Heights House Fall Patio Refresh
Last month I had the opportunity to decorate the patio at the Riverside Retreat for fall, and it made me wish we had an outdoor entertaining space at our own home. Now…
Last month I had the opportunity to decorate the patio at the Riverside Retreat for fall, and it made me wish we had an outdoor entertaining space at our own home. Now that the weather is starting to cool down in central Florida, we have been craving more outdoor time as a family. When I received my October assignment from BHG Live Better, it was an easy choice to refresh our patio!
If you are new here, I recently announced that I am now a member of the BHG Live Better influencer network, and each month I'll be participating in a different design challenge showcasing Better Homes & Gardens affordable line of products at Walmart.
This month's challenge is to share a favorite family fall activity at home. If you know me, you know that I live for holidays and everything that comes along with it, especially decorating and family traditions. This year is extra special now that we have a daughter and get to start our own traditions.
One tradition I cannot wait to carry on is pumpkin decorating. Growing up that meant pumpkin carving, and I can still remember sitting around our dining room table as a family, scooping out the slimy pulp and carefully cutting out my jack-o-lantern. Those moments will stay with me forever, and I want to create the same anticipation and excitement for Esmé. Of course, she's too young to remember any of this, but that is why documenting everything is so important!
Just last week our patio was completely empty (we moved all of our furniture back to theRiverside Retreata few months ago) so I picked a nice shady corner under the oak tree to set up our lounge spot. Warning: we have not tackled our backyard yet so it is nowhere near photo-ready or “Pinterest worthy”, but that will not stop us from enjoying it now!
We pressure washed the pavers and rolled out a nice big indoor/outdoor area rugfor Esmé to crawl around on. It is very thick, soft underfoot, easy to hose off and I am hoping it will last many years out here!
The main seating is this wicker + cushion love seatthat I could not pass up. Unfortunately it is out of stock now, but I double checked and they are restocking next season, along with the matching chairs I plan to order!
We do not plan to host any large gatherings for a while, and only need space for four adults (the grandparents live in the neighborhood and we see them all the time) But usually it is just the three of us out here, so a love seat and table is well suited…
But look—it is a nesting coffee table with two seats that pull out!
I thought that was so clever, and well suited for our entertaining needs.
I think my favorite part of this whole space is our new chiminea:
I considered getting a fire pit instead, but thought this was a unique and fun alternative (and under $100!) And it is great for roasting marshmallows.
I predict many more cozy fall family nights out here on the patio…
This was the well suited opportunity to kick off our first family fall tradition: pumpkin decorating!
The original plan was to carve the pumpkins, but once I began preparing and researching jack-o-lantern tips and tricks, I realized that maybe was not the best idea. Even with all the pumpkin preservation techniques, there is no way these pumpkins would survive 4-5 weeks in the direct sun in Florida. We will be setting these out on our (uncovered) front porch and I need them to last through Halloween, so I changed gears and decided to paint them instead.
After washing the pumpkins with water and dish soap, I sprayed them with white primer (this Kilz oil based is the best and Walmart has the best price) followed by white chalk spray paint(you can use any type of white paint).
Then I drew spooky eyes and mouths (with a permanent marker), turning them into ghosts…
I cannot wait to see how they look out on our front porch! Here is a few finished pumpkins but there are more on the way…
I landed on this theme after falling down a rabbit hole on Pinterest and convincing myself we must decorate our front yard for Halloween (this is what happens when you are on Pinterest for too long!)
I cannot wait to share more with you, and will be revealing our spooky front yard next week on the blog! This is the first time I have ever decorated my home for Halloween specifically, and I have had the MOST fun planning it all out, family costumes and all. It helps to keep getting creative with my costumes each year, and it is even more fun with a family! Are you dressing up this year?
Before I sign off, let us play a little game! Below are Halloween costumes from the past, but one of them is not my photo. Can you guess the decoy?
Take your guess and answer below! I am posting the real ones today in my Instagram stories (do not cheat!) so you can check there to find out if you are right. One more sleep til October! ?
