Courtyard Gazebo

Posted by: Brenda Kula | April 26, 2008

This is my courtyard. Last spring I bought a gazebo from Target. It is 10 X 10 feet. I believe I paid $299 for it. It is not bolted down or anything. It barely fit in my courtyard right outside my front door. Below is the view from my front gate.

The loveseat I bought at Tuesday Morning. I paid more for it than the entire gazebo. But if I’d bought it anywhere else, it would have cost me about three times more. I paid about $399. But it is very heavy steel, and I don’t think will ever fall apart. (That is Abi getting in the picture again; vain little thing.)

What you see behind the loveseat are simple cheap plastic window shades you can buy at Big Lots or Home Depot. I hung them with S hooks on the steel at the top of the gazebo to keep the sun out as best I could. They don’t go all the way to the floor, but I had a dark brown one there last year that did go all the way down. And it was hard to hose underneath it and clean the floor up. So this year I opted for the shorter version and layered three of them.

Last year I had Christmas garlands swooping down from the top of the gazebo steel above the loveseat, but I kind of got tired of the Mardi Gras look. I’d like to find something else light-weight to hang above the loveseat though. I’m still mulling over that.

The table lamps I bought at Home Depot. They too were half price. I think I paid about $30 each for them. One has been knocked down and broken. But my husband managed to glue it back together with some sort of ceramic glue. They are actually both electric and solar lamps. I have them plugged in to electricity, so they automatically come on in the evening.

I sewed the pillows. And I also made the crazy quilt on the back of the loveseat. It has beads and embroidery and all sorts of fun stuff sewed on it. I had it folded up in the linen closet and brought it out here for color.

The end tables I ordered online at Lowes. I couldn’t get them here in town, so I had them delivered from a nearby town that had them in stock. I did this because it was the end of the season and they were half-price. As were the chairs you’re about to see across from the loveseat.

I also got the outdoor rug from Lowes, as well as the water fountain. The rug was about $70. I simply hose it down when it gets dirty. And the fountain was around $100. It has a light in the bottom of the fountain, and glows at night.

My neighbors and I sit here a lot and chat, with the water flowing in the background. Makes a nice ambience. You can zip up the entire gazebo fabric to keep out the bugs, but since I have to have ways to walk into the house and out to the sidewalk, I tie them back.

For less than $1500, I have a complete outdoor room year round. I read out here, enjoy the moonlight, and sit with the dogs or neighbors. I can view my entire side yard and the street from here, and also see the pond.

I spend many enjoyable hours in my gazebo. It was well worth it.

Posted in Decorating

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Responses

This is perfectly wonderful! Those chairs look like curl-up-with-a-glass-of-wine chairs. Very comfy. Nice job.
By: Nancy Bond on April 26, 2008

at 8:29 pm

What a lovely room you have created. And priced right too. You could go on Oprah and tell how you did it. A new career?
By: Jane Marie on April 26, 2008

at 9:31 pm

You have done a great job at making a garden retreat. It is so lovely; I can just imagine how peaceful and calming it must be to sit there with friends.

Jan Always Growing
By: Jan on April 27, 2008

at 7:49 am

Wow. Talk abut outdoor rooms! Your room is better furnished and looks better than most living rooms.

We bought outdoor rugs a couple years back. Nothing changes the outdoor dynamic to indoor dynamic quicker than a rug.
By: Jim Charlier on April 27, 2008

at 12:12 pm

That looks just so inviting!!! You did a great job of arranging everything!!!
By: Cindee on April 27, 2008

at 1:46 pm

What a lovely outdoor space! So generous of you to let us see and tell us how you did it. Just beautiful and inviting!

Hugs,

CurtissAnn
By: CurtissAnn on April 27, 2008

at 4:35 pm

Lovely area, Brenda. Job well done! I could sit in there all day reading, visiting or just being. Enjoy!
By: Beckie on April 28, 2008

at 12:48 am

Oh my goodness, you are rocking and rolling with this wonderful space that you have created outside. It is amazing!

