Hey there friends!
It’s been such a joy to get our back deck all spruced up and ready for summer! I mentioned on the stairs post that we’ve decided to screen in underneath and not try to do that with this deck, so since it’s open and up in the trees, might as well make the best of it, so that’s what I did!
This is a quick shot of before we moved in. It has stayed like this the whole time and since there were no stairs, it really wasn’t a space we planned on using that much, until now. The stairs change everything!
This is before we moved in. This deck is about 13 years old so has a few pieces of wood that needs to be replaced. We’ll be working on that soon too as well as getting the whole thing restained. We are doing all of this ourselves.
Here’s a look at the deck before we moved in. No stairs, just a floating deck space up there! Are you ready to see it all furnished?
A note about how this all came together right now.
I had the faux wicker settee and 2 chairs on my old screened porch. This Big Lots set started life in Birmingham with me so has been around for several years now and still going strong. It was definitely time for new cushions and pillows. I’ve been working with At Home stores recently and had some giftcards to spend, so I guess you could say this is sponsored by them, but they didn’t require for me to do a blog post. Of course, I wanted to share it with all of you!
The rugs, umbrella and stand, as well as the cushions and pillows, the clay planters, and a few accessories came from At Home. It sure was fun shopping for this space!
Welcome to the Treehouse! It does feel like a tree house up here with all the trees surrounding the deck. I went with bright colors of blues and a little green to accent the brown furniture. There is a seating area and also a dining area. I’ll tell you about the table and chairs too.
For the seating area, the new cushions and pillows came from At Home and it was so fun choosing new things from there. They really do have a great selection of cushions and pillows, more than any store I’ve ever seen. I love using bright colors outdoors, so I’m all about the color! These striped cushions called out to me in my fave colors and I fell in love with the hooked outdoor rug from At Home too. So much so that I got 2 of them!
Those are birch trees right outside the deck space and they make a great buffer with our neighbors as well as add to the Treehouse feel. More about those in a minute. We found out they are messy trees. We sure have a nice view of the woods, don’t we?
The dining table and chairs are from Wayfair and I had a chance to work with them recently too and shopped online for the table and chair set. Since I already had the brown faux wicker, I went with something that blends with the seating area. I like the mix of brown wicker and these bright colors. The chairs are very comfortable and the table has an umbrella hole, in case I want to move the umbrella over there.
More of the seating area. I also got this aqua metal side table from At Home, they have lots of outdoor furniture pieces to choose from.
That vintage iron bakers rack has been with me since Birmingham days too and I gave it a fresh coat of spray paint in a pretty aqua shade. Nice to have somewhere to put some plants and some accessories that can take the weather. Those brass lovebirds are a long ago thrifted find from Birmingham. I still love them and they remind me of Mark and I!
I chose this pretty melamine platter from At Home for the coffee table. Great thing to use for drink placement since the wicker isn’t super firm and glasses can tip over. I love melamine for outdoor use! This Waverly pattern is so fresh and pretty!
We are really going to enjoy this deck space this year, I’m certain. It went from an empty space to one full of color and lounging possibilities.
Miss Holly thinks the deck space is the best thing ever and now she stays up here all the time. Adding the stairs was such a great thing to do and it’s made it totally accessible for her now. I think she thinks that this deck was decorated just for her! We will definitely let her use it as much as she wants to!
So I’m sure you’ll be seeing lots more of Holly pictures now. She adores being up here in the Treehouse where she can survey her kingdom. It only gets about 4 hours of direct sun each day and a lot of shade, so that’s a really good thing.
I added another little Waverly melamine tray on the bakers rack and added a few pretty pieces.
I also added some herbs in a planter on the bakers rack too and looking forward to fresh basil, oregano, and cilantro during the summer months.
This vintage piece adds a fun look and doesn’t take up much room.
I also picked up this trio of pretty ceramic pots from At Home to add some colorful summer annuals. It’s going to be fun watching them grow and get bigger. My favorite flowers in summer are pink ones, so I usually add those to my pots.
