Summer Deck Makeover Reveal

Having a small deck doesn’t mean it can’t have a huge dose of personality injected into it. With these simple small deck decorating ideas, your backyard will quickly become your own personal oasis.

Thank you for joining me as part of the Easy Summer Styling Blog Hop, hosted by Kelly of The Tattered Pew. If you’ve been following the hop and are joining me from The Design Twins, then welcome! Julie & Jodie always share the best design tips, right?! By the way, you can read more about me and why I started this blog here (if you’re interested!).

On to our deck. It wasn’t lookin’ so hot after a rough New England winter…

The deck paint was chipped and worn. And some of the wood was beginning to splinter.

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I revived it with a coat of Behr’s Deck Over product, which sealed the wood as well as any paint chips and splinters, making it almost look brand new again!

Once we put all our furniture back, along with a new rug and some accessories, it quickly became a true backyard oasis.

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Just because it’s a small deck, doesn’t mean it can’t be a beautiful, functional space.  Not only did we fit a 4 person sectional out here but the overhead string lights mean that we can use this space well into the night. If you’re going to use your outdoor space, it needs to be comfortable. So having furniture you will use as well as appropriate lighting is essential.

The ottoman in the center serves a dual purpose – foot rest and coffee table. Depending on what we need, the tray stays or goes.

A three-wick citronella candle is essential to keep the bugs at bay in the evenings, although the string lights also seem to act as a natural barrier.

Do you remember these blue planters from my Instagram Stories? I shared some tips for summer planters a few weeks ago and look how big they’ve grown since! I have the same blue planters on my front steps, too, and I just love how the pink and green pops so nicely against the blue planters.

Simple touches like layering the planters with other objects like the lanterns and varying the height and texture, go a long way to making the space feel special. Don’t be afraid to bring in lots of greenery. It really helps to add color in an organic way. We are lucky that we are surrounded by beautiful, green mature trees and adding these natural elements to the deck helps make it feel cohesive with the surroundings.

I dragged my faux fiddle leaf fig out here just for these photos (it’s not UV rated and so lightweight that it would just keep falling over) but you could achieve the same look by purchasing a young tree (a palm would be awesome!) and placing it in a large planter. The navy blue garden stools were purchased at Target last year and are no longer sold, but I’ve linked similar ones above.

I think my favorite tip for an outdoor space like this, especially a deck, is to add an outdoor rug. It instantly makes it feel cozier and it feels really nice underfoot.  They are not difficult to keep clean. I just sweep mine every few days and it stays in great shape, despite the fact that it’s got off-white stripes, plus it dries really quickly after rain (the water just pools and then evaporates). Also, let’s take a minute to just stare at those stunning blue striped pillows from Annie Selke. Unfortunately, I do not get to keep them as they will be the prize for my next giveaway. I’m very jealous of whoever ends up with them. They work so perfectly with my rug!

And because I know you’ll ask – we have these deck boxes behind our deck where we store our couch cushions every night. Inevitably if you leave them outside, the cushions will get mildew or be damp. This has been the best solution for us – ain’t nobody got time to be dragging a million cushions inside the house! And they have stayed perfectly clean for 3 years. In fact, we haven’t clean them even once! We also have a third deck box that we use exclusively for the boys’ outdoor toys.

Now, with all that said. When the sun begins to set, the magic really happens out here…

A small deck with string lights, is a pretty deck any day, right? Everything gets bathed in a wonderful warm glow. The fact that we can use our deck all day and now all-night, too is a huge bonus. We’ve already had so many wonderful evenings out here with family and friends, it truly is our little suburban oasis!

I will share a full tutorial on using the Behr Deck Over product as well as how we hung our string lights soon, so keep an eye out for those!