Tropical Pallet Paradise: A RENTERS’ REMODEL Story

It all started with this plain, cold, and dull place. And a huge stack of pallets!

The materials, forms and colors are all inspired by the nature and culture of tropical islands, from turquoise water to yellow plumerias, from fishing baskets to tin roofs of island shacks.

You see, we do love where we rent, except for the architectural style! So to have our dream style tropical outdoor room, it looks like we will have to wait till we buy a house, have the right budget, have enough time…right?! “NO, we are going to remodel it!“

Creatively, the Renter’s Way:

Rule 1: No drilling into / attaching to existing walls

Rule 2: No painting existing surfaces including floor, walls and ceiling

Rule 3: We want to prove that everyone can have a gorgeous space no matter what their budget is, so we are making this with pallets!

Rule 4: We love a built-in look, but everything we build should be easily taken apart when we move.

First thing on this patio we set out to transform was the floor!

We built panels of wood floor mats with pallets, stained them to look like tropical hardwood, and created a stenciled area right outside our living room door.

Everything in this space is a DIY from pallets: pallet furniture, living wall, stenciled wood floors, and more! You can check out each of the tutorials from the link below. And the best part? We now know that we don’t have to wait for the right location, the right job, the right income, the right weather. The time to live our dreams fully, is NOW.