Some items in this post are courtesy of Joss & Main*
When I started this blog almost a year ago, I never had plans to share any rooms or spaces in our home because I’ve never felt that confident in my decorating skills. This definitely isn’t a design blog, but I do love to entertain and that’s the main reason I decided that our outdoor patio needed a makeover. We enjoy spending time outside grilling with friends and playing with our pup, Bonnie, so I really wanted to open the space up more!
I’ve partnered with Joss & Main to show you how we did a refresh on our outdoor pea gravel patio area with a budget in mind. What you’ll see in this post:
- Tips on How Much to Budget for Outdoor Patio Makeover
- Before and After Photos
- How to Create Mood Board + Design Layout (amateur… not a designer!)
Outdoor Patio Makeover Cost
Since this was more of a “fun” project and not a necessity, I wanted to stick to a budget. When we first moved into our house last Summer, I quickly realized how expensive furniture can be, and outdoor furniture is no exception. Last year, I was more concerned with spending money to decorate the inside so we purchased a used patio dining set on Craigslist for $250 and called it a day.
The 7-piece patio set was so large it made our guests’ ability to mix and mingle quite difficult. My wish for the patio makeover was to separate the space and have a seating area on one side and a dining area on the other. Keep reading to see how we achieved that!
Outdoor Makeover Under $1000
L-Shaped Outdoor Sectional – $499 (c/o Joss & Main*)
2 Dining Chairs – here are similar (Nadeau in Birmingham) – $75
Bench – $170
Before
Before
Outdoor Patio Design and Layout
After measuring the area, I decided to get online and start searching for inspiration on Pinterest! I knew the look I was aiming for and that an L-shaped sectional would be the main purchase, so I looked for photos with similar pieces and created a mood board where I could see all the elements in one place. I designed this collage in Canva , which is a free tool great for creating graphics!
Outdoor Patio Design Process
I’m so indecisive and like to have the opinions of others who might know better than myself, so I drew up these very amateur sketches and posted a poll allowing my Instagram followers to help me decide which layout would look best. Can you tell by the photos which layout won the polls??
OPTION 1 – Sectional on the right with an adjustable umbrella hanging over, and a circular table on the left.
OPTION 2: Sectional on the left, with rectangular dining table on the right
Once the layout was finalized, I started shopping around on Joss & Main to find the perfect L-shaped couch that was within my budget and found this one. Unfortunately, it’s sold out right now, but you can look here for similar styles within the same price range.
I’m so pleased with the way it turned out! What do you think?
For a closer look at how we styled the table and suggestions on outdoor dining ware check out this post!
Love this. I love your sketches. I’m off to photograph my garden to have a think!
Wow! This turned out beautifully! Makes me want to have a larger patio! Love the rustic feel!