May 6th, 2021
One year ago…
I attempted the “One Room Challenge”. For those that don't know, the "One Room Challenge" is a six week celebration in which members of the design community from all over come together in the spirit of comradery and fellowship to cheer each other on as we transform a room of our choice. Though I didn’t finish that time around, I wanted to see it through and try again. So, here we are! The room that I'll be completing for this challenge is...(drum roll please) our backyard!
What I envision for the end of this challenge is to make this a space:
- For entertaining guests
- For my husband and I to spend time together and have date nights in
The Current Problems:
- No spacious outdoor seating to host guests
- Plenty of space that is dying to be utilized in multifunctional ways
- Gray stucco wall that needs to be more appealing
-Old chain link fence with overgrown weeds
The Solution:
- A spacious outdoor area with multi-seating options for entertaining
- A mural or art piece of some sort on the stucco walls underneath the patio
- Pull up the rest of the chain link fence
-Add tropical greenery that will soften the stucco walls
My Inspiration
As I sought inspiration for our backyard transformation, I was reminded of the trip we took back in December for my birthday to Belize. The island itself is beautiful. However, Matachica, the resort that we stopped at one day for lunch was GORGEOUS! Everything from the views, to the food, and the furnishings were awe inspiring. As my husband and I sat oceanside enjoying our lunch and drinks, we started making plans of leaving our current life behind and making this our new normal. Soon enough though reality kicked in, and we were back on a plane headed back to cold and rainy Atlanta. Since we are not fortunate enough to hop on a plane to Belize whenever we like(yet), I wanted to bring a little bit of the dreamy oasis that is Belize to our backyard.
Checkout just a few of the amazing highlights from the resort.
Getting Started
Just like with our guest bathroom makeover, we also started working on our backyard transformation last year. As a means of occupying our time during the lockdown, we built out our current fire pit. Now that we're ready to finally finish the project we're starting with preparing the grounds. In lieu of the standard (and often costly) mesh underlay that acts as a weed barrier for projects like this, we used a big tarp and punched small holes in it which will give water a place to drain. This designer hack of mine is more economical and just as effective.
The wooden framing was added next. which was secured to the ground by hammering in metal stakes every few inches along the frame. In the upcoming weeks, our plan is to add gravel to cover the ground around the fire pit, seating for four around the fire pit, and 2 swings that will not only serve as a divider between the fire pit area and adjacent open space, but extra seating around the fire pit as well. We also plan to add pavers along the outside of the perimeter of the fire pit that will lead to the garden area. Lastly, we'll be transforming the current dining area by intricately adding color to the current furnishings and walls.
I am so excited to be attempting this challenge again and plan to stick to it this time! Stay tuned to see our progress over the next few weeks and be sure to checkout some of the awesome design work of the other participants by clicking the logo below!
