Apartment Therapy Archive: Jun 2019

What if you stopped thinking of your backyard as a tiny bit of lawn, trapped by a fence, and instead began thinking of it as an outdoor room, with dirt for a floor and the sky for a ceiling? This is an approach that works particularly well for townhouse backyards, and it can work for you, too. Here’s a little inspiration.

If you’re lucky enough to own an outdoor space—even the tiniest of balconies will do—you should be able to enjoy it throughout the fall, even as the nights start to get chillier. To help you savor every last drop of summer and transition into autumn, we’ve collected everything you’ll need to get your outdoor space cool-weather ready, such as a soft blanket, a warm rug, and glowing string lights. Here’s to a never-ending season of fun. 1.

Name: Rachel Andersen Type of Project: Backyard Patio Renovation Location: Tulsa, OK Type of building: Single-family Ranch The Renovation Diaries are a collaboration with our community in which we feature your step by step renovation progress and provide monetary support towards getting it done in style. See all of our Reno Diaries here. Rachel worked 3+ jobs all throughout high school and college, because she had a big dream: to buy a little place and make it into a home.

Name: Rachel Andersen Type of Project: Backyard Patio Renovation Location: Tulsa, OK Type of building: Single-Family Ranch The Renovation Diaries are a collaboration with our community in which we feature your step by step renovation progress and provide monetary support towards getting it done in style. See all of our Reno Diaries here. Rachel bought her first house at the young age of 21, and works hard to make it a welcoming place for family and friends.

Name: Rachel Andersen Type of Project: Backyard Patio Renovation Location: Tulsa, OK Type of building: Single-family Ranch The Renovation Diaries are a collaboration with our community in which we feature your step by step renovation progress and provide monetary support towards getting it done in style. See all of our Reno Diaries here. Rachel and friends have worked for weeks to pull this backyard space together, not cutting any corners, and doing it all DIY-style.

Name: Rachel Andersen Type of Project: Backyard Patio Renovation Location: Tulsa, OK Type of building: Single-Family Ranch The Renovation Diaries are a collaboration with our community in which we feature your step by step renovation progress and provide monetary support towards getting it done in style. See all of our Reno Diaries here. All projects come with lots of good intentions — filled with budgets, plans, and timelines.

When I was growing up in Lafayette, Louisiana, my family took a lot of trips to Mississippi to see my grandparents, and on the way back, I remember, there was this one lavender house, right by the interstate, that always caught my eye. This one pale, pale purple home, in a sea of beiges, seemed almost magical.

You're just a few ideas away from a better backyard.

We'd love an invite.

I don’t know about you, but my balcony is pretty pathetic. As a renter of a second-floor condo with a little screened-in outdoor area, it’s been hard to get motivated enough to think about that space and what I can do with it.

Like tiles, bricks are subject to the whims and fancies of eras. Think of the white-painted brick of Shabby Chic-obsessed homes in the ’90s and minimalists today, or even the dark red brick ranches of the midcentury. But when bricks are used for paths and patios, it’s easy to stick to predictable, straightforward patterns. That might be why the herringbone layout feels so fresh right now, even though it’s a style that’s been around for hundreds of years.

Have you ever looked at an image of a room and just couldn’t help but smile? That’s exactly the reaction I had when I saw this happy-go-lucky patio makeover. It’s part of the home of Bri Emery from design blog Design Love Fest and every spot my eyed landed on was better than the next. Don’t make me pick my favorite part: the geometric concrete tile floors, all those amazing little seating nooks, the fringe-y umbrella (a DIY!!)…who could choose?

Jennifer’s backyard was overgrown and her deck had seen better days. After clearing away a good portion of the growth, she knew her backyard had major potential but she wasn’t entirely sure what to do about the deck. Enter gravel! Friend to both budget and mother nature, this alternative choice helped Jennifer build a gorgeous outdoor space. From Jennifer: Before I purchased my house in late 2007, it had lived a maintenance-free life. The yard was completely overgrown.

