Do you remember the friend I often mention? The one that is the queen of trash to treasure? She creates some fabulous spaces using things that she has acquired through curb shopping or freecycle.
Well, I want to a party at her home last night, and I am now loaded with ideas from her backyard that I am going to shameless steal. I suggest that you you steal them too. I just hope she doesn’t come after us all later. Just kidding.
The first fabulous idea that I want to mention is truly the focal point of my friend’s backyard. She has created an outdoor fireplace as a focal point. The fireplace was created by using a large abandoned headboard for a bed. She turned this heavy piece of furniture into a pseudo fireplace by painting it, adding a mirror and accessories. In front of the fireplace is, she has placed some candles. Their flickering light reflect in the mirror and create a magical space. She has also placed a fire bowl in front of the fireplace. When the fire is lit, it does really fool the eye into seeing a real fireplace.
Another idea from my friend focuses on the seating around the fireplace. She has created all manner of seating, from outdoor gliders to a homemade bench seat. And over each one, she is placing repurposed garden arbors and trellises, to create a feeling of being nestled inside a secret garden.
For my friend’s two active boys, and any other children who come to play, my friend has repurposed a 20-year-old swing set structure. She has turned this into a fantasy castle by removing the swings and adding pieces of a discarded plastic play castle around the outside to enclose a space and make a turret.
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
Decorating Your Outdoor Space with Found Objects