Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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How We Finished And Furnished Our Deck

Well, our goal was to get to enjoy our deck by Labor Day and we squeaked in with just a few days to spare. And in case you couldn’t tell, I’m jazz hands excited about it. Don’t ask me what this move is called. John just picked up the camera and aimed it at me and this happened. It’s a pose straight out of Kids Incorporated.

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We probably would have taken a rickety card table and some metal folding chairs, so we’re psyched to have found actual end-of-season discounted furniture to put out there for the long haul – but we definitely have more in mind for finishing things off (more on that in a minute). Oh and we mentioned that we have to wait a bit to stain or seal this baby (more on that here) so that will definitely add a lot more richness to the wood so it looks a lot more polished.

As for the process of bringing furniture out there, first we plopped our freshly sealed World Market table down in the middle of the deck (centered between our two zippered seams, which will be a lot more obvious when the wood shrinks up a bit and gets sealed/stained so it’s a richer color). You can see from the pic below that there’s not a giant amount of room on each side of the table, but it’s almost three feet (on each side), which is thankfully workable for us. Each board is 6″ wide, so it’s around 32″ of clearance.

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Now let’s fast-forward to the fun part. Not only did we add our acacia wood chairs from Joss & Main (which we think will be a similar color to the deck once it’s stained or sealed), but we brought in some pillows, a runner, and some other accessories. Come on, you guys know I couldn’t resist that stuff if I tried. It’s a sickness. I have pillow problems.

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Let’s get close enough to lick that yellow chair, shall we?

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On the table we have a runner we’ve had for about three years along with a yellow thrift store dish that I use to hold our napkins and some other outdoorsy items (like our yellow gurgle pot, a woven decanter, and some woven cups – all found at HomeGoods over the years). And as for the fun ikat-ish outdoor seat cushion, that’s from Garden Ridge. They have like three giant aisles full of outdoor seat cushions for anyone who’s on the hunt.

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And although the space on either side of the table looks a little tight in the shots above, I was just cropping those tighter so my accessories could shine. Haha. And we’re back to pillow problems. Anyway, here’s a better shot from the side so you can see the room behind the chairs (which are pulled out a bit in this shot, but not all the way):

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If someone’s in them it usually leaves around a foot and a half for scooting behind them (with someone in the chairs they usually bump out to the other end of the board that they’re on in the pic above, which leaves around 16″ behind them for scooch-age). It’s not enough room to do a pirouette, but it works for slipping by. Whew. We’ve also talked about pushing the table up against either side of the house if we ever want more clearance, but so far it has been all good. You know we’ll keep you posted if we rearrange things though!

But enough layout chitchat. Let’s focus on the important stuff. Like this yellow ceramic fish that makes my heart sing.

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Oh yeah, and we still have those bird napkins from Ikea that we used for Clara’s party. They keep making them so every time we slip through we stock up on more. Can’t. Leave. Without. Bird. Napkins.

Here’s a little makeshift  just-for-now corner that I tossed together (mostly for Clara since it’s a nice little play-zone over there). Eventually we’d love to add a larger seat (preferably something plush) along with some large potted plants to lush up that hard little corner of wood and brick (and keep any children from trying to climb over the chair / hop that railing). And of course that woven toy basket does best indoors, so it’s something I just tote in at the end of the evening.

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I borrowed the green drum stool from the guest room (originally from HomeGoods for $39), and actually found that rabbit at Marshall’s last week for $12. I think he’s thoroughly enjoying the new deck. Oh and that cactus thing is Clara’s toy but I totally play with it too (it’s by Plan Toys). And this outdoor pillow is also from Garden Ridge.

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We set everything out on the deck yesterday afternoon while Clara was napping, so when she woke up we got to do a big reveal for her. Not surprisingly she said “ooh the pretty pretty deck!” and ran over to the little basket of toys that I had dragged out there and went nuts. That’s my girl. And Burger followed right behind her. See him lurking in the bottom corner? He’s just waiting for his turn with the giant orange ball.