It was love at first sight for Elizabeth and her patio. And like any good relationship, they’ve inspired each other, supported each other and brought a little color into each others’ lives. From Elizabeth: When we took the tour of our apartment I didn’t even need to step through the front door before I realized that we we’re going to take it. Simply based on the patio.

A manicured lawn is a beautiful sight to behold, but it’s a feature that isn’t without its own problems. There’s the cost and time investment for maintenance, plus the staggering amount of water needed to keep a lawn looking fresh in the summer. And really, does anyone truly love mowing the lawn? (Aside from my father, who likely enjoyed the peace of a weedwacker or lawnmower compared to the general chaos produced by me and my brother growing up.

Very few things compare to the simple pleasure of enjoying a nice glass of wine outside on a gorgeous summer evening. While you could head out to any bar with a nice outdoor space, you usually have to time your visits to avoid a throng of like-minded people. (For introverts, this possibility takes all the fun out of this activity.

Previously I wrote about my bare backyard when it was a wasteland of dog poop, weeds and sorrow. Today I’m showing you my new and improved outdoor space, which is now a low maintenance dream. Two thirds of the new backyard is covered with an expansive composite deck. The other section is a rectangular area of gravel with a firepit: Composite Deck: Probably the most ground-breaking — yet largely unsung — feature of the new and improved backyard is the new platform deck.

Here's a little inspiration to transform your outdoor space (or even just get started gardening).

This Bay Area front yard had seen better days, but now it is an urban oasis worthy of major admiration—and envy, especially of their lucky friends who get invitations for sunset cocktails but didn’t have to do any of the actual work. If you happen to have a similar project to tackle, this reader submission has the most thorough process description ever seen in a Before & After post. Everything looks so lush and luxurious!

There’s nothing quite so satisfying as growing your own food—and nothing quite so frustrating as being a would-be gardener with a too-small outdoor space. I have known this pain myself, so I was particularly intrigued when Dabney, our Projects Editor, told me about Square Foot Gardening, a very efficient technique for growing things you can eat. Could this be the perfect way to grow a lot of veggies in just a little bit of space?

There are plenty of reasons to get excited.

You might remember Jessica’s petite apartment, which was featured in a House Tour (and video) a couple of years ago. Off the bedroom, through that French door, is a teeny tiny balcony, which she just got around to sprucing up, and it’s so worth a look. This tiny balcony seems like it’s only large enough to hold a bistro table and chairs—or even just one chair perhaps?—but a clever makeover makes room for so much more. Absolutely amazing!

Let's unpack the tiny backyard shed phenomenon, shall we?

Straight from the experts.

Find the grill of your dreams and start entertaining this summer—no backyard necessary.

‘Tis the season for partying outdoors. But what to do when you don’t have a proper backyard in which to throw an al fresco bash? Fret not, my patio-deprived friends. There are still plenty of ways to host a stellar summer soiree without an actual backyard. It just takes a little planning and creativity. From picnics at the park to old-school pub-crawls, here are seven ways to throw a stellar summer fete—no backyard necessary.

Patios are a tricky thing to upkeep, what with them being outside in the elements all year long. If you took the time to thoughtfully decorate your outdoor space, then you’ve probably noticed a few of the most common pet peeves that homeowners face. Rugs get sun bleached and crack from the intense summer heat, concrete gets dingy and grimy from alternating rains, and a bare floor slab has a tendency to make the space feel unfinished or in-progress. But what’s a person to do?

It went "from shabby storage shed to chic guest suite."

Apartment Therapy Weekend Projects is a guided program designed to help you get the happy, healthy home you’ve always wanted, one weekend at a time. Sign up now for email updates so you never miss a lesson. I have a not-insignificant number of friends who, in the last decade or so, have tried their hand at raising chickens to enjoy the eggs.

Even if you don't have a rooftop to use, you'll find garden inspiration from all the ways this couple and their neighbors made use of their shared outdoor space.

Each time a tiny seed transforms into a rainbow of flowers, I feel renewed with hope not just for my garden, but for the world. It’s a reminder that there is a possibility of beauty everywhere.