These are coleus in one planter alone and the smaller one has Creeping Jenny, coleus, and a New Guinea Impatiens. We get only about 4 hours of direct sun on the deck, so lots of shade morning and later afternoon.
The larger planter has petunias, asparagus fern, and a pretty pink coleus. They are already growing bigger since I’ve planted them.
There’s Holly again! She loves it when we are out there with her which I know we will be a lot this summer, weather permitting. When I know rain is coming, I cover up everything with outdoor covers. Each seating piece has a cover and so does the table and chairs. That will help protect everything for years to come.
Holly says hey!
I love the umbrella stand with a granite base, nice and sturdy and the umbrella is 9′ round, which gives plenty of shade up here.
I wanted to keep this space simple, pretty, and colorful so there’s not an over abundance of things here. It’s easier that way to keep it orderly and I don’t have to worry too much about the weather.
Those trees between us and the neighbors are River Birch trees and they are so pretty, but we discovered how messy they are during spring/summer this year. They drop seed pods and when the wind blows everything gets covered. You can see a few on the table. I’ve heard they stop dropping these after a week or so, so I’m hoping after all the rain we’ve had, these pesky things will stop falling. I have used the blower to get them off everything up here and they would just come back again in a short time.
I do have furniture covers for every piece of furniture out here, so that helps during rainy weather. I can cover the chairs, loveseat and the dining table and chairs. The rugs are outdoor, so even if they get wet, they will dry out and should hold up fine. I will take up the rugs when summer is over and store them in our basement until next spring and put them out again after the mess of those trees is over for the year.
So, here’s to Summer on our deck in the Treehouse! I think we are really going to enjoy this space to the max and I know Holly will! It’s already a go to place for relaxing and eating outdoors. When we have larger groups over, we’ll use the patio seating area below for a crowd, but I’m pretty sure Mark and I will spend a lot of time up here this summer! Next year, we’ll will probably go for the screened porch project under the deck too. That will be fun to plan!
Thanks for stopping by and taking a look at all we’ve done! It feels so good to get this crossed off the list for the year. We have done a lot this first year and I’m loving every bit of it.
Here’s the table and chairs I got from Wayfair as well as the table cover I got (affiliate links)
It is such a gorgeous space Rhoda. And, I may have stolen your clever idea and affectionately refer to our back porch as a “tree house”. It literally is surrounded by our beautiful sugar maples. We will be spending quite a bit of time out there while hubby recuperates.
Hey, Lauren, borrow away! I think it’s the perfect name for an outdoor space in the trees. Hope you enjoy your porch too with your hubby recuperating.
That is so pretty and peaceful looking. No wonder Holly enjoys it so much.
I’m wondering if the plant with the big pink flower might not be a New Guinea Impatiens rather than vinca. I have both on my front porch so I went out and took a look at them. It more closely resembled my impatiens with spiny things on the edges of the leaves. That would be a good thing if it is as it can handle more shade than the vinca. Either way, its very pretty. Enjoy!
I’m speaking of the pot with the creeping jenny.
HI, Anise, you are right, it is New Guinea Impatiens. I need to change that, thanks!
Love your deck space Rhoda
Thank you, Erika, we sure are too!
Rhoda, your deck looks so pretty and inviting! Great job! I wanted to share that my hubby and I bought some spray-on fabric protector at Lowe’s the summer before last and liberally sprayed our outdoor pillows and cushions with two coats, allowing drying time in between. It has been amazing how well they’ve held up out in the elements! They still look brand spanking new!
Hi, Terri, thanks so much. I have tried some of those spray on things before, but it didn’t seem to matter too much. I’m covering up my furniture with the cushions and pillows underneath when it rains and so far so good on that. I can easily uncover them when the rain is gone.
I love the colors and they way you have arranged, mixed and matched. I know you and Mark will enjoy being outside especially since you get a fair amount of shade. Where did you get the rugs? Are you worried that they will not weather well?