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Wait, how have we not talked about the yellow chairs?! They were my dream from the very beginning (back when I made this mood board) and although I heard a few tips that they sold them at Menard’s for something like $39, the best I could find (there sadly isn’t a Menard’s in our area) was $51 with free shipping through Joss & Main. But they came painted with outdoor automotive paint (read: durable) and were sealed and ready to be put out (wahoo! no additional prep work like the table and chairs!) so here’s hoping they hold up for a nice long time.

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I worried they wouldn’t be comfy at the table since they might be too low or bulky, but with the added seat cushion they’re just the right height (they were a tad too low without it) and the arms actually tuck under the table, so they can even be pushed in. In the end, they’re the best seats in the house on the deck. Here’s Burger demonstrating their comfy-factor. Rough life he has.

Oh and remember how we mentioned that we were required to add a little extra railing to meet our county’s code? Well it’s actually super handy since Clara uses it to get up and down. Wahoo. Although last night we ended up digging out her old baby gate and setting it up in front of the stairs to keep her and Burger hostage on the deck instead of worrying about them running up and down while we’re out there. Worked like a charm.

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 And as for our deck plans down the road, we’d love to:

  • add big bulb string lights draped overhead for the length of the deck
  • bring in a lot more planters/plants to soften the harsh angles and edges
  • add that big plush chair for the play corner that we mentioned, along with more Clara-friendly stuff like a sand & water table
  • paint that darn electric meter (more on that in a second)
  • build a small paver patio at the bottom of the deck steps for the BBQ (since it’s currently over on the patio where we play but never eat)
  • build a gate that’s prettier than the old baby gate we’re using now (we rented a beach house once with a deck gate and it was awesome for kids/dogs)
  • stain/seal the deck once the wood has dried out/is ready for it
  • we’d even eventually love to paint the siding a medium gray tone that’s in the brick/mortar so it feels more balanced someday

So there you have our freshly furnished deck (at this point the patio is totally complaining because he was completed last year but still only has two adirondak chairs to his name, haha). Someday we’ll get back to that side of the house again. In the meantime, let’s all just take a moment to soak up one universal truth. The weird little alley that we inherited with our house is no more:

Alley 2 Through Door

Ding, dong, the alley’s dead!

Deck Furn Last After

Oh and see that ugly electric meter on the left of the shot above? Ugh. I’m totally planning to paint it to match the brick like we did back in our first house when something similar was cluttering up our patio. It seems like it wouldn’t make much of a difference, but it’s kind of amazing how much paint can help things like that blend. Check out this pic from this old post back in 2009. They’re not invisible, but they’re a lot less “look at me!” than they were when they were all gray. And in our county you own those boxes, so it’s ok to paint them (it’s always good to call your county and check if you can before you have at it).

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Oh and since we’re on the subject of what once was, here’s the old view from the hallway off of the living room and kitchen before Project Deck The Alley began. A nice little rotting balcony complete with some weeds and a straight shot at the air conditioner.

Alley 1 From Inside

And here it is now. Wahooo! No more weediness, rotting wood, or air conditioner in sight!

Deck Furn 1

We’d love to switch those sliders out with french doors to swank things up – in fact we’re pricing out a few options to see if it’s something we can do now (whee!) or something we need to wait and save up a bit more for (womp-womp). Will keep you posted! And as for what big project we’ll be tackling next, we’re debating between whipping our crazy not-even-functional-anymore basement into shape or adding some wainscoting/board & batten to our yawn of a hallway (not our frame one, the one that leads to Clara’s room). We’ll let you guys know where we land as soon as we… land. Haha.

But let’s end this little deck dalliance with the what’s your favorite part game. I’m the most obsessed with the yellow chairs and the ikat cushions. John loves the giant table that he can’t wait to “fill with food.” Perhaps there are gurgle pot lovers out there? Or you’re like Clara and you’re the most into the $2 ball from Target?

Psst- You can see how we planned, sourced, and built this beast of a deck here and see how we planned to furnish things a while back in this little mood board post.

