Happy Monday everyone! So excited to finish off our last week of school! We spent the whole weekend outside and in the pool so needless to say – we are ready! While we were playing in the yard I took some pictures of our outdoor entertaining area to share with you today.
The french doors in our family room lead to this outdoor covered area. It’s a cozy spot to visit with friends, watch a football game in the fall and to BBQ a few hamburgers in the summer time.
When we were building I found this gorgeous remnant piece of granite that looked a lot like marble so I used it for the countertop.
We bought the furniture for this space last summer and then added the rug and pillows this summer. It has been so fun having this space furnished! We are out here all the time now.
The furniture is from the Leagrave set at Restoration Hardware. I’ve loved it for years! Mostly because of the fun design on the back of the furniture.
We see this couch out of our french doors in the nook and I love waking up to that fun circle pattern every morning.
As much as I love my furniture, we needed some color in our yard! I always knew I wanted to add navy and when Pottery Barn came out with their new outdoor line this year I fell head over heels in love with this rug and these pillows! The rug is their dot n’ dash outdoor rug. (It’s on sale right now btw! So are the pillows!) I bought the 8×10 and even though we could have used a bigger rug in this space, I like that it brings things close creating a cozy seating area in front of the fireplace.
I want to eventually add some end tables and more decor to this space but these were a few things I found shopping my house. :)
These poufs (also from Restoration Hardware) add a fun touch and more seat options.
This pillow is my favorite! Pottery Barn’s Katrea pillow.
Other pillows I used were Pottery Barn’s Drayton, Izmit, and Malibu Medallion. It’s amazing the difference a few throw pillows make, isn’t it!? They made the yard come alive. I really wanted a light fixture for this space but when we were building we couldn’t figure out where to center it! If I centered the light over the coffee table, it wouldn’t be centered on the ceiling and if I centered it on the ceiling pattern, it wouldn’t be centered over the table. One of those things we didn’t think about until after the ceiling was in! Oops. There are lots of “hindsight is 20/20” moments when you build. :) There are plenty of can lights so we didn’t really need one. I just thought it would look good!
The only downside with having our outdoor space finally furnished is that now I have lost all motivation to get anything done inside the house. Ha! I had quite a list of to-do’s this weekend and they were completely ignored because I was parked on either that couch or the lounge chairs by the pool hanging out with friends and family. Oh well. The to-do list can wait. That’s what summer is all about right?
Bring it on. We’re ready.
:)
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What a fantastic space to have, my dream colours especially for outside. Love every inch of it. Enjoy your long summer xx
Thank you Nicola! So sweet of you! xo
Every time you share a space, I think how I just want to move in!
What a sweet thing to say JC! Makes me so happy you like it all! Thank you!! xo
Hi Erin,
I love you outdoor space. It’s beautiful, just like your yard. You have such a good eye for design and decorating. Oh man, I would spend as much time as I could outside lounging around the pool or sitting on that darling couch. I’m so happy for you. Have a wonderful summer with your cute family!
I’m so happy you like it Nancy! Thank you sweet friend. I plan to do just that! ;) Wishing you a wonderful summer too! xo
Erin, your outdoor space is so beautiful and cozy… though I didn’t expect anything less! I wish we lived closer because I would love to see it in person and sit out there with a cup of coffee and chat. So glad you and your family are getting use out of it! Those are the moments you’ll remember – – not the cleaning! :-)
Happy summertime!!!
Shannon in PA (aka “The Busy Brunette”)
http://thebusybrunette.blogspot.com/
Thank you sweet Shannon! I would love that so much. Hopefully some day! Enjoy your summer and time off! xo
Your outdoor space is amazing. I’ve never seen anything like this before living in Minnesota! I love it.
Thank you Bonnie! I wish I could have you over! xo
What a beautiful spot, definitely a highlight of your house!! It’s so nice that in southern California you don’t have to deal with many flying insects… I live in Virginia, where an outdoor room like yours would ideally be built as a screen porch to keep the bugs out. I prefer the California-style screen-free/bug-free version! :)
Thank you Alison! Oh my word – I lived in VA for three years and know exactly what you mean! It’s so different here. I miss VA terribly in the Fall, but yes! California style screen bug free version is awfully nice! :) x
Soooooo jealous! Everything is so gorgeous. I would die and go to heaven if I had an outdoor fireplace like that… someday!
