My Sister Spent 5 Years Renovating Her Patio — This One Piece Finally Completed It

My sister always picks up my phone calls. When she moved from our hometown of Los Angeles to Tucson, Arizona, five years ago, I got into the habit of ringing her up to chat for a short while, hoping to sustain our connection with a state now between us. She and her husband bought a fixer-upper home with the intention of raising their two children in this Arizona city, and they had successfully completed the bulk of an interior renovation in this span of time. The backyard, she had told me over several phone calls, was moving more slowly. 

Their outdoor space overlooks the Sonoran Desert, and the previous owner built a patio complete with a fireplace and low-slung walls that don’t entirely block the views. But the landscape was mostly dirt and rocks, and the color palette was a kaleidoscope of bright yellow, blue, and orange. My sister and her husband spent five years clearing the former owner’s belongings, repainting the walls white, and growing a lawn from seed. But they were also raising young kids through it all. So the blank slate they accomplished was soon filled with toys. 

“It’s really come a long way, but we didn’t have those finishing touches that would make the patio functional for our family,” Kimberly says. “It had been taken over by toys and didn’t feel inviting because there was no designated place to gather.”

During one of our phone calls, Kimberly asked if I had any suggestions for how she could update her patio with seating that could work for children and adults. She wanted to be able to have al fresco dinners with her family after the summer heat dwindled — plus, host occasional dinner parties with friends. 

I first looked at budget-friendly options from a big-box store, but we both agreed the monsoon season wouldn’t be kind to fabric seating. Then I looked into a direct-to-customer outdoor furniture brand, but the collection was too far outside what she was able to spend. Finally, we turned to a brand we both already have in each of our homes: Article. 

The goal? “I wanted our dining set to create a focal point in our backyard,” she said. “I wanted it to be easy to care for and in a color that would complement the rest of the house.”

We picked out the Sarek dining table, armchairs, and bench, which have a slight curve to their powder-coated facade and a build that resembles playful stripes. I liked how these shapes complemented the similar form of the nearby fireplace and how the seating arrangement was welcoming to all ages. Plus, because my sister and I both own Article kitchen seating in khaki green, we picked out the same color to draw the shade outside. 

Article generously gifted my sister this set, but I think she would’ve picked it regardless. Everything fits her casual-cool style with the practicality her family needs. “My kids can slide on to the bench for meals and activities, and the armchairs are comfortable for grown-ups without being too bulky,” she adds. 

Delivery was as simple as a phone call. The white glove service told my sister when they would arrive once the order was placed, texted her when they were at the front door, and then unboxed everything and left in a matter of minutes. The entire process took about a week. “Unlike all of the work we had done in the backyard up to that point, this furniture delivery was so easy,” she jokes. 

The dining set is spread out in the shade, and my sister is ready for a fall full of dinner parties. Plus, of course, she can now take phone calls from me outside — with a view. “I love looking out our back windows and seeing this beautiful dining set instead of a dumping ground for toys,” she says. “It’s really transformed how we’re able to enjoy our backyard.”