I love this large courtyard. Looking back, I can’t believe I had it empty for so long. It’s such a large space that it became daunting trying to figure out what to put there. The answer was just to go for it and fill it with what I loved.
In high end magazines and journals, you’ll find these curved outdoor sofas for thousands of dollars, but if you check your local furniture and recreation stores, you can find it for much less. That’s how we found this one, and I have updated it with the seasons through the years by simply reupholstering it and sewing new pillows to match the theme.
We’ve had it Super Bowl themed, Easter themed, Summer blue-and-white as seen here, and of course Christmas themed. Sewing the pillows is super simple, 17×17 squares–just make sure you use outdoor fabric. It goes on sale often and I usually stock up when a good sale is on. Here are some great ones. These aren’t mine (I’m no fabric creator) but as an Amazon Affiliate I do earn from qualifying purchases.
The fire pit is from either Lowe’s or Home Depot, and the kids love to cook s’mores there when it gets cool and its a great place for us to sit when kids come trick-or-treating on Halloween.
Large planters make up the rest of the space, and the trickiest part has been trying to figure out which plants will bloom in which areas since part of the courtyard is in shade in the afternoons. The ivy on the house is special to us. We found a little sprig of it when training for a Breast Cancer walk shortly after I was first diagnosed with breast cancer, and we brought it home and planted it, and it has grown strong and healthy over the years. Just another great show of strength and resilience that I love to see in one of my favorite places to sit.
I hope you’ll find these few ideas helpful and that you’ll create a wonderful courtyard space all your own.
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