Thank you Sarah! Someday for sure. We said that for years too. ;) xo
What a fabulous space, Erin! It’s no wonder you don’t want to be inside! You have such a fabulous eye for design and decor. It looks comfy cozy and inviting. I’m thrilled for you and your family and friends that you get to enjoy this space. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Jeanne! You are such a sweetheart. I’m so happy you like it! Happy summer sweet friend! xo
Oh Erin! I was thrilled to see new photos this morning of your new outdoor kitchen space!! I just LOVE it! You have taken a beautiful area and made it even more beautiful and cozy with the beautiful mix of blues and turquoises with your outdoor rug and pillows! The furniture is absolutely incredible, and I love the circle design on the backs. Your San Diego climate is perfect for an outdoor space such as this! You will have such a great summer enjoying your wonderful family and friends in your backyard!!
Thank you so much sweet Jane! I’m thrilled you like it! I know – our climate is nice enough to enjoy a space like this all year so we really wanted to prioritize it when we built the house. Now that it’s furnished we are hanging out there a lot. :) Wish I could have you over! I know we could talk for days. :) Happy summer! xo
I’m totally in love with not only your backyard but your entire home. Your use of colors, fabrics and accessories is beautiful. I stumbled upon your blog from another blog I follow and I’m so glad I did …. yours is definitely a favorite! Thanks for sharing your beautiful home and family with your readers. Now, can you answer the million dollar question for me ….. what is in the stainless doors under your grill and outdoor sink lol. We have recently added a cover to our seating area outside and want to install a grill and I am just beginning to research so this is of the utmost importance to me lolol. Thanks so much and enjoy the last few school days before the dog days of summer.
Wow Judy! Can you move in!? And tell me that everyday!? ;) Ha! You are too kind! Thank you so much. I’m thrilled you found my blog and are planning to stay! Ok – the drawers on the left under our BBQ are actually nothing but storage – drawers and cupboards for whatever we want to put in there. Paper towels, cups and plates, grill odds and ends, etc. On the right side under the sink there is another open cupboard and then a pull out trash and a mini fridge on the far right. Hope that helps! Good luck installing your grill! So fun for summer. :) Thanks again Judy! xo
Oh how beautiful your outdoor space is!! I absolutely love it!! I hope you and your family make many memories out there!! xoxo
Thank you Susan! You are such a sweetheart! xo
It’s just perfect out there! I really love the navy. I have been loving navy everything lately. It looks really good! I don’t blame you I wouldn’t be doing a darn thing. I’d be sitting by the pool or outside everyday! I’m pretty sure I could bring my son Matt too in his wheelchair; it looks pretty wheelchair friendly, lol! Enjoy your summer!
I wish I could have you both over Sue! xo
Oh, my…. It’s all so beautiful!!! I just discovered your blog. I love both your inside and outside space. We’re just starting the remodeling process. I have two questions. In your pool, what is the underwater ledge next to the hot tub? Also, on your patio, if you had to put a hanging light in now, knowing what you know, where would it go?
Thanks!
Hi Rebecca! Thank you! The underwater ledge is called a “shamu shelf.” It’s a place for kids to sit/play on. If I could go back I would center our outdoor light over the coffee table/fireplace area! The square panels just didn’t line up right so we bagged it. :) Good luck with your remodel!
I love it all! That furniture is so fun and so perfect for the space. And the pillows are so beautiful. It looks like the perfect place to hang out. I can see why you are out there all the time! :)
Thank you Courtney! xo
Hi Erin
What’s the name of that granite remnant you used that looks like marble?
We really like the Italian marble but some say it’s not recommended for the kitchen! Love the white/ gray colors.
Trang
Dinhtdd@gmail.com
Thank you! I wish I could tell you the name! It’s the only counter in my house I don’t have a name for. We just picked out a remnant piece that was leftover and had it installed. Sorry I’m not more help!
hi, love your blog. where did you purchase this light?
https://www.thesunnysideupblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/dining-nook-with-planked-ceiling.jpg
Hi Julie! Thank you! That light is from Candelabra! Here is the link:
http://www.shopcandelabra.com/regina-andrew-brushed-nickel-patterned-pendant-fixture
Wow — it’s so pretty — I’d definitely be out there all the time too! Enjoy!
