Outdoor Furniture for Less

Taking a look at garden furniture recently, the good stuff is, well, pricey. Luckily, the garden's a place where a little imagination goes a long way. Here are some ideas to get you started...

Rethink the obvious: Take a new look at inexpensive items from the hardware store. An overturned pot and a door make a table, an interesting gate can sub for a trellis for ivy to grow over, a metal toolbox can be a planter.
Paint is the great unifier: Mismatched flea market or Craig's List finds can be made into a cute set with a good coat of bright paint. The garden's one place where matchy-matchy is a plus.
Outdoor fabric helps: Use it to make your own gazebo or make cushions for your mismatched chairs. Or forgo the chairs altogether and scatter cushions around an low urn or column topped with a round glass top for an instant outdoor living room.
Fairy lights and greenery hide a multitude of sins Even the most sparsely decorated outdoor area comes to life if it is well-tended, lush and lit with fairy lights, votives in simple glass holders or hanging lanterns.

[photo via AndreWeason's Flickr]

Comments (4)

I helped a friend with her patio/terrace - $50 worth of reed fencing from Home Depot ($25 per 16 ft length!) made the biggest difference. It went from a view of neighboring rooftop a/c units through a chain link fence to a private bamboo-lined space.

posted by eebnyc on June 13th 2008 at 1:36pm
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eebnyc - I'd like to see your friends space.

posted by VickyA on June 14th 2008 at 8:12am
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my ma did the same for the side of her yard with a chain-link fence. it's a great quick/easy fix.

posted by semolina on June 15th 2008 at 10:08pm
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Reed fencing and bamboo blinds can do a lot. I've posted this balcony makeover before:
http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/factsheets/Around-the-House/Balcony-Makeover/369

These are some images of reed fencing:
http://www.jungleimports.com.au/tuscan.htm

Check out the rest of the ideas at the above link. They used the reed fencing overhead as a patio shelter! The reed fencing can also be incorporated horizontally or vertically into frames (which could be made) for stylish dividers or privacy partitions.

Everyone loves a makeover, so be sure to view a few images of theirs here:
http://www.jungleimports.com.au/makeover.htm

And this is pretty neat too:
http://backyardgardener.com/gp/Gardening_Products/Garden_Structures/Arbors_Trellis/Garden_Fences/6_H_x_6_L_Bamboo_Fle.html