Our New Patio Dining Area
Now that you’ve seen our brand new painted patio concrete floor, I can tell you all about the grander plans for this space! You see, we love that we have a big outdoor patio and a nice yard for the kids to play in. But, with the way things were set up before, we just didn’t use it all that often. We had a couple of grills that we used on the regular, but they were just floating around and didn’t look very nice. There wasn’t anywhere for us to eat outside, and the outdoor sofa was always nasty from the kids and the dogs.
Bottom line? It was not working for us. So we decided to change everything up. As you’ve already seen, I started off by painting the concrete floor. It immediately made things look 100 times cleaner, and felt way more intentional. The next step was to add a dining area. That’s right, we ditched the outdoor sofa and coffee table and went for a completely new function.
We haven’t had this for long yet, but I can already tell you I think this is going to be so much more practical for our family. Now, we can eat outside when the weather is nice (which here in Texas starts about right now!). Corey and I can come outside in the evenings for a glass of wine and a little dessert and have a spot to eat it that isn’t covered in mud and dog paw prints. And, I have an actual table to sit at if I want to come work outside!
It’s safe to say I’m very excited about this development.
The New Plan for Our Patio
You’ll notice that we also flipped the location of the lounging area. Why is that? Well, that’s because there’s something very big and exciting coming to the other end of the patio. What is it you ask? Oh just a big ol’ built-in outdoor kitchen (!!!!!).
You’ll have to stay tuned to watch that come together (it hasn’t arrived yet!) but we got a really exciting opportunity to partner with a brand on this and I think it’s going to be such a great upgrade for our family. I have a feeling we’ll use the back patio way more than we have in the last five years.
But, we’re not talking about the kitchen yet. Let’s focus on the dining area!
Our New Patio Dining Area
When I was planning this area, I had a few really specific objectives. I really wanted to keep my big egg chair – it’s definitely not a dining chair, but it’s my favorite piece of outdoor furniture I’ve ever owned. So, I wasn’t about to let it go. And, I wanted a small table that wouldn’t make the space feel crowded but that could still comfortably handle our family of four.
I landed on this beautiful outdoor table paired with four of these chairs. They go great together, they’re low maintenance (no fabric!) and they’re very comfortable for long chats outside.
I haven’t had a chance to spend a lot of time playing with styling this area, but I think it has a lot of potential. The planters under the pergola (more on that project here) will probably need to hold some faux plants (I tried real ivy, but it immediately got scorched by the sun. And also I forgot to water it). I could picture something pretty hanging on the wall behind the table. And, of course, I’m going to need to grab a whole new set of outdoor-friendly dishes once spring rolls around!
Basically what I’m saying is this is kind of just an excuse for me to go shopping.
I have to admit, I’ve always had a hard time with outdoor spaces. We finished up the gorgeous backyard makeover at our last house right before we moved, and I’ve always been worried I’ll never be able to do something that great in a backyard again. I don’t think we’re anywhere near that beautiful makeover yet, but I think this might just be a step in the right direction.
I’m hopeful that we’ll have our outdoor kitchen in place and finished before Christmas, so stay tuned. Maybe Corey can break it in with our Christmas brunch ham!
Where did you buy the patio shade cover over the table/chairs. It is fabulous.
Hi! You can find it right here: https://amzlink.to/az0nkh0oEe0l6