Backyard Garden Room Makeover – Before and After

It is time to continue our three months of AE Outdoor “Creating the Perfect Patio” garden room makeover project – the last redecorating project is focused on making a blank, awkwardly shaped flagstone patio into a sweet entertaining area. In the photo to the right you can see the last makeover project results, where I remade the front patio area into a sitting area with a living wall and a succulent wok. It transitioned into a boldly happy entry! Our first patio makeover, seen in the photo to the left, was an outdoor garden potting room re-do. It became a colorful potting area filled with a beautiful table and portable cocktail bar. I have had an  fun season working on the garden room makeover challenges which AE Outdoor encouraged – three months of creative ideas and garden design transformation has been a lot of fun.

Each project has started by receiving the Sunbrella fabric swatches where I reviewed colors and chose the furniture that might work best for the area I was remodeling. All the projects have had a design goal – this month’s project focuses on adding interest to an unusually shaped flagstone circle (see before photo right). I chose the Augustine 5 piece Deep Seating Set because it included a large table which I felt would be perfect for entertaining – it’s always great if you can sit your martini down while enjoying the garden and your friends. Find your favorite patio sets on the AEOutdoor.com website, which is where you can connect to all of their advice blogs and social media.

Each of the chairs from the Augustine set are comfortable and spin, so you can easily move as the conversation moves when you are entertaining. I liked the idea of being in a semi-circle where everyone can speak with one another easily and also admire or enjoy appetizers and drinks from the table. This is a design technique you can apply on your own patio – semi-circles and circles encourage conversation. All the furniture is heavy-duty yet made from recyclable products, so can be reused at the end of it’s life.

Sitting in the flagstone area around the tree enables you to see the garden potting room and if you have the cocktail tables set up – the bartender (above). I love that you can swivel around and watch birds in the garden as well. Another great touch for your entertaining area is fresh flowers and the white cup oriental lilies (below) add some knock-your-socks-off impact to an outdoor setting. They were sent from Stargazer Barn; the flowers look fabulous with or without their dusty pollen and add an impactful touch to the outdoor room. Stargazer Barn specializes in American grown flowers and fully support the American Grown Flowers organization – it’s possible to order these flowers anytime of the year and they are truly beautiful.

For our first little party I brought out the good stuff – Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate, dates, nuts, fresh ripe cherries, and crescent cookies all presented on my Fiestaware dinnerware. The main serving dishes are the Fiestaware Small Bread Tray and Square Handled Serving Tray. Both beautiful in a bold poppy color. Although this was the last of the AE Outdoor “Creating the Perfect Patio” garden room makeover projects, it certainly was the most fun and delicious – thanks AE Outdoor for all the design inspiration! Try designing your backyard garden room or outdoor seating areas in circles and semi-circles to bring more people together for conversation.