project outdoor room: update!

Update from the department of outdoor decorating. Project Outdoor Room is moving along swimmingly -- stuff is being picked out and purchased. Furniture is being assembled. Plants are being potted. Plans are moving forward. We've had a bunch of really nice weather and completion can't happen soon enough.

In advance of the "final reveal" -- yes, we've been watching way too much HGTV -- I thought I'd give you a nice "before" shot or two:



Silvery redwood city, huh. Not too much going on yet. This is the 7' x 25' deck that we had installed before we moved in. Even without any nice furniture or decor, it's added so much more usable space, right off of the two bedrooms on this level. It gets lots of morning and mid-day sun, and actually kind of cooks up here on hot days. Some shade is definitely needed.

So, I'll be wrapping up Project Outdoor Room really shortly. To be honest, most everything is now in place, and we've been testing out the new arrangement (tough job, but...). So, tune in soon for the final look at all the changes! 

For now, here's a little teaser montage of the new look for our favorite new room:

i want a fabulous outdoor room

So, we're living in a new home. A cute 1930s house with a 2009 deck on the back. In the remodel process, we converted the windows in the two bedrooms into sliding doors, and put in a 22.5' x 7' redwood deck. It's heaven out there: warm, with a view of the whole yard.

The space isn't really working as a destination, though. The problem is that, since Toby and I are both in visual fields, we both have definite opinions about home decor. Some dudes don't care about this type of stuff, but not my dude. (Actually, let me back up: this isn't really a problem. Toby and I can speak "visual" with each other and it works.)

The thing is that we are each opinionated, but we have different priorities. Toby is toiling away in the garage, making some beautiful benches for our lower patio (photos soon!). But, I am currently longing to turn our new but naked upper deck into a fantastic "outdoor room." Toby thinks this is nice, but it's not high on his to-do list. Since we kind of do "design by committee," we often end up in home decor inertia.

So, I'm taking the bull by the horns: Introducing PROJECT OUTDOOR ROOM. I've never really designed a home space in such an organized, focused fashion. I'm granting Toby veto privileges, but I'm hoping to push this project through to completion before Spring really hits.

I may be deluding myself, but this sounds fun! I do mood boards for work, so why not for home? I'll set a budget, do some research and sometime soon... voila. Fabulous, tranquil, stylish... and outdoor. Stay tuned...

See above for some of my initial thoughts and quick web-scavenging. Ideas/suggestions?

the weekend, pictorially

{{ SCENES FROM THE WEEKEND }}

- Act 1 -

Friday afternoon: Flora Grubb with Kristen, after a veggie burrito at La Taqueria

Photo is from last time (Kristen and I visit FG almost every time we hang out), but this place never fails to inspire. Bonus are the on-site Ritual cappuccinos and plenty of space to hang out, talk, wander and daydream. (Toby was home with Jacky, so we had lovely "just girls" time.) With their amazing succulents, this place makes me homesick for Southern California. Later this Fall, we will actually be buying some stuff!

(If you haven't been, do! And, try checking out the cool workshops. We're hitting the Agave workshop next Sunday morning.)

- Act 2 -

Thunder and lightning!

Didn't seem to scare Jacky, but woke the big people up. BAM!!! As I snuggled up to Toby and counted the seconds between flashes and rumbles, I was (once again) nostalgic for my Southern California upbringing. We don't get too many house-shaking storms up here.

Image: Friedwater via Flickr

- Act 3 -

Ditch-digging in the backyard

In between the raindrops, we dug a drainage trench up against the house. Sexy, huh?! Kinda something you need on a hill, where all the water wants to run toward the house. Met some neighbors recently who live at the bottom of our hill. I asked them if they had any flooding issues during the rainy seasons (because that's the type of boring stuff homeowners talk about), and they said "Nah, not really -- just a few inches of water in the basement each year. No big deal." Um, yeah. That doesn't work for us. French drain, please.

- Act 4 -

Pizza of the week

Prosciutto with pickled banana peppers.

I know, sounds kind of weird, but it was SO good (but I admit I do like ANYTHING pickled). The salty prosciutto was set off nicely by twangy peppers. Ate half with an herby heirloom tomato salad... the rest for the next day's lunch. Mmmm. Bears repeating.

- Act 5 -

Decor update in Jacky's room

Latest addition to the cutest room in our house: really sweet vintage fabric bunting from madeleinesargent on Etsy... discovered on K.I.D. Collective, via Domestic Reflections. Shown above three prints by Petit Collage.

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