One Room Challenge: backyard oasis, week 3

Happy week 3 of One Room Challenge! While I’ve been at High Point (check it all out on my Instagram Stories) getting all inspired, Sean has been back in Seattle working on the fence and doing a LOT of construction stuff. Imagine being in a showroom full of beautiful furniture, mimosa in hand, and getting a text message about trimming a massive tree — that is what week 3 of ORC has been like for us! Even though I’m traveling, so much progress has been made, especially lots of decisions.

Apparently, this is what the yard currently looks like. OMG.

Also, while I’ve been away, Sean has accepted and opened so many amazing pieces from the One Room Challenge sponsors! Here’s some more info about what we’ve received so far:

Lighting — When I first moved in, I updated the exterior lighting to be all white, but my choice has bugged me for two years. I didn’t like that they blended into the siding, so I chose the 10.5″ High Mystic black outdoor wall lights from Lamps Plus. I love the clean lines, the Edison bulbs, and the matte black finish.

Garden pots — I want the backyard and deck area to have a mix of different garden pots in varying shades of grey, white, and black. These taupe and ivory pots from Bellacor are a great start because they mimic concrete, but feel so much more durable. Tons more garden pots are on their way, so I can’t wait to show you the mix we chose!

Textiles — Planning out the soft goods for any space is always my favorite part. I based all of my decisions of these Pom Pom at Home throws and made sure to include a pop of black to keep it all grounded. This charcoal outdoor pillow from Bellacor is going to layer in so nicely. It’s hard to tell from the photo, but the fabric has a really luxe woven texture that is so dreamy.

Furniture — I am waiting on a huuuuge furniture shipment this Saturday (yay!), but in the meantime here’s a little taste. Given how small our space is, I wanted to have pieces that could offer extra seating in a pinch, so I chose the Parkdale multicolor stool from Bellacor. I love the bit of eclectic pattern that it adds, but especially love how durable it feels.

This is the stone we chose for our patio area! Rock Ridge Stone has been kind enough to give us enough to create our patio area under the cedar tree. Rock Ridge Stone has tons of options to choose from, but we ultimately decided on irregular thermal bluestone for many reasons: we loved the irregularity of the pieces and how we could ‘sculpt’ the layout of them as needed to fit around trees and landscaping. Also, each piece of stone is flat on the surface which reduces the risk of me tripping (cuz we all know I’m a fall risk). The face of the stone is also non-textured, creating a naturally slip resistant surface. And most importantly, the color! I cannot get over the gorgeous cool grey tonality of these pavers. It’s going to be so striking against our fence which will be stained in Black Alder from Sherwin Williams.

As we place the pavers, our plan is to leave a few inches in between each one so that we can fill in with pea gravel. After a visit to my local store, I cannot believe how many options there are for pea gravel! We’re still deciding which to buy — maybe you can tell me your favorite?? I am leaning toward either white, black, or a neutral mix. Megan Pflug informed me that mixed color pea gravel is best for concealing leaves or debris that could fall, so I am leaning there. I’d love to know what you think though.

We decided to line our garden beds with stone as well. I chose these stacking wall blocks because they have a nice, neutral grey tone to contrast with the Rock Ridge bluestone. They also interlock nicely, so the garden beds will be sturdy. I don’t want to risk having a big stone fall onto the dogs or chickens!