When closed on our house almost six months ago, we had no idea that we would be spending so much time in it. We originally planned to pace ourselves and tackle our decor dreams room by room over a significant amount of time. Well, here we are. 90 days into spending more time at home than ever before and because of it, we are acutely aware of everything that we need to make our house a home.
Travis has from day one put a lot of thought into all that he needs to design his “Man Cave,” but I hadn’t even considered what area of the house would be a space that I would call my own. After spending a lot of time on the deck to build our container garden as a quarantine project, I very organically started to take over this outdoor area and build my own version of a “She Shed.”
These past few months, spending time outside has been such a peaceful retreat from the hustle and bustle of the day. In addition to gardening, I’ve found balance in meditating, reading, eating meals and even being on conference calls on our deck. It’s become so sacred that I decided to look into options to personalize and decorate. After a few days of obsessing over pretty pictures on Pinterest, I landed on a plan and started to purchase items for my cozy corner.
With a very small budget and in about one week, with no more than 20 minutes per dedicated decorating day, I whipped up both a functional and relaxing outdoor space. I focused on three primary areas; a corner space, our dining table and the gardening area.
First, the cozy corner.
We snagged a super affordable and comfortable sectional from Wayfair that was already the perfect addition to our deck. It’s so comfortable that I’ve dozed off while meditating and didn’t even realize that I was taking a nap. But being comfortable wasn’t enough for my special space so I decided that both the couch and the area needed a little pizzazz. I grabbed a few pillows and artificial succulents (I already have enough live plants to care for) from Target and a couple of flameless candles from Pier One and viola! My cozy corner is complete.
Next up, the dining area.
I wanted to spruce up the dining table, which is also from Wayfair, so that it’s dinner ready. It just seems to take forever to set the table with all that we need each time that we head outside to enjoy a meal. Again, I headed to Target, and snagged a few bowls and a wooden cutlery set and bam, I’m done!
Lastly, my super serene garden area.
I wish that someone would have told me years ago, how relaxing gardening is. While I’m no stranger to flowers, I had no idea how rewarding it feels to grow your own food. So I causally started a container garden with pots, soil and plants from Home Depot. While this was originally a quarantine project, tending the garden quickly turned into one of my favorite things to do first thing in the morning. We recently had our first harvest of green beans and I consider it a no-brainer to add farmer to my resume. I couldn’t makeover the other areas in my space without also tidying up the garden space so I moved some of the pots around and built my own planter boxes for the rails to cut some costs.
If you’re starting from scratch to build the dedicated space, and not quite ready yet to jump in on the decorating part, I would suggest checking out Brazilian Wood Depot. Brazilian Wood Depot is located in Atlanta and they specialize in Brazilian Cumaru decking.
Brazilian Cumaru is one of the hardest woods in the world. It’s incredibly durable and is naturally resistant to insect attack, mold, rot, fire and decay. This decking also has unbelievable longevity and is known for it’s ability to last for 25-75 years even in extreme weather conditions. It’s also fire resistant and an ideal solution for a budget friendly buyer!
I’m curious to know if you guys have a dedicated space at home to find and maintain your balance. Share more in the comments. I’m always on the hunt for suggestions to ensure that every corner of my home is sacred space and designed in a way that helps me navigate the demands of life and avoid the glorification of busyness.