This post is sponsored by World Market.

Warm weather is here to stay in Idaho now (it’s May so I guess it’s about time), and a couple weeks ago, we set up our deck for its third season. Like every space in our home, our deck has evolved year to year–which is something that has oddly surprised me. But then I think, why wouldn’t it if every other area of our home has evolved? This year, we sold off our two seater sofas we’ve had for the past 2 years and upgraded to 3 seater sofas (also from World Market!) to maximize our seating while keeping things a little less cluttered.

Before we get into a few more additions (and subtractions) we made this year, can we just take a little walk down memory lane. Back in 2016, before the trees bloomed, clearly, we made the decision to turn this gnarly little space into a sprawling deck.

By May, 2 years ago almost exactly, the deck part was done and we had started setting up some furnishings.

And built a fireplace, too!

Last year (2017), we added a few more things: DIY tiered planter boxes, more seating, a coffee table and I think we went maybe too far. Looking at the photo below–there’s just so much stuff!

After selling some things, saving some for the cabin, we made a few calculated updates this year. First of all, we swapped out the tiered planter boxes for 6 arborvitae trees.

We realized that when we built the planter boxes, we were really hoping to add some greenery in front of the fences. And while they achieved that to some level, they also added another thing–objects, another wood tone, and a chore, really–evergreen hedges were what the deck really needed. Last month, we cut the deck straight across at the fireplace and reconfigured the supports and just last week brought in more mature arborvitae (the plan is to keep them trimmed as they grow so they don’t exceed the height of the fireplace) and the heavens parted. It’s just what we needed out here.

The larger 3-seater sofas were a reminder of the importance of scale to me. We had this huge, sprawling deck and larger furniture is just more expensive, so instead we filled it with a bunch of smaller pieces because it was more budget-friendly, but also because we love to entertain and have people over!

These 3-seater sofas (a part of the Whitewash Sevilla Outdoor Collection from World Market) fit our space so much better and allowed a lot more breathing room while still accommodating family and friends. Plus! The price was right (we got them on sale and they’re having a sale right now, too!)

The number one question we always get is how do we keep our outdoor furniture clean?  You can read this post where we talk about that and you probably saw a few photos up, we have a big cover we put over the whole thing if inclement weather is about to hit or if the pollen (or cotton! gosh the cotton right now!) is bad.

But the truth is, summers around here are Idaho’s best kept secret. We live in a dry climate that never gets too hot and we basically live out here until from May to late September/October. We haven’t dug out outdoor dining table and chairs out from storage yet, but that hasn’t stopped the girls from bringing all their snacks outside. World Market asked us if there was a specific refreshment we enjoy with our girls out here and Chris makes an amazing Peach Mint Lemonade that feels so fresh this time of year. Recipe below!

We’ll share more as soon as we have the rest of our furnishings set up out here but if there’s one thing we love sharing most, it’s how our spaces evolve and how OKAY that is.

You can see more of how we use our space as a date night in (and Chris’s snack he whipped up just for us!) over on World Market’s blog right here.

SOURCES

Whitewash 3 Seater Sofa
Warm Diamond Pillow
Black and White Kilim Pouf
Macrame Pillow
Black and White striped lumbar pillow
12.5″ Barcelona Vase
Black Bamboo Lanterns
All Weather Wicker Accent Stool
Area Rug
DIY Fireplace
Coffee Table

SaveSave