Rounding out our tour of Esther and Taylor’s main floor, today we’re looking at their outdoor patio. This space was already breathtaking when we got started—the multi-tiered patio space had lots of built in features, like a grill area, a conversation pit, and a fire table, as well as the crown jewel: a plunge pool with a retractable deck cover. Given how much the family loves entertaining, they knew this area was going to get a ton of use, and while the functionality was ready to go, the style was a bit lackluster, with gray paint on all surfaces and greige cushions.
Here’s the patio before we got started.
And here’s where we wound up!
As soon as I saw the built in conversation pit, it put me in mind of similar pieces I saw throughout a trip to Turkey several years ago, where similar built in seating groups are painted a clean white and made comfortable with lots of cushions. I knew this space could feel similar with a few changes.
We wanted to echo the color changes we were making throughout the rest of the house, so we started out by painting the whole space that same clean, warm white. After going back and forth on adding an outdoor rug, we decided to instead stencil a pattern on the ground in a khaki brown, which adds visual interest and helps disguise the inevitable wear and tear that a painted concrete will have in the climate of the DC area.
Next, we created new cushions in a more exciting set of colors and patterns, drawing in botanical elements and shades of green and teal that we were using elsewhere. Lots of mix and match pillows allow for a variety of comfortable arrangements.
This is one of my first outdoor projects, and to be honest, I could not be more thrilled with how it turned out!
Check out the rest of Esther+Taylor's home*
*links will be added over the next few months. Check back to read the rest as they go live!