In the spring Brian and I decided it was finally time, after living in our home for three years, to spruce up the back yard. When we bought the home we were just excited to have a yard in general since we were coming from a townhouse with no outdoor space. We didn’t have any plans for what we wanted the space to be other than Bear’s yard. Bear is our 80+ pound German Shepherd (pictured below) who loves chasing his ball. After a couple of years of running back and forth through the yard, we were left with a mud hole. So we decided it was time to put some money into our yard and really start enjoying our outdoor space!

Our first step was to have new higher quality sod put down that would stand up to Bear a little better. But one of our biggest issues is the dog next door. We needed a solution that would keep Bear and the neighbor’s dog from being able to get to each other underneath the fence. So we decided to fence in our patio with a wrought iron fence. I love how this turned out! It makes our patio feel more like an additional room. We put in a nice gate and a dog run, but for the most part it is completely inclosed. Now we can actually be outside without the interference from the dogs.

Once we got the patio fence installed (Brian and his dad took care of this personally) it made it easier to decide what type of furniture we wanted. It’s not a big space, in fact our yard in general is on the smaller side, but it’s still functional. Pier 1 was my first stop for patio chairs. I always think of Pier 1 furniture to be on a smaller scale. It’s ideal for tighter spaces and I think they have a great price point for the style. We purchased the Layla chairs, which are currently sold out but the settee is still available.

I’ve become a little bit of a crazy plant lady so when we saw this potting bench we both agreed we needed it. I love having some storage outside. I keep some of my empty pots, potting soil and all of my gardening tools on the bench. There is a little tub that is meant for holding potting soil, but it would also work as a cooler if you filled it with ice and kept the drinks in there. Perfect for entertaining.

Since our patio is small we won’t ever have too many people over, but I did want to be able to eat out there, weather permitting. I found this French bistro set at HomeGoods this past weekend and was sold! I have it tucked to the side for now but we can easily pull it to the center when we want to eat on the patio.

Adding a neutral rug and a few decor pieces in blue and white, made everything feel very cozy. We spend most mornings on the patio, enjoying our tea and coffee. Especially now that the Texas heat makes it hard to be outside after 10am. Even though it’s hot, I still look forward to going out there each morning. My goal was to make our patio space feel like an extension of our home. Now, it’s the perfect place to start my day! xo Bryn

Shop the Look:

Chairs: Pier 1 (similar), Patio Set: HomeGoods, Potting Bench: World Market (sold out, similar)

Glasses: Anthropologie, Garden Stool: HomeGoods (similar), Glass Pitcher: Target, Blue and White Pitcher: Similar, Pillows: Williams-Sonoma