DINING

LOUNGING

SLEEPING

These rooms might be pretty close to perfection. But while they are pretty to look at, for most of us our objective in decorating indoor or outdoor rooms should not be perfection. The point in creating beautiful rooms is to actually ENJOY them. If we obsess too much about the details or have to spend time or money beyond our means in order to create them, we miss out on so much! We may never get around to LIVING in these rooms — how sad that would be (I’ve been guilty of that myself, I know of what I speak!)! Experiencing the fun of life in these spaces is the point. Perfection is not. We may not have a fancy table, an enormous rock fireplace, or matching lounge chairs. But, we can enjoy our humble rooms just the same or even more as the fancy ones!

Make living the life you want within your reach right now, not something that is always saved for “someday!”

Budget friendly ideas:

• Give an old picnic table a new coat of paint (or let it stay weathered and worn!).
• Go ahead, bring indoor furniture outside to enjoy on a nice day! Why not? No need to buy expensive outdoor furniture if it is not within your budget.
• Shop at thrift stores or garage sales for items you can re-purpose in your garden or patio.
• Build a fire pit or bring candles & lanterns outside to create the ambience of flames on a cool night
• Don’t have a green thumb? Keep your landscaping simple. Use containers for easy to grow plants.
• Involve the whole family in planting a garden! You’ll save on your grocery bill and have fun in the process.
• Use gravel to finish off spaces, instead of expensive stone patio and walkways (the crunch of a gravel walk is so charming!)
• Focus as much or more attention on creating memories with your family outdoors this summer than you do on how to decorate or design your space. Pour your creativity into the experiences: plan a BBQ, have a family camping night, roast marshmallows, read together outside, have breakfast on the patio, drag your TV outside and host a movie night for the neighbors.
• Don’t have a backyard or the means or energy to create a pretty one right now? Head to the park! I am writing about this very situation for my article for CWO in June (oh, and speaking of which, don’t forget to visit CWO this month for my article on The Art of Memory Making as well as articles by other women who will uplift and inspire you in everyday living).

House Beautiful

Country Homes August 2006

Ideal Home July 2005

Country Homes & Interiors February 2005

Country Homes July 2006

Homes & Gardens January 2005

Country Homes & Interiors March 2005

Homes & Gardens November 2005

STYLE TIP: LIVE A BEAUTIFUL LIFE.

It bears repeating.

“Style Tips” is a regular feature on The Inspired Room where I share a few ideas on how to create your own authentic style.

HGTV: Scott Cohen

Find (budget friendly!) outdoor room ideas by clicking on Gardens & Outdoor Rooms in the Inspiring Topics area of my sidebar. More outdoor room inspiration to come! Stay tuned.