
Final result – Pillow Puppy approved
One of the things I love about living in Florida is the ability to spend most of your time outside. Yes there are three months in the summer when you prefer the AC inside but the rest of the year is glorious. Now that we are in Oct it is time to open up all the windows and doors.
I love the idea of outdoor rooms and our new house has an awesome covered area that lends itself perfectly to that. No need to worry about running out and removing cushions every time it rains – who has time for that?
I had a vision in mind of what I wanted for out there – nice contemporary wicker furniture – the kind of seating I always love when I stay in hotels with great outdoor spaces. Of course that look normally comes with a hefty price tag….
I wanted something stylish, practical and not outrageously priced. Lets face it even protected from the rain, this furniture needs to be outside 24/7/365 and with the high humidity in Florida real wicker will eventually get moldy and mildewy – gross!

Patio furniture at last – a bit too much beige…
I found a great collection on Amazon that is a resin, wicker look alike on top of an aluminum frame so no rust or mold to worry about. It came in the nice dark finish I was looking for with weather resistant neutral cushions. Exactly the look I wanted at a fraction of the price and since I have Amazon Prime – free shipping 🙂 Awesome!
But – hold up – when we first moved in, the budget wasn’t going to stretch to outdoor furniture – so I had to put my master plan on hold for a while. Although, I did break down and buy an outdoor rug that was a great fit with my fancy designer fabric inside – it was just too good a match to pass up – but for the past 8 months we have had a nice rug out there and no furniture. The dogs liked to roll around on it so it didn’t go completely to waste LOL

Breaking out the sewing machine for fun with fabric
The weather is changing, holidays and house guests will be upon us soon – time to pull the switch. My long awaited furniture arrived a couple weeks ago, just in time to start taking advantage of the cooler weather. I got a 6 person dining set and a couch and 2 armchairs – they look great and go nicely with the two plantation chairs that I have had for just about forever. They are they best chairs for sitting outside to watch the thunderstorms roll though with a cocktail in hand 🙂
I love it – its exactly what I had in mind – it is all really comfortable and sturdy and for such a great price – I never review stuff online but I had to rate this 5 stars on Amazon. It really looks like the expensive resort furniture that was the original inspiration. However all the natural colored cushions felt a bit bland – it needed a boost

My bargain lime green garden stool – perfect spot for a cold drink
I found a great lime green garden stool in HomeGoods for only $50 and discovered a website that has great prices on outdoor fabric. I picked out two or three prints that would coordinate with the rug and they shipped them out within a couple days. All in all it cost less than $50 and I have some fabric to spare
It only took a couple hours on a sunny Saturday morning to recover all eight throw pillows and bring a little color into the mix – clearly the final result is Pillow Puppy approved
My outdoor oasis is complete. I officially need never leave the house again! Now where is my frothy cocktail?