I built something! Sort of.

I’ve lived in 8 different spaces in the past 10 years, and the majority had a nice patio or a balcony. Frugal is my middle name, so I always “furnished” those outdoor spaces with a camping chair from Wal-mart. Sometimes I had two chairs, depending on how many made it through the summer camping season!Doesn’t that sound inviting? My patios screamed, “Come outside and chill!” Except the opposite.

I recently decided that I am an adult. With all of my outdoor adventures every weekend, why wasn’t I hanging out in the out-of-doors more often at home? I get what I think are bright ideas every so often. I focus 100% on them, almost obsess over them until they come to life. So, I set my sights on patio furniture. I wanted it to be cozy, welcoming, and relaxing. Fluffy cushions, bright colors, happy vibes.

On one side of the patio, it’s a functional space to eat. I have a beautiful mosaic bistro table, hanging lantern, and spiral tree placed in an urn planter. Love it. Also note my expert blur skills to highlight my decor. I have a few more things to add that will spruce up this side.

My Mediterranean bistro eating area.

Ah, now we get to the other side, the lounge. Do you know how expensive outdoor loveseats, chaises, and benches are? I mentioned I’m frugal. Time to scout Pinterest for alternative ideas. Searching “small patio ideas” yields the CUTEST photos of other human’s incredible outdoor escapes. The custom benches caught my eye, and my creative juices got going.

Building a custom corner bench from scratch is intimidating for a woman who has never been around power tools. The Anysize Table kit came to the rescue. It comes with the legs and screws – you purchase the wood. So simple. I’d never purchased materials, painted, or built anything outside of IKEA furniture, but how hard could it be?

Um, who let me near the power tools?

You know who does know about these things, is Mark. And I just so happen to be a great supervisor. We both knew those would be our roles in my project.

The process is straightforward, just time-consuming. Go find yourself a few pieces of nice wood. One bench is 48″, the other is 36″.

 For some reason, Mark let me use the power tools. I sanded, and that’s the only part I was decent at. Routing is nerve-wracking. Spray painting is hard. How do people hold the can steady and straight when spraying back and forth? There’s more paint on the plastic protector than the wood when I’m through.

Conveniently, I left the project at Mark’s place to let the paint dry. A few days later, I magically had a bench!

Working his magic.

On to bench number two.

Ta-da!

Almost done!

Now for the cushions, which proved to be the most time-consuming. These benches are 14.5″ deep, nowhere near a standard size for bench cushions. Time for a custom order. I found a great company out of Georgia, an hour or so north of where I grew up. Choosing throw pillows was by far the hardest part. Making different patterns, textures, and sizes clash yet compliment is a skill I do not possess. After about a month, I wandered into Home Goods on a whim, saw a satisfying blue patterned pillow, and decided to go the safe route and fill in with white, my favorite decor color.

Cirrus modeling the corner bench.

 Hi, Cirrus!

By the way, do you see how fantastically awesome my succulents are doing? Even through the blur, they’re making me so proud. I’m also super pumped about my gas fire pit. I put it on a rolling plant stand so it easily moves anywhere. I also have a 12×12 stepping stone to put on top for an instant coffee table!

Time to relax and enjoy with a glass of melted ice tea. And, of course, CL the cat.

CL’s turn to model the benches.