Outdoor furnishings #operationoutdoors

Good bye ghetto and unsafe patio furniture, HELLO glorious comfortable new outdoor table and chairs (oh and rug too!).

Many years ago Jim purchased a faux teak table and chairs for the roof deck in Southie.  The set wasn't wintered correctly and as a result it quickly deteriorated.  Shame on us!  We brought the set with us when we moved and by then the damage was done and it was too late to salvage the set.  The chairs were rotting (true story...I broke one of the chairs while sitting in it.  That's gotta make you feel good about yourself right??  hahaha) and the table gave you splinters.  I think it was safe to say that the table and chairs had passed its prime.

So this year Jim said let's get new patio furniture.  At first I was like no let's wait till we're ready to tackle a new patio/back yard but then I remembered the hazard the old set posed and I was researching like a mad women. 

Man, outdoor furniture is E-X-P-E-N-S-I-V-E  (enter a small depression).  I loved Pottery Barn's outdoor furniture but we would have to take a second mortgage out to afford those and we all know Jim's thoughts on anything Pottery Barn. 

So I searched places like Overstock, Walmart, Target, EBay, etc.  We knew we wanted a teak table with resin wicker chairs.  Well I found a chair I loved on EBay but it was still expensive.  I ended up finding the same exact chair that was on EBay for $100 cheaper PER chair on Amazon.  Pays to search around my friends.  And the table was also purchased on Amazon.  

I love the wood with the wicker.  Gives it another dimension and texture.  For added color and texture an 8x10 outdoor rug was layered under the table and chairs.

The outdoor rug is great.  It's soft underfoot and cozy.  Makes the patio feel like another room in the house.  When it gets dirty you just hose it off.

We were able to save thousands purchasing off Amazon.  Can't wait to make some outdoor pillows for the chairs and have a couple throws out there for those chilly nights eating al fresco.

Big plans for the back yard.  Can't wait to share them when we figure out what and when those will take place.  For now, I'm enjoying the new additions.

Kitchen Rugs



Just popping in quickly today with a post about the rugs we ordered for the kitchen.  I think rugs in kitchens help with two things...one, they make things more cozy and two they can hide dirt (depending on the style you get).  I just love the Pottery Barn rugs we have in the living room, dining room and lady land.  They are really well made, plush and the prices aren't terrible.  We ended up purchasing the Malika Persian Style rug in a 3x5 and a 2.5x9 runner.  I have always loved this rug and it did not disappoint when I saw it in person for the first time.

We put the runner in front of the back door.

And the 3x5 in front of the sink.

I love the color and the warmness they bring to the kitchen.  It's nice standing while doing the dishes at the sink on such a comfy rug.  We got our rug pads from Ocean State Job Lot (cheapest place I've found for rug pads).  Did you rug pads help extend the life of your rug as well as help keep the rug from slipping and sliding?  And the best part??  I didn't even have to spend any money on either rug!  I got these as part of the rewards program with my credit card.  Love when things like that work out!