Patio-less

One thing that we don't have at this house is a patio or deck. It was obviously not a deal breaker for us...one could always be added at some point.

back of the house, bay window from dining room

small back entrance to the family room - we never use

If we ever put something, I lean towards a patio right where the adirondack chairs are. Right behind the chairs are my beautiful rose bushes. They were here when we bought the house and I like to think I've taken good care of them. They flower from early spring to late fall...which has been awesome. Unfortunately, I don't have any good pics of them right now but I'll post when I do!

Anyway back to the non-patio. So while we don't have the budget to make a patio at this time, I still want to be able to enjoy these summer nights. That means eating outside, having some beverages, and really just another place to sit while we enjoy the additional day light we have for the next couple of months. So I'm ok with putting something right on the grass.

Here's what I was day dreaming of...

Source: google.com via Megan on Pinterest

Source: alifesdesign.blogspot.com via Megan on Pinterest

Source: bing.com via Megan on Pinterest

All delightful right?! Chyeah. But nice teak is really freaking expensive and we aren't baller status yet. So then I started looking for some alternatives but similar in overall style.

Source: via Megan on Pinterest

I found this bad boy in a Christmas Tree Shoppes shopper advertisement. Yeah! Who knew Christmas Tree Shoppes sold teak patio sets for $699!!!! But sadly - still out of our budget at this point. Hoping when we do have the funds that I'll somehow find this again someday. They don't have online shopping so I'll have to luck out somehow in store.

Then I found this image online...

Source: acountryfarmhouse.blogspot.com via Megan on Pinterest

I think its super cute, very cottage-y. I like the mismatched table and chairs. And those chairs actually look inexpensive but still very pretty. 

So then I went where I knew they had outdoor furniture on the cheap, our favorite IKEA!

Source: ikea.com via Megan on Pinterest

Source: ikea.com via Megan on Pinterest

Perfect! Table looks nice and those chairs are adorable. So I checked to see if they were in stock in our local IKEA before we schlepped out there...and they're not!! I was starting to feel like this was just not gonna work out this summer.

But then I found one more image

Source: timbarberltd.com via Megan on Pinterest

How did they make a regular picnic table look so pretty?! I love it..I think its a perfect solution for our needs. It's inexpensive dining now....and will be a great kids table for later once we have enough saved and can buy some "real" furniture.

Lowe's has this which I think will work great...

Source: lowes.com via Megan on Pinterest

and at $87.84 it's super affordable. I'll just paint it white to match our adirondack chairs, put some pretty lanterns on top and it will be just as pretty as the other pic! I'll post pictures after we get and paint!