Hey, Andrea! Rugs are from At Home as well. They do get wet, but they are outdoor so should dry out just fine. With all our rain lately and the fact that the deck is shaded so long, they are still wet, but they will dry out eventually. That’s the only drawback to shady spots, they don’t dry out after rain as fast. But I’ll deal with that. The rest of it I can cover up.
Rhoda, your porch is stunning! Shades of blue are my favorite. Your idea about the melamine platters is a great takeaway idea. I think my favorite accessory are the two love birds on your baker’s rack. Sweet Holly has definitely given it her stamp of approval!
Thank you, Roxanne! Those lovebirds are brass and are a long ago thrifting find from Birmingham. I like to think of them as Mark and I! Holly loves it up here! And yes on the melamine, great for outdoor spaces, you don’t have to worry about them in the weather.
Rhoda – this is so gorgeous! We re going to have similar space in our new house and I am looking for ideas. It’s perfect! Where did the umbrella come from – was it At Home as well? Hugs from PGH, PA.
Lynne
Thank you, Lynne! Yes, umbrella and stand both from At Home. I love that granite stand. We are so enjoying our new deck space!
How pretty & inviting your deck is! Love your sweet photo bomber, too!
Thank you, Sheila, she’s a sweet girl!
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So inviting and colorful! I’d love to do a makeover on my ‘rickety’ deck, but holding til we either repair or replace. I did smile – because I have that SAME baker’s rack that I bought a lifetime ago and used in my daughter’s bedroom (she’s a mother to five now) – but mine doesn’t look nearly as nice as yours. It’s in my garage and my husband uses it to hold all his golf hats and shoes. Happy summer. p.s. – you’re potted plants are also quite spectacular – and gave me some ideas.
Hi, Becky, so glad you stopped by and got some ideas. We are going to live on this deck this summer. Ours needs some repairs too, so we’ll be doing that soon and also restaining the whole thing.
Thought pics would have been of stairs. Beautiful dog
Hi, there’s a post on the stairs from last week, if you look through my blog.
So pretty!!! How old is Holly, she is just beautiful. I think she will be getting her own fan club before too long lol.
Hey, Lynne, I think you are right, Holly is getting her own fan club. She is 10 years old and a very sweet girl..unless you are a person outside her fence that she doesn’t think should be there. Then she gets mouthy!
Your treehouse is really beautiful ! Looks very inviting and comfortable. Love the colors you used and the plants in the pretty pots add just the right amount of color too…. Holly looks like such a sweet girl… I’m sure you will all be enjoying that spot all summer long.
Thank you, Patricia, we are loving it already! Holly is a sweet girl.
Your tree house looks fabulous Rhoda, I love how you’ve decorated it with those lovely bright colors and know y’all will really enjoy it!!
Thank you VBG!
I love the colors you chose! Entire area looks fantastic, and I like how you coordinated it into your indoor colors also. It must be a wonderful space to spend time!
Love what you have done on your deck, Rhoda! It’s so beautiful! Your choice of deck furniture is lovely and those beautiful accessories just tie everything together! Holly is really going to love being out there with you and Mark, too! What a lovely dog she is! Hope you get lots of time to just sit and relax out there! Blessings!
Thank you, Mary-Ann, we are so enjoying being out there and Holly is right there with us.
Looks great, Rhoda! Love that you have a “treehouse”! Like going back to childhood days!
I have that same striped pattern on 2 patio chairs next to my pool. I’ve had them since last year and I’m not as diligent as you about covering them and keeping them pristine, so they are a bit faded, but still look good and have held up very well. I did Scotchguard them when I got them so that probably helped too!
Oh, and I’ve been a serious At Home fan for 20+ years, back to when it was Garden Ridge…great deals to be had!
Hey, Audra, glad to hear that. I was a Garden Ridge shopper too years ago, but I think they’ve stepped up their game now with At Home.
Holly is gorgeous!
The deck looks fantastic, and Holly’s a beauty, too!
Iam sure you will enjoy your deck up among the trees. Its Very pretty.
Holly is beautiful !