Easy ways to Update your Backyard with Color

We live on a large lot in sunny Monrovia, California. We have a HUGE backyard and have big plans and dreams for it. We have caviar dreams....but we're on a hamburger budget right now. And our 93 year old home needed lots of love so I had to get creative with our back yard. I found ways to add a lot of color for a little bit of $$.
I really wanted some color back here. We had some wedding gift cards and I found the umbrella at BB&B with 20% off too. That was my biggest splurge.


We had the patio furniture and bought it 6 years ago at Home Depot. I found the bright striped cushions and Marshalls over summer and LOVE them.
A lot of the hanging candleabras and things I found at Cost Plus with a gift card from our wedding with coupons too. Then while I was out thrift shopping I would continue to pick them up for $1 or $2 and look for anything fun and bright. The plastic ware I had from a birthday gift and I just pick up fun bright napkins and cups at Ross. They have great accessories for deals too.


I found terracotta pots at the .99 cents store and painted 15 of them in bright colors and lined them up down our back stairs and around our back yard. I find flowers on sale at the nursery and or .99 cents store. If you want to know more about that please look at that post too.
When you walk out our back door, and down the steps you are in the large patio area, with two levels and then you walk through a gate right past the HUGE oak tree and in the back sits our swimming pool. We have the most beautiful 100 year old Oak Tree right in the center of our backyard that provides us with so much shade both to our yard and our home.
It's so lovely to just sit back and look at it, with the leaves blowing to and fro. In fact, when you sit in our kitchen nook, you can gaze out at it too. Peek at our kitchen and you'll see what I mean
The patio has a step down area where we have a sitting area. I had the black swing chair, added the $4 pillows, found these Adirondack chairs at a yard sale 3 for $10 and covered a $2 ottoman with bright fabric.


Below are our chaise lounge chairs. This is a great area to sit and either relax and read (ok and maybe catch a little cat nap too).
Living in California and up against the mountains, we are have great weather approximately 9-10 months out of the year.
It's great to hang with our families & friends, barbecue, and have a glass of wine or ice tea too.
I found these Adirondack chairs at a thrift store for $4/20 and that was the perfect price. The red and white striped pillows I found at thrift stores and they are Ralph Lauren Feather Pillows for $4 each and I LOVE them. I rotate them in my home for 4th of July and use them out here.
The pool is at the back of the yard and we love to swim in it a lot, and truthfully at the end of the day we love to just lay on rafts and float and relax, especially on weekends.
There's something about water, even if you're in it for an hour, you feel like you had a little vacation...lol. So grab a chair. . . . . or a raft. . . . . . and settle in to relax. Ideas.


Thanks for stopping by, Lisa.
ConcordCottage.com with Lisa Walsh Huff Kroll
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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  • Carole Carole on Nov 14, 2014
    I love the way you dressed up your garden furniture. Lovely colour scheme and you carried it through by painting you garden pots. Just lovely.
  • Subha Subha on May 19, 2016
    Very nicely done, I too live in CA. I have a small backyard. Wish I had mountain views though.
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