Average But Inspired

Inspiring creativity with crafts, DIY, and home decor projects.

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My Urban Backyard Patio {Garden Tour Blog Hop}

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I’m so excited to show you a part of my home that I’m pretty sure I have never shared before – my backyard!  OK, well I’m not showing you the whole backyard . . . just the patio.  But really, there’s not much more to see since my yard is the size of a postage stamp.  Even though there’s not a lot of space, we make the most of our urban backyard patio, and I am happy to be sharing it as part of the Garden Tour Blog Hop that was organized and hosted by my friend Tara at Lehman Lane.

A small backyard can be large on style! Visit my urban backyard patio as part of the Garden Tour Blog Hop and see how I make the most of my small space.

Installing this patio area was one of the first projects we did when we purchased our home almost seven years ago.  The backyard was basically a jungle when we bought our house, so we needed to do something out there.  We decided to put the patio area in the back of the yard, next to the detached garage, so that it wouldn’t line right up with our neighbors’ patios.  (As much as we love our neighbors, it would be a little awkward to all be out there eating or hanging out right at the same time and with no privacy.  This gives us a little buffer.)  A small backyard can be large on style! Visit my urban backyard patio as part of the Garden Tour Blog Hop and see how I make the most of my small space.

We have a nice dining area where we love to enjoy meals with the family or friends, and then a cute little sitting area off to the side where we lounge and light a fire once in a while.  A small backyard can be large on style! Visit my urban backyard patio as part of the Garden Tour Blog Hop and see how I make the most of my small space.

I love the little garden stool, which doubles as a table and plant stand.  It’s the perfect size for two glasses of wine.  🙂

A small backyard can be large on style! Visit my urban backyard patio as part of the Garden Tour Blog Hop and see how I make the most of my small space.

And the outdoor pillows (linked to similar pillows) dress up the very practical and easy-to-clean-bird-poop-off-of plastic adirondack chairs.  I tried to convince my husband we needed an outdoor sofa out here, but he didn’t bite.

A small backyard can be large on style! Visit my urban backyard patio as part of the Garden Tour Blog Hop and see how I make the most of my small space.

Although the yard was a jungle when we bought our house, I am grateful for the massive amount of peony bushes the previous owners planted.  They are all over the yard and are just stunning.

A small backyard can be large on style! Visit my urban backyard patio as part of the Garden Tour Blog Hop and see how I make the most of my small space.

And I’m pretty darn proud of the clematis vine I’ve been growing the past couple of years.  It’s actually thriving, which is shocking to me.  Apparently those are finicky, so it’s a wonder that my black thumb hasn’t killed it yet.  (I hope I’m not jinxing myself by writing this.)  A small backyard can be large on style! Visit my urban backyard patio as part of the Garden Tour Blog Hop and see how I make the most of my small space. Another favorite plant of mine is our giant oak leaf hydrangea.  It’s super low-maintenance, but produces the most gorgeous blooms.A small backyard can be large on style! Visit my urban backyard patio as part of the Garden Tour Blog Hop and see how I make the most of my small space.

All of these pretty flowers make me feel like I’m not as close to the city as I am (head two blocks north and you’re in Chicago).  And that makes enjoying my patio that much better.  A small backyard can be large on style! Visit my urban backyard patio as part of the Garden Tour Blog Hop and see how I make the most of my small space.

Flea market inspired table decor like these aqua round placemats, adorable mix and match fabric napkins, and woven candle holders also help relax the setting and make it feel less urban to me.

A small backyard can be large on style! Visit my urban backyard patio as part of the Garden Tour Blog Hop and see how I make the most of my small space.

A small backyard can be large on style! Visit my urban backyard patio as part of the Garden Tour Blog Hop and see how I make the most of my small space.

Keeping a cute little drink dispenser on the garage window ledge is perfect on especially hot days.  (That probably won’t last long – my kids have already claimed it for their upcoming lemonade stand – date TBD.)

A small backyard can be large on style! Visit my urban backyard patio as part of the Garden Tour Blog Hop and see how I make the most of my small space.

And this little plant stand in the corner is perfect for adding some height and color to the patio.  Plus, it doubles as a serving stand, which I love!

A small backyard can be large on style! Visit my urban backyard patio as part of the Garden Tour Blog Hop and see how I make the most of my small space.

I’m so glad I had a reason to show you my backyard today!  If it weren’t for this blog hop, I probably would never have posted about it.  I hope you enjoyed taking a look around!  A small backyard can be large on style! Visit my urban backyard patio as part of the Garden Tour Blog Hop and see how I make the most of my small space.
And if you liked any of the decor items I featured, you can click here to shop or learn more about them.

Please also be sure to check out some of the other beautiful backyard spaces that are being shared today, too.  You can visit their posts by clicking below, and you can search for all of the other garden spaces that are part of this hop by searching for #gardentourbloghop on social media!
Summer Garden Tour & Ourdoor Spaces Blog Hop

Summer Garden Tour & Outdoor Spaces Blog Hop

Summer Garden tour and outdoor Spaces Hop

Monday

Lehman Lane

Our House Now a Home

The Dean’s List

Green with Décor

2 Bees in a Pod – Vicki’s House

Summer Garden Tour / Outdoor Spaces Hop

Tuesday

Two Purples Couches

Knock it Off Kim

Summer Garden tour and blog hop

Wednesday

2 Bees in a Pod – Jennifer’s house

My Life from Home

Average but Inspired

Refresh Living

Summer Garden tour and blog hop

Thursday

Little Bits of Home

The Honeycomb Home

Iris Nacole

Twelve on Main

Beauteeful Living

Summer Garden tour and blog hop

Friday

Hunt & Host

Simple Nature Décor

Love Your Abode

My Creative Days

I Bet You'll Like These Posts, Too!

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Comments

  1. Vicki and Jennifer 2 Bees in a Pod says

    Bre – your patio is beautiful! You should definitely showcase it more 🙂 Are we allowed to say how jealous we are of all of your gorgeous peonies? And the oak leaf hydrangea is just as pretty! Love all of your personal touches – we can see why you love to entertain here…lovely space!

    Reply

  9. Tara @ Lehman lane says

    Your outdoor patio is so pretty Bre! You guys did a great job and it was smart to place it a little away from your neighbors for more privacy:). We must have the same taste in flowers because you planted so many of my favorites. Beautiful space!

    Reply

    • Bre says

      Thank you, Tara! And thank you for organizing this blog hop! It was really fun to focus on a different part of my home! 🙂

  17. Tee @ Beauteeful Living says

    I love your backyard, Bre! Those peonies are so gorgeous. Like you, I am so glad the previous owners of our house planted them in our yard too. You did a wonderful job “dressing up” your table. Looks so inviting!

    Reply

  18. Nicole B. says

    Your backyard is BEAUTIFUL, Bre! And the patio looks so inviting. I just wanna sit down and have a glass of wine while looking at all of those pretty flowers!

    Reply

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