Thank you sweet Janet! xo
Wow, every time you share a new area of your home, I think it couldn’t be any more beautiful, but I would be wrong! Everything about your home, both inside and out, is absolutely gorgeous! Enjoy your summer.
What an incredibly kind comment Carol! Thank you so much. You made my night! xo
Love the space. Great job!
Thanks Hanna! xo
We recently moved to Georgia and are hoping to build a house. I hope to incorporate many of your fabulous ideas! I love this space.
Thank you Joy! Good luck with your new build! xo
Outdoor spaces are always so difficult when trying to make them feel “homey” and comfortable. That being said, this is a wonderful way to bring the comfort of inside the home into the great outdoors! Who knew you didn’t have to keep home décor in the confines of four walls! I love the color selections, too!
Thank you Sara! xo
Hi Erin, I am extremely envious of your outdoor space. Coming from England we don’t get weather like you do in order to enjoy such a beautiful space. What i’d give to have good enough weather to be able to be outdoors enough to make the most of a space such as yours!! I hop you and your family get many more years of enjoyment out of the beautiful space that you have created. xxx
You are so kind Rebecca. Thank you! xo
I love your outdoor space. I just ordered RH furniture from the Leagrave collection. It was hard to visualize what the wood will look like from their wood samples. I chose the Drifted finish and am sooo hoping this is what you have because it is just what I am looking for. Can you tell me if you have the weathered or drifted finish please. Nice job on it all!!
Hi Julie! I don’t think they had options when we ordered ours! I looked on-line at their samples and ours looks mostly like the weathered but I’m not positive and the weathered and drifted are SO similar that I think either one will have the look of ours. It will be beautiful! I really love the Leagrave collection. Enjoy! :) xo
Thank you! You are so sweet to look at it and reply!! ;) xo Julie
You bet. :) Happy Turkey Day cutie! xo
I absolutely love your style! We are currently building a custom home and have a similar outdoor set up! Can you tell me the size of the coffee table? Also, did you go with the classic or luxe? Thanks so much!
Thank you so much Erin! I can’t completely remember but I want to say that we went with the classic because the luxe was going to be too deep. I might be wrong though.. I remember debating both! Do you have the measurements? Our chairs are around 35×32 and our table is 30×52. I do remember we went with the extra long couch. Hope that helps! xo
Hi Erin!! I just found your blog today by accident when I was searching Dutch doors on google, and now I can’t stop reading!! Your blog is a wealth of information, we just started the framing stage of building a home, and my obsessive researching is in full force. Quick question about the exterior siding of your home, is the shingle product a cement board like hardie or real cedar shakes? Do you have any pics of the front exterior from a distance, I couldn’t find any. Also, I love your windows!!! Are the back wall of windows with french doors and transoms 6’8″ doors plus transoms or 8′ doors plus transoms? We have 10ft and 12ft ceilings in the house and I am going back and forth on whether the front exterior door and back wall of window will look funny with 6’8″ doors since all the interior doors are 8′. If you have any insight on any of my one million questions I would so greatly appreciate your advice!! Beautiful home!! Thanks!! Candice
Hi Candice! Thank you so much! Oh my word.. you took me right back to building! Ha! Totally know how you feel right now. Our siding is all Hardie board! I don’t have an exterior pic on my blog but I’ve posted a few on Instagram if you want to follow me there. :) Our french doors are all 7 1/2 feet plus transoms. Hope that helps! Good luck with your home! Building is such a crazy ride. :) xo
Erin…my wife and I stumbled across your blog while exploring colors for new exterior paint. Great place by the way..and in San Diego no less…jealous.
Our home is in Central California, but our aesthetic is very similar with a hybrid coastal/craftsman style…siding, box beam ceiling work, the “summer living” vibe around our pool area and outdoor living space, etc…you seem to know the routine well.
Anyway, my question for you is this: What paint colors did you settle on for the exterior? It looks great in photos. We’ve been kicking tires on some of the SW “greige” varieties…but we’re curious if you can share what you ended up using (or perhaps I missed it in the blog). Thanks!
