We moved in to Old Salt Farm last fall, and we are thoroughly enjoying our first summer here. We started out the summer with a huge list of outdoor projects, and at top of the list was a patio makeover. We had nothing but a single cement pad, and knew we wanted to make it a place where our whole family could spend time together throughout the summer. We love being outdoors as much as possible, and here in upstate New York, summers are the perfect time to do that. We have spent the last couple of months working on getting our patio ready, and I’m so excited to show you our Backyard Patio Makeover!
Here are a couple of pictures that show the before and after…
BEFORE
AFTER:
Can you believe the difference? It’s a completely new space, and we are in LOVE. It’s simple, yet totally functional, and perfect for hanging out with our family and entertaining others.
A huge thanks to Better Homes & Gardens at Walmart for sponsoring this post. Affiliate links are included for your convenience. As always, opinions about their super cute farmhouse products are 100% mine.
We started with a DIY Stone Patio, which doubled our patio space, and gave us so much more to work with. We also added Outdoor String Lights on DIY Posts and hung flowers on them, and that really was an incredible transformation. The pop of color from the flowers really seals the deal!
Farmhouse Table & Chairs
When we finished our stone patio we bought the cutest outdoor table and chairs by Better Homes & Gardens at Walmart that I absolutely adore. It’s perfect for the space, and we could fit eight chairs around it! It’s actually intended for six chairs, but eight works great too, which is awesome, because that’s how many people we have in our family. We eat outside every night that we can, and there’s just something about being outdoors that makes everything taste better!
Extra seating space…
I also wanted a sitting area, and when I saw this Better Homes & Gardens Farmhouse Camrose set, I was in love. I adore the wicker style, neutral cushions (so easy to change pillows and colors), and farmhouse table. It’s the perfect update on classic wicker furniture with a twist of farmhouse style…my favorite. It’s the an awesome spot for talking, playing games, and watching the kids run around the backyard.
(If you look closely out to the back, on the left you’ll see our fire pit area, with adirondack chairs, my farmhouse picnic table, and an oversized fire pit. There are tiki torches along the path to the fire pit, and completely surrounding it. There are also campsites back there! On the right you can see the ladder and platform for the 200 foot zipline we just put in last weekend…more to follow on both of those projects!)
The metal lanterns are such a fun touch. I love lanterns anyway, and the crossbar feature on these outdoor lanterns give them extra charm. I like to clip greenery from my yard and put it in mason jars–it makes the perfect centerpiece for a table, or other space, and it’s FREE!
Great for family time!
Board games and popcorn are two of our favorite things and nothing beats playing them outside on a beautiful summer afternoon or evening. When it gets dark, all we have to do is turn on our super cute string lights!
It really has created a place for our family to be together and that’s the best part of all.
- Better Homes and Gardens Patio & Garden Collection
- Better Homes and Gardens Farmhouse Industrial Chairs (in store only)
- Better Homes and Gardens Metal Crossbar Outdoor Lanterns
- Better Homes and Gardens Outdoor String Lights (Edison)
- Better Homes and Garden Outdoor String Lights (Globe)
- Better Homes and Gardens Farmhouse Table
- Better Homes and Gardens Camrose Farmhouse Conversation Set
Other ideas you might like…
- How to Build a DIY Paver Patio
- Outdoor String Lights on DIY Posts
- Make Your Own DIY Tetherball Set
- How to Make Mason Jar Citronella Candles
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Randi @ A Fresh-Squeezed Life says
Jul 17, 2017 at 9:43 amWhat a great outdoor space! The wood poles and string lights almost make it into a room!
Simply Kierste Design Co. says
Jul 17, 2017 at 1:19 pmThank you so much, Randi! And I agree–the lights really do make such a huge difference! xoxo
Lauren says
Jul 17, 2017 at 12:27 pmI love your patio makeover! I’m looking forward to seeing your string lights poles tutorial.
Simply Kierste Design Co. says
Jul 17, 2017 at 1:19 pmThanks so much, Lauren! :) Hopefully I’ll have the string lights tutorial up soon. xoxo
Susan says
Jul 17, 2017 at 4:12 pmSo pretty and inviting. Do you leave the furniture and cushions out all the time? I am wondering how it all holds up with rain. Thanks
Simply Kierste Design Co. says
Jul 18, 2017 at 12:21 amI do leave the furniture and cushions out all the time, but bring the pillows inside at night. They do great! We had a ton of rain last week, and I wondered how they would do, but it was totally okay!
