Resort Life

In one week I will find myself on that southernmost sand in Key West and from what I see online many of the resort properties on the island are renovating and updating as a part of extended recovery from Irma. I love strolling through lobbies and outdoor areas to see the updated spaces and hopefully I will become inspired. Though it is hot on the island everyone is outside and the outdoor spaces are treated with the same thoughtfulness that is put into decorating indoor spaces. It is often the case that when visiting resorts and vacation spots we experience beautiful outdoor spaces and we enjoy spending time in them but did you ever want a beautiful outdoor space in your own home? What would it be like to walk onto your lanai and feel like you are on vacation all the time? Let’s take a peek at a lanai and open back porch that have been re-vamped to look and feel like a resort retreat somewhere just beyond the heart of The Villages.

• Outdoor and not under coverResort get-away
The homeowner decided that she wanted a paver patio deck for the grill and she wanted have a real wood burning fire pit. She purchased the fire pit made of copper and realized she needed more stuff to make the space look nice. Since this outdoor space is not covered and does get a heavy dose of early morning sun, we decided that the furniture had to be purchased locally and had to be able to take the heat of the Florida sun. We found four chairs that have a modern look and are very comfortable to place around the fire pit. We chose lots of color for the cushions because we needed the chairs to pop since we could not use a rug in this space. Since the fire pit burns real wood sitting it on a rug would be a fire hazard.

• Outdoor Table
We chose a picnic style table because we could get one with lots of color and durability. The base of the table is black to blend with the other furniture and the table top is a striking teal blue that is found in the fabric on the chairs. This table top will not fade or be damaged by the sun.

• Outdoor Curtains
We had lots of color in the chairs and color on the table top but we needed more to make a resort style statement. We added indoor/outdoor curtains in beautiful royal blue at 108 inch length and we wanted the color to completely wrap around the back porch. We hung the curtains on indoor/outdoor rods and the curtains are made of Sunbrella fabric so that the water rolls off them and they dry quickly after a rain. We secured the curtains at the bottom of the wall by having eye hooks installed into the cement and we attached the curtains to the eyehooks. The curtains can look billowy without blowing all over the place and everything can be removed for cleaning or a hurricane should that ever happen.

• Copper tables and accents
The fire pit is made of copper and we wanted to highlight the copper by using it in the accents. We found copper tables to place between the chairs and copper lanterns to use on the table or just as an accent on the patio deck.

• Potted Plants
To reinforce the resort feeling we added potted plants full of greenery. The large pots are glazed in a royal blue and we placed them on little rubber feet that elevates them for drainage. I discovered these rubber feet at the nursery while purchasing the plants and they work great. We chose to fill the pots with plants that like bright morning sun and are drought tolerant because the homeowner did not want to have to water all the time.

• Indoors lanai
We needed the indoor lanai to look amazing too, so we bought a new table and chairs that coordinates with the outdoor furniture. We hung teal indoor/outdoor panels all the way around the lanai at 108” as well because we needed color on the inside of the lanai too. Again, we used indoor/outdoor rods on the lanai because though they won’t get wet we did not want any rust.

• Rug
We placed a 5×8 indoor/outdoor rug on an angle in the lanai because we needed a dash of color in the large space that leads from the house to the outdoor space. The cabana stripe rug is a great visual invitation to the see what lies beyond the door.

• Arched mirror
We replaced the hanging plant and iron work with an indoor outdoor arched mirror allowing the space outside to be reflected inside.