Thank you for your kind words about my house! It sounds like we have very similar taste. Love that. :) I actually recently finished a post all about paint! It included our exterior color and most of the colors I’ve used inside my house. I hope it’s helpful! Thanks for stopping by and happy painting. :)
https://www.thesunnysideupblog.com/2016/04/favorite-gray-paint-paint-colors-throughout-house/
Hi Erin,
I am new to your blog and really enjoying it!
I’m in the process of deciding on patio furniture, and am wondering what size outdoor table you went with? I want 6 side chairs and 2 end, but not sure if the 84″ french beam is large enough.
Thanks so much and Happy 4th!
Hi Nancy! Sorry about the delay in replying to you! Oh my word.. I can’t remember what size we have! We ordered one size and then ended up returning it and going a size bigger. I want to say we have the 108″ – we were trying to fit 10 chairs. Are you still trying to figure this out? If you are shoot me an e-mail to remind me and I’ll measure our table for you tomorrow! And thanks for your sweet words about my blog. So happy you found me. :) xo
Hi There, I love this space! Do you know what fabric and color the cushions are? Thank you!
Thanks Hillary! I can’t remember! It came with the furniture. We didn’t upgrade to something different. Hope that helps! xo
My husband and I are in the process of building our dream home…but we are struggling with the exterior stone work. Just can’t find the right color/cut to suit both our tastes. Yours its BEAUTIFUL!!! Do you know the suppliers name and the stone color/cut??? Thank you soooo much! Many a sleepless nights researching stone :(
Hi Dawn! Oh man.. I so wish I had some info. to give you but unfortunately I don’t! Our stone was brought from Utah and to be honest was different than what I thought we ordered. Talk about sleepless nights over stone! It was such a disaster and our biggest hurdle building! I ended up re-doing all of the grout a year after we had moved in to fix it because I wan’t happy with how it turned out. Now I like it! But it took me a while to get there. ;) Anyway – I never knew the right name. Sorry I’m no help! Best of luck with your home! I know how overwhelming building can be. Hang in there! xo
Hi! SOOO lovely your backyard!! Love the colours, the furniture and the rug! Today is raining, this pictures makes me feel happy! Kiss!
So sweet of you! Thank you! :)
I LOVE this so much that I totally copied it! I do have a question: The customer service rep at Restoration Hardware warned me that after about month the Teak furniture will begin to peel, gray, and get a “worn” look. Have you noticed that with your set? Mine just arrived today and I’m highly considering a return after learning that information. Would love to see a current photo of your set!!
Thank you Sarah! Our outdoor furniture might look a little worn, but not much and we’ve had it for 6 years! (No peeling at all so far.) I definitely wouldn’t return it.. we love ours! I hope that helps! xo
Hi Erin, I too am wondering about the RH outdoor furniture. I am looking at the same collection. They still sell this! I was wondering-when you bought it, did you get the teak (brown) color or the weathered gray? I am looking at the weathered gray and wondering how it holds up. They told me today at RH that this finish seems to hold up well but that it could change some. They said that the original brown teak will turn toa silvery gray. Is yours the weathered gray and if so, has it remained pretty much the same color? I’m most concerned about buying several pieces of this and the color changing at different times on the pieces, making it not look very good in my back yard. Also, did you do the natural color cushions? Thank you so much for your help
Hi Teresa! I believe we have the weathered gray! It holds up SO well and we have a lot of humidity here. It looks the same as when we bought it and I honestly couldn’t be happier with it! The wood is a little harder to clean things like bird poop (but any wood would be). We did buy the natural cushions and they have held up great too other than one set a mouse got into! YIKES. Not fun. ;) It’s worth the price in my opinion! Really nice furniture. I hope that helps! xo
Hello – Working on building our outdoor space now, you have so many wonderful ideas and great style! Do you have an outdoor dining table anywhere?
Hi Jamie! Thank you! We do! You can see it better in the posts below. It’s not covered but just off this Entertaining area. :)
https://www.thesunnysideupblog.com/2019/03/colorful-birthday-party-kole-turns-9/
https://www.thesunnysideupblog.com/2015/08/backyard-pics/