Here she is, our outdoor living room refresh! If you’ve been following along on instagram, you’ve watched me slowly put this space together. What started out as dead space housing wheelbarrows, a fold out table and soccer balls has quickly turned into my favourite place to relax. She’s still not quite finished (more on that below), but she is looking good so far.
We didn’t intend to work on this space. It all started when I saw the wooden couch and chair on an online garage sale site for $150CAD. The cushions were meh but I knew I could easily remedy that, so I jumped on it and we picked them up that night. Then I saw the two black wicker chairs, then the black wicker pendant light, and dang nabbit we had the beginnings on our outdoor living room!
It’s not pictured in the before, but originally this space was a dog run and completely blocked off with tall cedar hedges and a chain link fence. The mister took those out in the late spring and things slowly came together since. We wanted to do this project on a budget of $500, but I must admit, we fell deeply in love with the Turkish Kilim pillows and threw caution (or our budget) to the wind.
Originally we planned to DIY our furniture, but these cushions turned out to be the perfect size for the second hand ones. We were also originally going to DIY the bottom cushions but realized we could spend $30 to cover our existing cushions with a canvas drop cloth opposed to $200+ for all new ones.
We wanted privacy between our living space and our neighbours. Plus our side yard needs a major overhaul. We needed a cost effective option so we opted for a drop cloth, curtain hooks and a tension wire. All totalled, this privacy curtain came under $50. If you haven’t noticed, canvas drop cloths are the hero piece in this space. They’re so cost efficient and super versatile. It’s worth noting however that the quality and colour can vary quite dramatically. The first brand of drop cloth I got for the cushions was closer to a grey beige and had two long seam lines. The second drop cloth for the curtain was one long 8×12 piece of canvas in a warm beige.
Despite going over budget in general, we actually saved a ton of money overall by purchasing used/repurposed items and styling with what we have in our house. The only items we bought new were the hammock chair, drop cloths and hardware for the privacy curtain. Well, and the Turkish cushions, but I like to think of them as repurposed as they’re made out of vintage Turkish rugs. Yes, we still went over budget by about $150, and we still have painting to do, but those Turkish rug cushions were well worth breaking the bank for! So what did we spend where?
Cost Breakdown (in CDN)
Wood frame couch and chair: $150
Black wicker chairs: $50
Hammock chair: $50
Turkish Rug Cushions from ZD Kilims Pillow: $280
Light: $40
Side table: $10
Canvas Drop Cloths: $65
Curtain Clips and Turnbuckle: $15
TOTAL: $660
There’s still more work we’d like to do to the space which we will likely tackle next spring. These include:
- Painting the ceiling and walls black
- New wall light fixture
- Tacking up the bistro lights flush against the cross supports
- New coffee table
- New door
There we have it! Even though it isn’t 100% complete, we’re so happy with this unexpected outdoor living room refresh. Because this space is sheltered, I’m debating getting a propane heater so we can use it nearly all year round. It is my favourite space to lounge after all, might as well make it worth our while!
Also if you’re wondering about that playroom I planned earlier this year, it’s nearly done so stay tuned!
Get the look (in USD, includes affiliate links)
Canvas drop cloths $18 each
Turkish Kilim Cushions: from $6+
Outdoor wood couch: $440. These are also pricey purchased new. Search locally for second hand or try our original idea and DIY one.
Stacking Black Wicker Chairs: $175 (These are apparently very expensive or out of stock on multiple sites I checked out. I recommend you hunt around locally for some garage sale deals and attack your find with black spray paint).
Hammock chair: $45
Square Coffee Table: $156
Side Table: $23
Black Rattan Plug In Pendant Light: $40 (I couldn’t find anything in stock or in black).
Bistro lights: $16.98
Outdoor Rug: $68.99 (on sale)
Curtain clips: $12.99
Turnbuckle: $9.25
