One Room Challenge: backyard oasis reveal!

If you had asked me 7 weeks ago what our backyard would look like, chances are I probably wouldn’t have a solid answer for you… yet here we are, reveal day for our One Room Challenge backyard oasis. We did it, holy crap. It is so hard to believe the transformation that has taken place over these 6 weeks and I am so incredibly excited to share every single detail and source with you today. Grab a snack, cuz this is a long post!

Before we get started, a few housekeeping things:

In case you missed it, here are Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, and Week 5 of the One Room Challenge. I definitely urge you to look at the before photos from week 1 to really see how much of a transformation this project has been!

And a full source list for everything in this space will be at the bottom of the post, but if I missed anything, please let me know down in the comments and I’ll get you a link!

And now… let’s dig into my One Room Challenge reveal!

One Room Challenge: backyard oasis reveal! A 6 week renovation makeover of my Seattle backyard with Rock Ridge Blue Stone Pavers, @SherwinWilliams Black Alder SuperDeck Stain, Dunn Lumber @dunndiy @Overstock @Bellacor @LampsPlus @pompomliving @storimodern @mycraftyhmelife #oneroomchallenge #renovation #beforeafter #backyardmakeover #backyardinspiration #backyardoasis #backyard

I’ve been trying to figure out which element has made the biggest impact in our space, but it is sort of a toss up between the new fence or the pavers. I like to think of them in tandem. The Rock Ridge Stone irregular thermal bluestone pavers help to brighten up the space and provide a really great contrast against our dark fence. I am so excited that there isn’t a single speck of mud in the yard anymore! Instead our patio looks like it was professionally installed and will last for a loooong time.

Speaking of the fence, we have two amazing sponsors to thank: Dunn Lumber for providing the wood needed to help us revive our sad, old fence (and sharing so many amazing DIY posts to help us figure out how to do the project) and Sherwin-Williams for providing the perfect black stain! Sean worked his butt off building this fence and I am blown away by how professional it looks and feels. I cannot tell you how many people have stopped by and complimented us — and even tried to hire us to build a new fence for them! The black stain really makes me happy. It provides the perfect amount of modernity to our bungalow, but in a way that complements the style of our old home.

We used the pavers to create a lounge space on the patio, which meant we needed comfortable and stylish outdoor furniture. Stori Modern provided the Graphic Love Seat and Graphic Lounge Chair for this area and they couldn’t be more perfect. The size is totally ideal for a small space like ours, while still affording many seating options. And I love the materials of these well-made pieces. They will definitely withstand our Seattle winters for years to come.

Also crucial to our lounge area was a fire pit! Ever since ours was stolen out of our yard, I’ve dreamed of replacing it with a bigger one. I already know we’re going to have tons of gatherings around the fire this summer and fall.

Overstock also supplied this Heavy Steel Wood Storage Rack so we could keep all of our firewood handy when it’s time to throw another log on the fire!

We used the cedar tree as an anchor point for our copper LED string lights. They create the most gorgeous, romantic light at night!

In terms of details, I wanted the space to be really comfortable and casual. I piled on the outdoor pillows and luxurious linen throws, added a few complementary side tables (that could double as extra seating), and even installed a fountain! The fountain is especially nice because we live on a busy street and it helps to cover up the noise of cars. Sean realllly wanted a fountain, so I knew this was the perfect time to surprise him with it!

Another favorite detail is our vintage brass bell. Our neighborhood, Ballard, is traditionally the home of fishermen, boats, and sailors, so every bar here has one of these. Here’s the thing though: if you ring the bell, you have to buy the entire bar a round of drinks! Me being me, I’ve always wanted to ring the bell, so I searched for my own. Now we have it on our sequoia tree as an homage to our amazing neighborhood.

Let’s move on to the deck area, shall we?

In the past, the deck is the only place we hung out in the backyard. Now it’s the perfect place for us to grill every meal this summer and entertain! I am so sad to report that Fedex seems to be holding our light grey 5×8 outdoor rug from eSale Rugs hostage, otherwise the space would look way more pulled together! As soon as it arrives, I will update you ;)

The light grey 5×8 outdoor rug from eSale Rugs is here!! I’m so happy with how it totally pulls together the entire space and makes the deck feel more finished. Having an outdoor rug helps to set the stage for our outdoor entertaining and makes the deck feel much more like a traditional dining room. I love how the rug is woven of light grey and dark grey for a tonal effect.

Thanks to Lamps Plus, we updated our sconce so that it would pop more and match the French doors. I was really stoked to discover that it came with an outdoor-safe Edison bulb. How cool is that?

We kept our Nebula Dining Table from Article, but updated the overall look with these stunningly detailed Memoir Dining Chairs in black and white from Stori Modern. I really cannot get over how much I love the woven HDPE synthetic wicker because it has amazing detail and is so much sturdier than traditional wicker. If there is one thing I’ve learned about Stori Modern during this makeover… they know their materials!

I mean, just look at these details. So beautiful.

You guys know I can’t hold back when it comes to setting a pretty table — and this one is inspired by this absolutely stunning, handmade Jill Rosenwald vase. The tones of pale blue to cobalt blue to navy make me really, really happy. Plus, there is the sweetest gold rim on the top that provides the perfect pop. This vase feels like an heirloom piece that I am going to proudly display in our home year-round.

These slate colored fringed napkins from Pom Pom at Home are another lovely finishing touch that we will continue to use, even inside after it’s too chilly to dine outdoors.

I had a bit of a design conundrum because I wanted the matching Graphic Coffee Table from Stori Modern, but also wanted a fire pit… and there wasn’t room for both on the patio! Instead, we placed the coffee table on the deck. It’s really nice to have the option of more table surfaces, so when we entertain, we use the coffee table as a serving area for more drinks and glassware.

The deck is also Plant Central! For this project, I went to 5 different stores to gather plants and foliage… can you tell?? My goal was to make the entire space smell incredible, so I bought tons of herbs and lavender… and a lemon tree!

At some point, whoever lived in the house before us melted the vinyl siding with a grill, so it looks quite droopy. Replacing the siding isn’t in our budget, so I needed to figure out a solution to hide this flaw. I planted tall grasses in this White Fiber Clay Rectangular Planter to disguise it, then added a few more planters around it cuz why not! As the grasses fill in, it will hide the droopiness more and more.

The chickens would like to show you their yard now… ready??

I wanted to create a terraced garden under the maple tree since I first bought the house. It just felt like the right use of the space. Now it’s even more perfect because the foliage helps to conceal our compost bin that we installed. I can’t wait for everything to grow in and get all jungly and lush.

Isn’t this such a fun mix of plants?? I had way too much fun planning out my gardens.

Sean used extra bits of the bluestone to line the garden beds in the patio area, too. Here’s another super-cool feature of our space: see that rock in the garden bed? Those are actually rock LED landscaping lights from Lamps Plus! They help to illuminate the space at night and really make the space feel like we hired a professional landscaper.

The last detail for our gardens was to surround the one by the deck with fences to keep the chickens from eating my lavender and rosemary!

And one last detail: our new chicken coop! We haven’t had time to get more hens yet, but as soon as we do I will share more on Instagram about them.

Wow… I can’t believe that is IT. We have worked so hard on this backyard makeover for the One Room Challenge and now it feels incredible to sit back, sip a cocktail, and hang out. Thank you so much for following along, commenting, and encouraging our progress! And, of course, many MANY thanks to Linda from One Room Challenge for inviting us to participate and to all of the wonderful sponsors for helping us to make our backyard truly incredible.

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