WISHES AND PANCAKES

Hello! I hope your 2016 is off to a wonderful start. I've been nesting, reflecting regrouping, and realigning. Which I tend to do very slowly. So excuse the dust on the blog. I feel pretty strongly that until inspiration kicks in I just don't want to ramble on about nothing. It must feel authentic and organic and inspired.

What is authentic is the construction zone that is our home right now.  If you follow me on Instagram you have seen the mess that was our backyard.  I can happily report that we spent a lively NYE in our new 'shed' with dear friends. We dusted off the paver dust and sawdust just in time to celebrate (the carpenter was still working the morning of new years eve).

We had a houseful of friends for days during which time we made lots of wishes and pancakes. As it should be.

Here are a few snaps of the backyard craziness start to finish. Moldy bricks (we do love Chicago brick, just not for a pool deck) and cracked concrete out. New creamy pavers in. And a pavilion, pergola, cabana thing. All of those words sound funny to me so we call it 'the shed'. 

demo day:

taking shape and getting input:

 old deck. dirt. new deck.

 the  'shed' going up

 at long last the table is set

ready.

Thank you for spending time with me here today. Next up on the reno list is enclosing an unused porch and remodeling the master bath.  Tune in here. 

And ps: you can find the outdoor sofa and tall white dining chairs at Canvas Interiors. Go figure! :)

GET OUT

At this time of year in these southern parts we are excited to begin our fall outdoor living season.  We do live outside in the summer but it must involve a body of water or an early morning. With the arrival of Fall comes the promise of cooler weather and outdoor living without mosquitos and sweat. Weekend afternoons are about to get a whole lot more relaxing.

As I showed you last week, our backyard looks like it has been abandoned, which it sort of has. We have not really used it since April aside from the quick dip in the pool here and there. It is a dust bowl construction zone and looks pretty unloved.

Now that the inside of the addition is wrapping up (still waiting for marble countertops, long story, don't ask) it is time to turn my imagination to the backyard and show it some love.

Here are a few pics that have been inspiring me to get ready for outdoor living:

I am really excited to do sort of a homemade casual shed type thing.  I have invented a narrative, a story of our home as you walk in the door and move through the rooms from front to back. It goes from slightly formal to casual family room, to our new 'cottage' dining room addition. For the backyard the story concludes with 'the shed'.  I want to feel like I have stepped outside my back door into my Cali roots. Or the South of France.  Light and white by day, cozy and rustic by night. I think I can pull it off right?  

We will build a more permanent structure someday. But for now we are excited to throw down some new grass, hang some twinkle lights and finally uncover our favorite outdoor sofa.  A few flea market finds and a make-shift roof will complete the vibe.

images 

top L to R: 1 // 2 // 3   bottom L to R: 1 // 2 // 3