My Apartment Patio Makeover

One of the reasons we rented our apartment was for the yard. I mean, a yard in a Los Angeles apartment? That’s pretty unreal. We wanted to make it the perfect hangout space, and it never quite made it there, so I wanted to finally nail it down and get it done this summer. I’m thrilled with how it turned out. Hello summer entertaining!

When we went to Tulum last year I felt so inspired, and I wanted to recreate that feeling in the space. I was going for a bright, bohemian tropical vacation type of feeling. Think banana leaf plants, lounge areas, lots of bright whites and hints of blush. Hartwood was one of the main visuals I was channeling, which also happens to be one of my favorite Tulum restaurants. Think white bamboo and lots of palm trees. Now for the before…

When we moved in we had fresh grass that never could stay alive. After being disappointed in it over and over, we decided to take it out and replace it with white rocks. We didn’t go much further than that, and the space never felt finished. So we gutted all of the plants around the perimeter of the yard and filled it all in with rocks and succulents. Then, we painted the fence white and I’m SO glad we did. It completely shifted the space and brightened everything up. We filled in the space with lots of plants and bougainvillea and it feels like a jungle.

Then, we added these amazing pink chairs and white Table from Bend Goods, and now it’s the perfect spot to sip rose and lounge at the end of the day. I fell in love with the design of the chairs, and the pink grapefruit color we went with is the exact shade of flower our bougainvillea plant blooms in. It feels like they were made for the space.

Our tree in the yard had to be cut down during the patio makeover, so we ended up with a lot of extra space I wasn’t originally expecting. One of the things I wanted to do once we had extra space was make multiple seating areas, so the change ended up being a happy surprise. Now my favorite spot is the the lounge area! We got this gray lounger from Article, and it’s the most comfy seat I’ve ever been on. Honestly, it’s so thick and cozy I could sleep on it. It has adjustable heights so I can lay it flat and make a bigger seating area when we have friends over, or chill back alone when I feel like lounging. One of my concerns when we were selecting the patio furniture was getting something that would last outdoors. It doesn’t rain often in LA, but I didn’t want to have to bring an entire lounger chair inside when it does. I went with this lounger because it’s made of teak wood and naturally ages outdoors and doesn’t take any maintenance. I’m SO happy with it and couldn’t recommend Article more. They set up the lounger and placed it in the patio for me, which made it super easy.

Lastly, we topped off the area with lots of plants to make it feel like a jungle and added this umbrella from Basil Bangs for shade. You can actually take it out of the umbrella stand and pack it up for the beach too, which is very convenient for beach days. I’m loving this cozy little area! It perfect for lounging at home, or having a party.