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Jul 5

Summer Ready: Our Outdoor Oasis

before after_yardSHOP THE POST:

Before we purchased our home, there were three things that I always dreamed about when I thought about home ownership. One: the ability to paint or re-tile at my own discretion – without having to ask permission (!!). Two: trying my hand at cultivating an epic herb garden (I swear we spend a small fortune buying fresh herbs at the grocery store each week). And last but most certainly not least, the ability to spend a Friday night enjoying cocktails, fireside, with friends, family and twinkly lights in our very own backyard.

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Although we did have a teeny tiny balcony at our previous condo, it was largely unused for the vast majority of the time in which we resided there. In fact, we redid it (here), unknowingly, just months before we purchased this home and literally spent 99% of our time in that little 5’x9′ rectangle for the entirety of our summer, questioning why we hadn’t made those small changes in year one. We definitely didn’t want to make that mistake twice.

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So while we have bigger picture plans back here for the long term, we definitely wanted to make use of the space to the best of our ability in the interim. summer ready_6

With that in mind, the minute the weather began to show just the slightest hint of warming up, Justin and I quickly got to work bringing our formerly neglected backyard to life. 
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While our actual garden is still in the works (Justin’s currently trying his hand at cucumbers and tomatoes, which is incredibly exciting. And the fact that’s incredibly exciting definitely shows my age, I’m aware), we were able to transform our patio to one that we’re both excited to come home to. summer ready_7

We dusted off our condo balcony furniture (which worked perfectly on our new-to-us patio – serendipitous). We planted pretty flowers in shades of pink and lavender. Transformed an existing planter box into a wee herb garden and we hung twinkly lights down the entirety of our fence – giving us extra bonus points for the magic that occurs at night. 

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In addition, we painted our back door (in Behr’s Limousine Leather) to help anchor the space, just a little and switched out our dated lockset for Schlage’s Sense Smart Deadbolt keyless entry system in matte black. 

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Dollar for dollar, this change was most definitely the most impactful of all the projects we tackled back here. Our parking is located behind our house, so this is our main entry. And not only does the keyless aspect make coming and going significantly easier, but it instantly elevated the entire curb appeal of our home.
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I love the black on black – it doesn’t command too much attention, and looks great. Form and function in one beautiful package. 

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For those wondering, these adorable little pink flowers are called bacopa and while I’m still working on my green thumb, I’ve been told that these guys are hearty and difficult to kill. So far so good! I’ll be sure to keep you updated on how they weather at my touch in the coming months. 

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In addition to resurrecting our old balcony furniture, we also picked up a few jute floor cushions from Pottery Barn. I love that they pull double duty as foot rests or extra seating when we have additional friends over on the weekends. 

summer ready_10There you have it – our new and improved little oasis, ready for summer. 

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SOURCES: Keyless Lock | Door HandleBlanket | Loveseat | Lantern | Blue Planter | Cream Planter | Elephant Table | Metal Table | Taupe Pillows | String Lights | Black Lantern | Concrete Lantern | Fire Pit | Jute Cushions | Sweater | Cami | Jeans | Sandals

Thank you to Schlage for kindly sponsoring this post. And a HUGE thank you to my readers for supporting my sponsors. It means the world and allows me to continue to create more elaborate content for us all to enjoy. 

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  1. Mia says:

    Looks so cozy! May I ask where the wicker chair is from? I love the shape! I did not see it in your list of product links. Thank you!

  2. Peg says:

    I absolutely love it!! Well done!!! xo

  3. […] for another gorgeous backyard makeover? Check out Lark & Linen, which shows how a few simple changes can have a big […]

  4. […] post Summer Ready: Our Outdoor Oasis appeared first on lark & […]

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