Comments

  1. sara says

    This looks so so awesome! If the clearance is too narrow behind the chairs when you have a bunch of people over but you still want to be able to seat people at both sides of the table, why not try a bench? You could put the bench right up against the siding wall (to avoid the meter on the brick side) and put pillows, etc. on it to cushion it for people’s backs. The bench wouldn’t have to move in or out since people could slide in from the sides. You could probably also fit 3 people on a bench as opposed to 2 in chairs on one side. Then you could use your two extra wood chairs at the head and foot of the table and move the yellow chairs elsewhere for party seating. Man, I’m getting carried away with your labor day party planning, huh!?
    I was also thinking that you may want to consider keeping your sliders since french doors would infringe on the limited space out here already- and if you’re entertaining and wanting to go back and forth to the kitchen, its very easy to leave a slider open and use the screen door to keep bugs out, rather than opening and closing a french door all the time, especially since it would probably get left open and 1) take up space by sticking out if its not opened or closed all the way, and 2) allow bugs in. Just my 2 cents! This seriously looks great and I’m probably thinking so much about this because you’re giving me such great ideas for how to accesorize my petite deck at my house!

    Reply

  2. Stefanie says

    K.I.D.S!
    It’s awesome! Love the touches of yellow – especially the chairs and gurgle pot – so cheery! I think you have plenty of room. We have a long, narrow patio in our backyard and there is just enough room to lounge and safely back away from the table. LOVE the idea of french doors! I think it will give the deck a more on-purpose look, like “No, this is not a random nook between two parts of the house, it is a cozy, outdoor eating area. Come, eat, entertain on my awesomeness”.

    Looks like you all will have lots of good times there!

    Reply

  6. Juliegolf says

    Oh my gosh! I love the way it looks on the inside looking out now! What a huge difference that made. It must make you smile to have such a great view of your huge accomplishment. As far as next project, you should take a break!! lol! The amount of work that went into building that deck makes me tired just thinking about it!

    Reply

  7. Lisa says

    Wow! It is not everyday you get a Kids Incorporated reference. One of my favorite shows when I was 9. :)
    The deck looks fabulous!!

    Reply

  8. Mandy says

    I’m with $herdog – my favorite parts (besides the whole thing) are the yellow chairs and the ikat chair pads! Love them so much I googled Garden Ridge to try to find one near me…close-ish to the Philadelphia, PA area…and you want to hear something? I put in my zip code, 19403, and the one result that came up closest to me? Richmond. hehe guess a road trip is in order? I think it’s high time for a sleepover at casa de Petersik! :)
    Love the whole thing, you guys. Really. You rocked it! :)

    Reply

  9. Ashley @ Home Wasn't Built in a Day says

    Wow, congrats on completing the hard part! It looks amazing.

    I love your idea with the string lights. My boyfriend and I were walking around our new neighborhood last week and saw that a neighbor has them up and now we are obsessed. However, maybe we need to move the massive pile of old bricks/cinderblocks out of the yard and the dishwasher we are trying to get rid of, ha ha. Yuck.

    Are you going to string the lights length-wise? I can’t wait to see! Again, congrats!

    Reply

  10. Sherry from BC says

    It looks so lovely. I can see you with drinks and food and friends celebrating this weekend. Just a tip for you that I have used here in Canada. It can be quite pricy to get a showy plant display for your patio and I have started buying palms in the spring. I can usually get them at Home Depot for $20 a pop and they are very showy and amazing in a large pot. I treat them like annuals as I don’t have space to bring them all in. A friend took them last year. The bottom line is that you get much more flash for $20 with a 4 foot palm than a few flowers. I can see one in that corner on your deck.

    Reply

  11. Amy B. says

    I’m loving your new deck! Great job! I also love how private it is tucked between the house. We live on a corner lot and have NO privacy whatsoever on our back patio. :(

    Reply

  13. Tammy says

    Love the deck and the furniture. I have a totally off topic comment for you though. My son is an artist and headed off to Memphis college of Art this month. As a present we bought him this…
    http://www.amazon.com/AES-Industries-Green-Aluminum-Reusable/dp/B002D3WXMU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346257636&sr=8-1&keywords=refillable+spray+paint+can
    I hope the link works.
    It is refillable spray paint can. You can literally put whatever paint you want in there and spray away. He did tell me about adding some paint oil or soemthing to thin the paint so it sprays right, but I thought HOLY CRAP! Sherry was going to have special spray paint cans made for her office chairs! Now you could make whatever you have into spray paint!!!! I need to buy one for me!

