in stock, and I loved it from the get-go!

http://www.jysk.ca

Not one to just settle for the set itself, I hit-up my local Real Canadian Superstore where I picked up two PC Home indoor / outdoor cushions in vivid yellow and white for the princely sum of just over $11.00 each. I love the look of these cushions –they’re very fashion forward without the scary price tag of similar pieces. I’ve raved about the PC Home line before, but seriously folks, if you haven’t checked it out, you really don’t know what you’re missing. Cheap chic, trendy housewares at killer retails. Seriously, every time I head to Superstore for groceries I end-up coming home with another piece of serving ware or some sort of gadget or bath towels....

Anyways, back to my story. The bistro set assembled very quickly and easily. The chairs came two to a box, and were pre-assembled; the table took all of three minutes to piece together. I love that the table has some snazzy levellers. My deck has a concrete base, and though fairly smooth, the levellers did come in handy to prevent it from rocking.

I haven’t figured out the final layout for the space yet, but I gave the dining set a test run this evening when I made the best (I’m not lying) burgers ever for dinner. And I’m not going to lie; I did jump around my deck with excitement when I realized just how good it looked.

I’m a ways off from completing my deckscaping project. There’s still the small matter of hunting down plants, accessories and lighting for this space. I did wander around Rona’s greenhouses this afternoon and was intrigued by a number of displays that I saw, but it is still pretty early. I’m thinking that I might make the journey back over there later this week to see what they have for ferns. I love the idea of adding a lot of green and also introducing some shape and privacy. While checking out Michael Penney’s blog, I noticed that he’d purchased a number of huge ferns for his own home and I love the idea.....they love heat, can take the rain and get really big, really quickly.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com

I’m thinking that the cedars might be a no go. For some bizarre reason I had the assumption that there were smaller cedars that you could pot, without having to worry about them getting huge.....and that’s apparently not the case. I talked to a few greenhouse workers who said that at best, I’d be okay for two seasons before having to worry about them getting too big for their pots. I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be here (hopefully less than two years), and it kind of seems like an expensive adventure...I’m thinking at least $100. I’m going to wander around some evening  this week after work to see if I can find some annuals or perennials that do well in pots that also achieve some sense of height.

Paper lanterns are also on my mind! I found some really nice white ones at Michael’s that I’m thinking about going back to pickup. They were under $1.50 each and will really add to the space. I’m thinking that they’d look great hunt as a large grouping above my bistro set....say 9 to 12 of them?

Regardless of how much work is left to complete the space I’m excited that it’s finally warm enough outside to be using it. No seriously, you have no idea....after what seemed like seven months of snow it’s nice to be finally able to enjoy an evening out on the deck with shorts, bare feet a burger or three and a good bottle of wine. That my friends, is what a Sunday evening during the summer should be all about...

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