Our Outdoor Living Space Ideas

1. Bistro Lights | 2. Cantilever Umbrella | 3. Wicker & Metal Patio Sofa | 4. Taupe Outdoor Pillow | 5. Woven Outdoor Pillow | 6. Vintage Navy Outdoor Pillow | 7. Wicker & Faux Wood Chairs | 8. Tasseled Outdoor Pillow | 9. Citronella Candle | 10. Reversible Outdoor Pillow | 11. Patio Coffee Table | 12. Reversible Outdoor Rug | 13. Weber Spirit ii Grill | 14. Wall Panel with Shelves | 15. Patio Dining Chairs | 16. Dining Table | 17. Fluted Planter | 18. Concrete Planter | 19. Composite Planters | 20. Striped Melamine Plates | 21. Glassware

When I started looking at patio furniture, I started getting really defeated. Nearly everything I was finding and loving was wildly expensive, like over $2K for just a sofa, or had really long delivery windows, around 10-12 weeks. That would have been fine if I’d ordered this a few months ago, but spring and summer are going to be here before we know it. We spend so much time outside and we wanted our backyard to be ready to use ASAP!

Then I had this lightbulb idea… does Target have any good outdoor furniture? Of course they do! I should have looked sooner. Studio McGee has several outdoor collections and wow, they are all gorgeous. Best of all? They were also in stock! If you’ve ever tried to shop the Studio McGee collections, you’ll know they go out of stock so fast.

I worked up a quick mock-up, shared it with Rob, and ordered! Everything should be getting here by the middle of next week. Sooooo much better than 10-12 weeks. The only downside is that I will have to assemble the bigger pieces, but you guys know I love that stuff, so I’m okay with it!

Our backyard will be getting a major facelift later this summer—new plants and grass, plus our patio will be getting redone. We started this process a little late, hence why it’s not happening now. Thankfully, we don’t plan on leaving this house ANY time soon, so it will be worth the wait!

Outdoor Living Space Ideas

Outdoor Dining Area

We have two spaces in our backyard that are perfect for living areas. Right outside our doors you walk onto a patio. It’s not very deep, but it’s big enough for a small round table and chairs, so we’re making it happen!

I found these cool wall panels from IKEA that have attachable shelves for plants that I thought we could put against the wall behind the table because it’s big and blank. This would soften it and allow me to have some cute little potted plants. Sadly, they are currently sold out, but I’m hopeful they come back in stock soon. If not, I’ll try to come up with something similar. I’m looking forward to dinners out here with the boys, and having a space to sip my morning coffee and get some work done.

Outdoor Lounge Area

The lounge area is to the left when you walk out and is currently a brick patio that’s actually falling apart—we’re planning on fixing this later this summer, but of course, I got on it too late, so it won’t happen until late July or August, oh well. Better late than never.

Outdoor Pillows

Over here we’re putting the outdoor rug because I think the kids will be crawling around all the time, and this should save them from scraped knees. We will also have a sofa, two chairs and a coffee table. In the afternoon we get direct sun, so we’re getting one of these HUGE cantilever umbrellas to keep us from sweating to death. Overhead, we plan on hanging bistro lights to set the mood for night!

To put it lightly, I am SOOOOO excited! Right now we just have two chairs outside so it’s made it hard to have friends over because we’re just sitting on the ground. I’m looking forward to spending so much time out here this summer and can’t wait to show you guys the finished product!

BTW, 5 easy ways to get moving this summer, and 6 summer tips to stay healthy.