Transforming an Outdoor Space from Blah to Beautiful

Now is a great time of year to look for outdoor furniture bargains! Therefore, I take this opportunity to transform a deck space at our mountain cabin. For years, this area remained unused, and is quite frankly, blah and boring. Come and see how I transform this space into something beautiful for under $300.

Reworking Room Functions

You may recall that a year ago, I converted the home office at the cabin into a guest bedroom. See that post here. Making this change is one of the best conversions, as we now use this room for visiting guests. It has its own bathroom and sits at the end of a hall, so it feels like your own suite.

Named the Birch room, it has a large closet and a king bed (that can be turned into two twin beds). Large sliding glass doors with a southwestern exposure, provides beautiful light into this room.

The Before

The view from this bedroom overlooks the forest and a large wooden deck. As you can see, there is a chiminea out there all by its lonesome…that’s because it is rarely used.

Since we are expecting guests, I want to convert this boring, non-functioning deck area into a quiet and private space just for them.

Seeking the Right Outdoor Furniture

Our shopping choices up here are somewhat limited. There’s a Home Depot, Walmart and Lowe’s where I had expected to find something. But, each stop is a dead end. Down the road, there is a relatively small Big Lots, so as a last resort I drive there. The weather, however, is looking a bit ominous with black, inky clouds moving in my direction.

I hurry along to Big Lots, only to find stacks of outdoor furniture in boxes, with only a few assembled. But I could not resist the price on this particular box, showing a 3 piece glider set for $299.00. What?!?

I ask an employee if this set is assembled anywhere that I could see the color of the wicker and cushions. The answer is No, and the employee has no recollection of what this looks like. But for $299? Then she tells me that there is also a 20% off coupon for that day only. I figure how bad could it be?

Next, I find a 4′ x 6′ outdoor patio rug by the same manufacturer, Real Living in shades of blue that might just go with the guest room. However, there is no image of what the rug looks like. That too, was on sale for $49.99 plus another 20% off.

I am so excited and forget about the looming storm outside. After standing in a long check out line, I get my goodies and head to the front door only to find myself in the middle of what I would consider hurricane weather. Running to the car and then having to load such a heavy enormous box, I am soaked to the gills….but happy. I got a bargain!

Needs Assembling

Fortunately, my husband takes the assembly of this project on and I am so delighted with the color of the wicker! Reminds me of Nantucket gray. Finn helps too. The two chairs need to have the glider attached, but for the most part, it is a simple job.

Here is the After

The rug looks like a mosaic tile in a pretty shade of blue. It is the perfect anchor for the two chairs and table.

Fortunately, the cushion color is also neutral and doesn’t clash with the rug.

Doesn’t this look so inviting? Instead of an empty, boring deck space, it is now a sweet retreat for our guests. The chairs are VERY comfortable and the gliding function is fun.

A glass-topped table is the perfect size for 2 cups of coffee or 2 glasses of wine. Plus the view from the bedroom is very inviting and a huge improvement.

Now the chiminea will get used during crisp fall and winter evenings.

Breakdown of Costs

• 3 piece glider set ~ $299.00 minus 20%= $239.00
• 4’x6′ outdoor rug ~ $49.99 minus 20% = $39.99

This set, in gray, is only available in stores (if they have inventory left). However, they do have a tan 3 piece glider set on their website for $359.99. Make sure you check for coupons online. I was unable to find the rug online, but again, it may be available in the store.

After buying this sight unseen, I am very pleased with the quality of the set and am tempted to go back and see if they have more in stock.

This guest room is becoming one of my favorites. I am delighted with how the newly decorated outdoor deck is now a destination. The best part is the total cost is less than $300.00! In perusing Amazon, many 3 piece sets are on sale. I cannot attest to the quality, so make sure to read all the reviews.

If you are in the market for outdoor furniture, now is the time to look for incredible deals and bargains.

Thank you for checking out the blah to beautiful outdoor space!

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