Summer has officially begun! And even if it doesn’t feel like the usual summer we can still celebrate. This summer, I’m partnering with Serena and Lily to bring you a backyard refresh. Between feeling claustrophobic due to the on going COVID-19 lock down and the usual stir crazy that we get at the start of the summer, we’ve been escaping more and more to our backyard. I’ve been joking that all of our fence building, weed pulling and lavender planting has been leading to this exact moment; the moment where we essentially live outdoors.
While our backyard is fully outfitted with furniture thanks to a decorating frenzy I went through last fall, many of our pieces have an analogous version on Serena and Lily’s site. (Why didn’t I start with S&L and save myself some hunting time?!) Like these gorgeous {{striped Pacifica lounge chairs}} and these French bistro {{Riviera Dining Chairs}} which are very similar to furniture we have. (I feel like it goes without saying that my interest lies as always with the powder blue version of both pieces.)
Even though we have our main furniture situation down to a science, we seasonally give the space a little refresh with lanterns, pillows and blankets. It’s downright embarrassing how many different styles of lanterns we own at this point. But they and pillows really make the outdoors feel styled and pulled together especially as the furniture changes. This mood board almost perfectly sums up what our deck looks like at this moment in time right down to that little striped lounger.
Backyard Refresh Mood Boards
Chair // Lanterns // Beach Towels // Square Striped Pillow // Rectangular Striped Pillow // Rug // Textured Pillow
Chairs // Striped Rug // Striped Pillow // Striped Stool // Beach Towels // Navy Umbrella
Favorite Products for A Summer Refresh
The striped blue loungers are newer to the deck and now clash with the black and white striped S&L pillows we previously had back here. SEven though the chairs themselves are striped, I’m drawn to layering more stripes. The trick is to keep everything in the same color family and to vary the size of the them like {{ this }}and {{this}}. And can’t forget to bring in some texture like this {{one}}. Thankfully Serena and Lily’s pillow covers are UV and water resistant making them perfect for this backyard refresh since we still haven’t decided if we want to add a pergola to the deck.
I’d also layer in these super soft towels. They are beach towels but the fluffy feel and weight make them the perfect backyard blanket (or beach blanket, zero judgement from Team Ford. Just mask up when you’re unable to socially distancing).
By now, you know I can’t resist a blue stripe but the soft {{pewter color}} of these towels called to me. The gray adds a little dimension that even more blue didn’t give me. I would also go for a pop of color like the {{yellow}} which would go not just with the deck but also with every swimsuit I own.
And I know that this post is about a backyard refresh but what’s a conversation about a backyard without us chatting about this bike. So many of you loved my Public C7 bike over on instagram that I thought I owed it to you to let you know Serena and Lily has one of {{their own}}!
If I didn’t already own the red cutie, you can rest assure I would have absolutely purchased this {{color way}}. Full transparency, I bought the red knowing it would go with all of my outfits. And with the 7 speeds and the step through frame, it makes for the perfect bike to cruise up and down the neighborhood on even down my hilly streets and even in a dress. The ship date on the {{bike}} is far out but I’ve checked a ton of bike sites while looking for a bike for my sister and this seems to be the trend due to COVID-19. People need to ride.
Thank you Serena and Lily for partnering on this post!