Design Happens

When my husband and I moved back to Utah from California several years ago, we knew we’d be making several sacrifices in terms of lifestyle, the biggest one being the fact that winters here seem to start at the beginning of October. And then end… never. Two days ago, this is what our deck looked like. Remember: It’s the middle of April.

A few years ago we bought a cheap set of outdoor furniture that deteriorated rather quickly when we forgot to protect it from conditions like the one in the photo above. The structure of the chairs survived, barely, but the cushions ended up resembling a pile of discarded gum wrappers. To save money we kept the chairs and commissioned a new set of cushions. Except, I fell in love with a really expensive fabric. Let’s just say that we cut WAY back on other expenses that month. Like food for our children.

I cannot wait to break out the deck furniture this year when the weather finally starts cooperating. In August, perhaps. Normally, we position two chairs with these cushions on opposite sides of a small table, and that’s the extent of it. It’s a cozy place to sip a cocktail on warm summer evenings, but I’d like to expand the decor a bit this year and turn it into an actual outdoor room. One where I can escape into silence after a day of wrangling two children and reading comments on the Internet about how I have no taste.

One of the reasons I love the fabric on the cushions so much is that it shimmers in two metallic colors: silver and gold. I want to pick up on the silver with the accessories since the gold is so dominant, starting with a silver garden stool that I’d use as the table between the chairs. Throw in some metal hurricane lamps and stainless steel planters around the perimeter of a giant outdoor rug. And then I’d finish it off with some accent pillows, tall grasses, white flowers, and of course a carafe of sweet tea.

Hopefully the weather will permit us to enjoy this room for more than a couple of weeks, although I won’t be surprised if we plan an outdoor party over Labor Day weekend and have to cancel due to a blizzard.

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