Cindy says
Jul 17, 2017 at 5:36 pmLOVE!! Did you make the pillows on the Camrose set or purchase them from Wal Mart as well?
Simply Kierste Design Co. says
Jul 18, 2017 at 12:21 amThank you, Cindy! The pillows came from Pottery Barn (the gingham ones), and the denim ones are from Target!
Kathy A. says
Jul 17, 2017 at 9:19 pmWhat a lovely outdoor living space! Easy to hose down to clean, nice to cut down on dirt coming into the house. You will find great ways to use the heat from the concrete, too. A rack of delicates you don’t want to go through the drier, setting a jar of sun tea out, a pan of flower petals that need to dry, etc. You will find a lot of heat gets radiated back from the concrete. Years ago (when I was married to a cement truck driver), I had a clothesline with a cement pad under it. I couldn’t believe how fast clothes dried; not to mention my legs weren’t being attacked by rogue wild raspberry bushes! Also a great place to draw a hopscotch game or other sidewalk chalk projects. Enjoy!
Simply Kierste Design Co. says
Jul 18, 2017 at 12:26 amHello, Kathy, and thank you! You’re so right, and I love all of your ideas for the heat from the concrete! It is really nice to have, and my kids definitely love using sidewalk chalk! xoxo
Sandy says
Jul 17, 2017 at 10:33 pmForget the tutorials, I want to come live with you. You have some awesome ideas. Keep them coming, we all enjoy living vicariously through you. love your ideas.
Simply Kierste Design Co. says
Jul 18, 2017 at 12:28 amSandy, how kind you are, thank you! And thank YOU for following along with me–it means so much! xoxo
Georgia says
Jul 17, 2017 at 10:50 pmThank you for sharing. I want to have a wonderful space like it too.
Simply Kierste Design Co. says
Jul 18, 2017 at 12:28 amYou are very welcome!! Thanks for stopping by to say hello! xoxo
Gloribell says
Jul 18, 2017 at 1:02 pmLove how it all looks and the Farmhouse Camrose collection from BHG.
Simply Kierste Design Co. says
Jul 19, 2017 at 2:54 pmThanks so much, Gloribell!! xoxo
Debbie says
Jul 18, 2017 at 6:31 pmI could live out here!! Great space with a beautiful view! Love it all!
Simply Kierste Design Co. says
Jul 19, 2017 at 2:54 pmThank you so much, Debbie!! xoxo
Qwendykay says
Jul 21, 2017 at 1:51 pmGorgeous!! I have been shopping for Patio Furniture for forever and never even thought of Walmart. I found 4 sets that would work perfectly…. and now I can’t decide which one!! Gorgeous makeover and here in Sunny So California, we use our patios all year long. It really extends the room of your house to have an “outdoor room”
Simply Kierste Design Co. says
Jul 24, 2017 at 6:13 pmYAY! I’m so glad you found some you like! Were you able to decide which one? :) I love the Better Homes & Gardens line at Walmart–I always check there now to see what they have!
Kerry Miller says
Jul 24, 2017 at 1:54 pmCute! Cute! Cute!
Can you tell me how deep the 4×4 posts are buried/cemented in ground? And assuming they’re 8′ tall?
Girl Power: Just finished a 14′ x 22′ deck…..have 6 strings of Edison bulb lights…..just need strong posts to attach them to! Excited to decorate, now that most of the hard work is done!!
Simply Kierste Design Co. says
Jul 24, 2017 at 11:12 pmWAHOO, GIRL POWER!!! :) Congrats on your new deck! I just barely added the whole post about the posts…you can find all the details HERE: http://simplykierste.com/2017/07/outdoor-string-lights-on-diy-posts.html
Let me know if you have any other questions! xoxo
Hayden says
Aug 9, 2017 at 4:23 pmThis looks awesome. You did such a great job, thanks so much for sharing!
Simply Kierste Design Co. says
Aug 10, 2017 at 12:09 amThanks so much!!