Then and Now | Our Outdoor Patio

A Before and After Look of My Backyard Patio

So it’s been a little over a year since I shared my patio reveal with you. It’s pretty crazy how quickly a space can transform with a little love and time. I was looking through old pictures and I hardly could believe that it was the same patio! So today, I’m sharing the six elements that made a big impact on the transformation. It’s all about adding charm with small details.

Symmetry. The first thing that we did was add a window to make the brick wall look symmetrical. This also allowed for more light into the kitchen. Can you say win-win?! The process was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be.

Dutch Door. I’ve always wanted a dutch door because it’s such a great way to add the outdoors in. Our contractor ended up taking an existing door to create one that worked for our space. I open the top portion all of the time, especially during the spring and summer months.

Ivy. As you may know, I love ivy. It adds warmth and texture to almost any area — and it helps hide the brick and mortar around the new window. My goal is to grow ivy on the entire brick wall. Ivy grows quickly so be warned if you grow it on your home! It also requires a good bit of maintenance but to me, it’s worth it!

Window Boxes. Adding flowers can really have a big impact on a space so I added custom window boxes under the two windows. They also help frame the windows and coordinate well with our shutters. I change out the plants almost every season making the patio a welcoming place when we have guests over for dinner.

Paint. The whole patio looks different just by painting the shutters and the window boxes Charleston Green! I love what a little paint can do! I opted for Charleston Green for a bigger contrast than the previous green shutters.

Striped Awnings. To frame the dutch door, I added a black and white striped awning. It’s also practical because it keeps me dry when it’s raining while I’m fidgeting for my keys. I love how they soften the entire space and it instantly adds charm.