    Reply

  14. Mandy says

    I’m with you on the lights too, Sheri! I pictured them all zig-zaggy and beautiful. We’ll call it chevron in the sky. ;)

    Reply

  17. Miranda says

    I love the yellow chairs! They make me want to re-paint my ‘just painted’ Adirondack chairs! (Maybe next summer…) I would LOVE to see what you guys do to your basement. We are about to start working on our garage organization so I would love to see what you guys come up with (you always have the best ideas). Congrats on the beautiful new space and huge high five to John (and John’s dad) for pulling off such a big undertaking. Not many DIYers would take on such a task, but as usual, you guy’s rocked it!

    Reply

  24. Megan says

    Love it. I have the same chairs but bought them at Lowe’s (I think, maybe it was Menards, the hubs bought them). I like how it actually made the area look bigger now that it’s not just a pit. And it’s a great way to be outside and have usable space – maybe color time for Clara? I can’t wait until we can get our outside area for dining put together!

    Reply

  27. Mandy says

    I keep coming back, wanting to comment on something else, and then something else, and then something else. lol. We need to have a conversation! :)

    Reply

  28. Leigh says

    Awesome deck and decorating! It looks fantastic! I am absolutely in love with the yellow chairs….if I only had a place for them. One day I will have a big patio or deck. My 10×10 square isn’t doing much for me but such is townhome life. I seriously have deck envy over here! Job well done guys!

    Reply

  29. Kiera Brown says

    Congrats on your deck reveal! I also appreciate the reference to one of my all time favorite TV shows as a kid (KI and Punky Brewster are neck and neck)How fun is it that “Stacy” grew up and became Fergie? Anyway, I enjoy your blog a lot; its like therapy to read. I try and absorb your ‘can do’ attitude and it also helps me keep up with the RIC. (Regretfully had to move (to Florida) in 2009 when CCity went bust)

    Reply

  30. Marla says

    One of my favorite posts. I just love the wrap up posts! Nice job on the furniture. Love how its not too matchy matchy.

    Reply

  31. Christa @ a*typicaljourney says

    I am SO excited to see this project winding down – not because I didn’t enjoy the posts, I actually love the technical code and structure-related posts since they teach me more about the industry I work in but know nothing about – but because it’s super impressive to see how you took such a drab, neglected area of your property and turned it into what can become one of the most loved areas to make memories! Even watching from the outside, seeing some furniture hit that deck is ultra-satisfying. I can only imagine how you guys are feeling!
    Oh, and my favorite part? The cozy corner – I can totally picture it all comfied-up and it will be enviable. Definitely.

    Reply

  32. Alana says

    Love the deck and the yellow chairs!!

    I vote for the door post! Keeping my fingers crossed that the french doors are in the budget. My boyfriend and I seem to tackle projects after you and John complete them! We did our fence after we saw John working on the fence before Clara’s party. We need a confidence boost for our upcoming door project!!

    Reply

  33. Karla@{TheClassyWoman} says

    I LOVE this makeover of a small and somewhat awkward space. What a beautiful and functional deck! :) You guys did a great job. I think my favorite part of the post is your pose on the staircase, Sherry! It’s just so playful and I’m glad to hear you finished with a few days left to spare before Labor Day!! :)

    Reply

  34. John says

    Wondering if the county would allow you to build a removable box around the meter perhaps with a shelf or just stick a tall plant beside it, that may require you to shift the table against the wall. Painted my electric meter also and it really helps.