Cherry xoxoxox
By: Cherry Menlove on April 28, 2008

at 5:56 am

What an inviting outdoor room and I love your water lilies…

due to my brain not being what it used to be (arggh!) I forgot to include you on the latest blogroll…sorry! I just posted an oops and put you on the sidebar…sorry
By: Robbyn on April 28, 2008

at 1:11 pm

This outdoor space is fantastic!

You have certainly created a warm and inviting place. I don’t think I’d want to go inside.

You are so talented.
By: Carletta on April 28, 2008

at 1:17 pm

I admire this outdoor room that you created. How fun to sit outside and chat with neighbors, or look at the pond, as you describe.

You have an artistic touch.
By: Terra on April 28, 2008

at 3:31 pm

How creative are you? I’m amazed how both cozy & adorable this place looks. Miss Abigail sure knows how to enjoy her cute little self. By the way, no worries about the ants on your peonies, they are just feeding on the waxy coating of the bud and do not harm the plant in any way and should be gone when the flower opens. Probably Who’d blame ‘em, such a sweet scent, the taste must be even better.
By: Viooltje on April 28, 2008

at 4:29 pm

Your sitting area looks so comfortable, perfect for enjoying the garden.
By: Pam/Digging on April 28, 2008

at 5:11 pm

Brenda, This is an amazing outdoor space! It looks so cozy and peaceful! I love the two chairs! It is all so pretty! I’m sure you all are enjoying it, as the weather begins to warm up! I would have loved to see pictures of the gazebo dressed at Christmas….sounds magical! ~Rhonda
By: Rhonda on April 28, 2008

at 5:15 pm

Oh, I meant to mention…love your yorkies! We have a male Yorkie, Coco!
By: Rhonda on April 28, 2008

at 5:29 pm

Brenda, what a lovely, inviting, relaxing outdoor room you’ve created, and on a shoestring budget, to boot! Kudos!
By: linda on April 28, 2008

at 11:02 pm

This is a great way to get an extra room “out” of your house! It is lovely and very inviting. I have a feeling that many people will be copying your idea. It seems to me that all you might need to add is a cup of tea or a glass of wine. Susan
By: susans at black eyed susans kitchen on April 29, 2008

at 7:50 am

What a nice place to sit and enjoy.I looks like a wonderful place to have a cup of coffe and read a good book.

Best Wishes

Brenda:)
By: Brenda on April 29, 2008

at 7:51 am

How clever of you to find such good deals to create a beautiful place to relax and enjoy with friends. I would like to sit with Abi and enjoy some lemonade. What time should I be there?

Robin at Bumblebee
By: Robin at Bumblebee on April 29, 2008

at 8:11 am

I just found your blog by way of Robbyn’s Back Forty and fell head-over-heels for your courtyard/outdoor living space. **Does cartwheels in excitement** Okay, so if I had limitless funds and a patio – would you come decorate it for me? p-p-p-please?

How perfectly enchanting!

Blessings!

Lacy
By: Razor Family Farms on April 29, 2008

at 9:04 am

That looks great. If you look on my blog, you can see we put one up as well. My husband built a 10 x 10 deck on the ground so he could screw the tent in so it wouldnt blow away…we too got one of those shades, but we used zip ties to put it up instead of s hooks. The pics on my blog dont show the shade, we just put that up after i took pics. Your yard looks great, and your little critters are just adorable…ps LOVE the fountain, thats the last thing i want to put in!
By: Terri on April 29, 2008

at 9:32 am

absolutely perfect! wow– I am so impressed that you created that all yourself– i am hopeless at such things– but oh, how I admire them!!
By: Elizabeth on April 29, 2008

at 10:09 am

absolutely perfect! wow– I am so impressed that you created that all yourself– i am hopeless at such things– but oh, how I admire them!!
By: Elizabeth on April 29, 2008

at 10:09 am

Brenda, that is a beatiful space! I would love to sit out there with you and chat Amazing that you only spent $1500. I try, but I’m not THAT good.

Have a lovely day,

rue
By: Rue on April 29, 2008

at 1:54 pm

Great room, I love it.

Kathy
By: Kathy on May 2, 2008

at 12:18 pm