Pea Gravel In!

We did it! decided to go with pea gravel. After doing the calculations, a small patio to the side of the deck in paving stone would have cost approximately 400 dollars. Yikes! If you have a kind friend with a truck, that same area cost about 40 dollars cash at a local aggregate place (plus a husband complaining of a sore back for 4 days). We are pretty excited with how it turned out so far!

We decided to put stone edging to contain the gravel, which cost about 26 dollars. Now hopefully the weather stays nice this weekend so we can keep working on our little yard (next step, sod, stain deck, and paint!)

The Boring Part of Home Improvement

Not much going on around here this weekend except for this:

So much fun. Ha! When we moved the fence, we were left with a path that went nowhere. After pricing out paving stones (did you know that they are more expensive per square foot than hardwood?!), we decided to dig out that nowhere path and use the rocks to create a new path/lower patio area near the new gate that would be wide enough to accommodate the BBQ and a walking area. On the other side of the deck, there will be a paved (brick, I think) area which will be another lounge area (although for now it will host the little hideous playhouse and sandbox which I do not have the heart to get rid of yet- they will be moved before sale). And while I have not convinced my husband to paint all the siding, we do need to paint the cement board that surrounds where the new windows were placed in the kitchen. I picked this grey, which works with that gross red-ish colour of the siding. Hope it draws the eye in and distracts...

It's called Iron Ore by Sherwin Williams. Well, better go take advantage of the sunshine! Hope you guys had a wonderful weekend...

New CB2 Outdoor Collection

Nothing gets you thinking patio like 20 degree weather in the middle of March! Canada just got its first CB2 in Toronto early this year, so I think the new spring catalog warrants a trip to check it out:

 I especially love the new outdoor rugs in zesty colours. Maybe a good end of March break weekend trip? (you know I'll need it...). Check out the catalog Here.

My $2 Porch Perch

I've been looking for some porch furniture for quite a while,  but nothing's really piqued my interest. I didn't really want to do modern (unless it was teak, lovely, and probably from DWR) and I hadn't come across a nice, inexpensive vintage set.

That is, until recently. There's a guy on my street who casually deals in Mid-Century Furniture. I'll call him Marty because, well, his name's Marty. I bought my orangey armchair from one of his garage sales. Anyway, I was driving home after a concert the other night and screeched to a halt because he'd put this lovely vintage chair out for pickers (like me). Perfect! The seat needs a bit of work (which will be very difficult!), but for now it's fine. I love the lines of it and it is very, very comfy!

The little table came from a rummage sale for $2 and I think it's just charming. I think it's supposed to have a glass top, but it's fine as is. I especially love the pattern on the tabletop!

What's on your porch?

Indoor-Outdoor Living

Clare Design

Now that summer seems to be here, we are spending a lot more time outside in our back garden and on the deck. But as our house is old, the threshold between outside and inside is clearly delineated.

In my former life as an Architecture student in Australia, I really fell in love with buildings that totally blur the border between outside and in. I may get flamed for this, but I think that the Aussies are pretty much the world experts at it. And it totally makes sense as much of Australia has a climate that is conducive to outside living through much of the year (at least compared to North America!).

So I thought I would share the work of some of my favourite Aussie Architects and their outdoor-indoor spaces.

AIA

The Kerry and Lindsay Clare's Thrupp and Summer House at the top of the post and directly above is a great example of this style of living.  Large sliding doors and louvered windows (try doing this in Canada!!) bring the outside in. Clare Design is one of my favourite firms.

1001 Buildings You Must See Before You Die

The Marika-Alderton House by Glenn Murcutt takes things to the extreme! It's located in a very hot, tropical part of Australia where there are yearly floods during the monsoon. The entire floor is able to be flooded. There are no glass windows at all and the shutters/awnings can be adjusted.

Tzannes Assosciates

Marsh Cashman Koolloos

  I love the idea of having walls just disappear when you need them to.

Dwell

And finally...wouldn't you just die if this was your view?

A fresh take on outdoor living

I don't know what it is about this time of year, but I can not get the idea of patio season out of my head. Maybe it is the hint of sunshine or the sound of the snow melting off the roof; I can not stop craving late nights on the deck with a cool drink and sandals on! This year, I am leaning towards fresh, citrusy colours and clean lines, like these beauties:

 

From CB2

 

IKEA

 DWR

My first love is always chairs, but for dining and entertaining I can't help but love the look of a long table with low bench seating:

AllModern

For an inexpensive burst of colour, try adding some of these gorgeous side tables:

AllModern

A beautiful option from Kartell, only 195!

West Elm

Another option at 149!

 

I would have to say these are my favorite (and cheapest!), at only 29 dollars you buy them at Loblaws (yeah, you heard that right!). Spotted here first. I may even use a few of these babies as an indestructible childproof alternative to a coffee table! Of course, no backyard would be cozy without some summery textiles:

These two are my favorite, from Tonic Living. Both outdoor friendly, these would be perfect on a cushion or used for a canopy. Last, but not least ,we must not forget a nice outdoor rug, my favorite have been from Dash and Albert, which are surprisingly affordable:

Any opinions? I might be heading off to the grocery store soon to pick up those end tables...are you craving summer?