    Reply

  35. torrie says

    the whole time i was reading through today’s post, i kept thinking, “STRING LIGHTS! STRING LIGHTS!” it seemed like your new deck was perfect for them and…i’m OBSESSED with string lights. our backyard is just dirt and concrete right now because we haven’t decided how we want to landscape it yet (yes, it’s been two years since we’ve moved in and still no progress other than weeding, over and over again), but i desperately want string lights back there. it’s my one and only request! so for now, i’ll get to vicariously live through your beautiful deck. can’t wait to see them up!!

    Reply

  36. John says

    The french doors could swing into the room or perhaps one could be swinging and the other fixed with a sliding screen to keep bugs out.

    Reply

  37. April says

    Wahoooo you guys are finally done! Congrats!! Everything looks perfect, good job. I can totally envision some little twinkle lights zig-zagging across the open space between the 2 roof lines!…didn’t see you mention that (of course, I was short on time so I “skimmed”) so I thought I’d shout out that recommendation. ;)

    Reply

  39. Donita says

    The deck looks awesome!!! Great job!!! WOW I love the yellow chairs, the wood chairs and the rabbit. LOVE IT ALL actually!!! :-) Enjoy the fruits of your labor!!!

    Reply

  41. Lynn Malik says

    S & J —-
    So, I’m a long-ish time reader but first-time commenter. I must say – I’m in deck lust over your new DIY addition. I’m amazed that you can see a less than pretty place, envision a deck and just run with it. Love it! Oh, and the decorators touches are so fun!
    – Lynn

    Reply

  42. cindy says

    You guys did an amazing job on that deck! I think I’d be spending every evening out there. My fave part are the yellow chairs — i am so lusting after those! Way to go YHL!!!

    Reply

  44. Elizabeth Burton says

    It looks awesome! I know you are ready to “bling”it out. My mom has those awful meters on her townhome. She painted hers the color of the brick as well. But, she went one step further and replicated the mortar on the meter as well with some paint. They now completely blend in and you don’t notice them at all. Food for thought!

    Reply

  46. Lauren R. says

    Congratulations! It feels great once something is ‘done’ and you finally get to enjoy it, amazing! Congrats, congrats, CONGRATS!

    Just wanted to also shoot you a quick note at how inspiring/awesome you are. We are in a home that needs a lot of love, and I’m learning to be OK with everything not being perfect and ‘done’ right now. [not to mention I am total everything-must-be-in-its-place-type-a-crazy.] We’re in the process of learning how to DIY our projects as we go. Reading your earlier posts and the progress you have made on both your homes helps me cope with our seemingly never-ending project. You have really honed your craft, and [from my perspective] rolled with the punches. There is light!

    Thanks so much :)

    Reply

  47. Lynn @ Our Useful Hands says

    Slow clap…slowly building…starting to stand…1 Hollywood tear streaming down a cheek…nodding to others to join in…faster clapping…until a thunderous applause and one person doing one of those fancy 2 finger mouth whistles…and a soul train high five clapping line has now formed. Good job guys!!!!

    My best, Lynn

    Reply

  48. Natalie says

    I just read this post while HGTV was on tv. I’m geeking out on DIY right now! :) the deck looks so awesome! I think my favorite part are those yellow chairs. They are so summery, and make me want to BBQ! I think it will look straight up a-mah-zing (“Happy Endings”, anyone?) when you add the string of lights above. Can’t wait to see! Big projects like this make me so excited for your book to come out!

    Reply

  49. Casey says

    LOVE!! It looks awesome! Can’t wait to see it stained, too. The yellow chairs are my favorite part. I think you’ll love having a permanent place to eat outside, we spend all summer on the deck.

    Also, we replaced a slider with French doors from Lowes a couple of years ago, a really basic, inexpensive ReliaBilt set, and they are amazing. Totally swanked up our dining room and just made a gigantic difference. I love opening both doors on a nice day and having a 6′ opening onto the deck… it’s very cool. :)

    Reply

  50. Jen@The Decor Scene says

    How AWESOME!!! I love how it turned out. ALL OF IT!!! Looks like a really great place to eat, drink and get your deck on! ;) I love how excited you are in the picture…good for you. :) Enjoy all the hard work that went into this project. Enjoy the end of Summer and the beginning of Fall. :)

    Reply

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