Today we’re welcoming Caroline Lee to the blog to share her patio makeover and home with us. It has us dreaming of warm summer nights!
Here’s what it looked like before—
“I live in Los Angeles, California with my husband, Jayden. We’ve lived in the same home for over three years now, but over the summer, our landlord decided to make our yard drought resistant and ripped out all of the grass. The grass wasn’t in great shape as it was, but my Midwestern heart (I’m from Wisconsin) couldn’t cope with the idea of having a ‘kitty litter yard’ (lots of little rocks), so I got straight into doing a major yard makeover. Now, it is our favorite space in the whole ‘house’!
“Once our landlord finished the yard makeover, it may have been ‘improved’ and drought-proofed, but it wasn’t an especially charming space to be in. Almost all of the yard pieces came from ATG Stores. They have an amazing range of outdoor furniture (and outdoor rugs!), and it is all quite affordable.
“Also, since our landlord had drought-proofed the yard, she asked us not to plant anything new in the ground, which created a little challenge of ‘how to bring plant life into the space without actually planting anything?’, but I think we found a perfect solution with all of the different plants and textures in all different pots and sizes! My friend, Danae, of Folia Collective was so good to me as I texted her endlessly with plant questions. Almost all of my pots (and many of my plants, too!) came from Potted, and Annette, the owner, was incredibly helpful in brainstorming lots of landscaping solutions.
“Jayden DIY’d an amazing succulent wall by first, painting the brick wall charcoal, and then stacking cinderblocks in different directions so that they could house different plants. It took some trial and error to get the plants to stay (and not fall through the bottom when it rained!), but he managed to sort it out, and we love the look so much.
“We love sitting outside both to work and to spend time with our friends and family. It is so peaceful, and we love the bistro lights at night—it really is the coziest spot in our whole space!
Want to see the inside?
Chair (dubbed “The Pink Throne”)/Craigslist, Clay Mask/Heartside Gallery, Painting/Adam Lee.
Sofa/West Coast Modern, Coffee Table, and Eye Pillow/Urban Outfitters, other pillows/Little Korboose, Shelving and Floor Lamp/West Elm, Rug/Coco Carpets.
Hanging Fiber Art/DIY.
“The credenza was found at the Long Beach Flea Market (and in case you’re wondering, YES!, it fits in a Prius).
Vase/ Nicola Vruwink.
“Our home is filled with pieces that have stories and meaning to them—from the hand we took off of a mannequin in a dumpster in Madrid, to the carpets we brought back from Morocco.
Peacock Chair/Etsy, Rug/Coco Carpets, Pillow/Elephant Landing, Shibori/DIY.
Bedding/Unison Home, Painting/Mercedes Helnwein.
“Jayden and I have lived in this home for over three years now, and the evolution never stops! We did a full wave of home decorating when we first moved in, and then last year we redid our bedroom. Most recently was the yard makeover, and as soon as this ink dries, we’re going to dive in and redo our dining room and living room again! We live and often work in the space, and it is a small home, (less than 1,000 square feet), so it feels inspiring and fun to make it feel new… early and often!”
If you love Caroline’s style as much as we do, be sure to follow her on Instagram and check out her blog, Woodnote Photography.
Credits// Author: Caroline Lee. Photography: Caroline Lee and Echo and Earl. Styling by Jess at Taylor + Taylor.
20 Comments
Beautiful! Summer can’t come quickly enough!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
I’m so in love with that succulent wall and all those colourful details!
https://www.makeandmess.com/
I’ll say it — that pink chair is the best Craigslist find of ALL TIME.
LOOKS SOOOO GOOD CAROLINE! #goals
Hey-o, fellow Los Angelean and “Lee”! So wishing I had a backyard space like this here! I”m dying over the succulent wall outside, the peacock chairs, and of course the rest of this colorful home!!
http://www.wonderlandsam.com
Caroline! Your backyard is so adorable! I also LOVE your jeans. Would you please share where you got them?
love it. So much color.
Your prius comment made me chuckle. I live in NYC and getting good finds home to my apartment is a real struggle! Your backyard looks beautiful and so cozy – a hard feat given your restrictions!!
I love the way the backyard is set up =o) Looks like the perfect place to have friends over
dreamofadventures.blogspot.com
I am in love with the succulent wall! Such a happy set up.
I love the backyard makeover! I do wish, though, that in general you would use the same color filters on the before pictures as you do on the after pictures so we could see a true comparison.
I really like your DIY idea with the cinder block. We live in Ecuador and have plenty of block like that around so i could do something like this in my back yard. Sometimes it is frustrating when you see a new DIY idea but it is impossible to implement in this country. But this is a possibility.
http://4000miles.com/
Love the layering of the rugs and the colors.
Love the way their yard/patio area turned out! Honored to have played a very tiny role in seeing it come to life!
So… how DID you manage to secure the plants in the cinderblocks? We’re moving to a house with a real yard this spring and are planning a plant wall. This is too perfect!
Before & after pictures make me feel so motivated to try my own projects. I really like the bright colors!
– Katie
https://thebippityboppitybeautifulblog.wordpress.com
Seriously love this backyard. The brick wall was so creative and it looks amazing. I think it was a great choice to paint the cinder blocks black, it really draws the eye to the plants and creates a good contrast of colors. I am now dreaming of warm summer nights. Thanks for sharing your adorable home with us.
Charlotte Lindsay
http://www.maelmoderndecor.com/default.asp
The whole place looks wonderful! http://www.likehanna.com
Love the pink flamingo and pink hair! i have pink hair too but darker 🙂
Yes the jeans are so good too!! ? Would love to know where they are from…