I SPY AIRBNB | Backyard Refresh!

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The backyard at my Airbnb is refreshed and ready to use!! You might remember two Summers ago when I was living at the house, my sister and bro-in-law and I, tackled this backyard (read more about it here). I moved out of the house since, but use it as an Airbnb, so like to keep the backyard looking great for visitors. I did a little refresh with new Article furniture, a new door color, and changed up the accessories a bit, and I just love how it came together!

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I asked Instagram readers to send in questions about the backyard, and I’ll a bunch below:

Is the furniture ok in rain? How about the coffee table? I was have some rust issues with the previous furniture, and it would stain the deck after it rained so we would have to re-stain it every year which was a HUGE bummer. So when Article reached out and asked me to try thier outdoor furniture I said “YES PLEASE!” And I am happy to report, we have had no rust issues (and it’s been a super rainy Spring). I am obsessed with The Kezia sectional couch , Aeri Slate Gray Lounge chair and Toba Vintage Brown Coffee Table outdoor pieces, they look SO chic and have been holding up great in all weather. One super nice thing about the couch is that it comes in pieces so you can arrange it however you want, I have the secional plus an extra seat so I could fill the corner-space. I am super impressed with the coffee table! It looks nice enough to be an indoor piece, but is meant for outdoor. I might even use it as a coffee table inside this winter!

Do you have storage for the cushions and pillows or do you keep them out? The pillows are all outdoor pillows, I got these striped lumbar ones, these staccato ones, and these tan pillows, but if guests are not using them, I store them in the garage. Eventually, I want to get an outdoor storage box so they can be easily accessed. Article suggests taking in the cushions or covering them if you have extreme weather, but since I am not at the house all the time, they are left out. I have been really impressed with how quickly they dry, and how easily they can be wiped down. The better you take care of them, the longer they will last!

How will you keep all those potted plants alive on the wall? And where are the pot hangers from? I had real plants in the living-wall for the last two Summers, but it became a lot harder to keep them alive once I was not living there full time. Shhhh, don’t tell anyone, this year I used faux succulents! I got them from Ikea for $4 each, and they are meant for indoor/outdoor, so I am hoping I can keep them looking good for a few years. The pot hangers can be found in the garden section at Lowe’s!

What kind of wood and stain did you use for the fence and how soon can you stain it? I had my buddy’s company build the deck and the fence (we did a similar DIY version of the fence at our new house) and they use treated pine. You should wait a year to stain treated pine, but I was too impatient, and whitewashed with Behr Pinto White the fence after it was up for a couple months (it looks great, I think white wash is more forgiving then a darker stain, or paint because the inconsistencies are not as obvious) and I used a Behr Cape Cod Solid grey stain on the deck…which I did end up having to repaint the next year because of rust and leaf stains.

What is the door color? The old door color was HGTV Home for Sherwin Williams Desert Lake, and I just repainted with Behr Spiced Brandy in Satin Exterior paint!

Where is the herb planter from? I started with this Unfinished Red Cedar Vertical Garden (Buy it here!) and painted on Minwax’s white water-base tinted Natural Linen.

Is that an outdoor rug? Can it get wet? Yes! It’s an outdoor rug and since it’s made out of polypropylene it can get wet and drys super quickly. I picked a darker color this year so it would not get dirty as quickly and can be used for multiple summers.

Let me know if you have any other questions and I can answer in the comments!

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DIY Laundry Nook + Super Simple Shelving Tutorial

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I am just putting a few finishing touches on our master bedroom at the Barnhouse, and one project on my list was turning this little space under the stairs into a laundry nook. On the second floor of the house I completely reconfigured the layout, and to fit everything in, including another bathroom, I had to give up a linen closet. Luckily the framers didn’t close up this little space under the stairs, and it became the perfect spot to store extra bedding, towels, and a place to tuck away the hamper!
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Adding shelves to the space was SUPER simple, an easy project to take on in an afternoon. The toughest pair is cutting the boards, and if you don’t want to do that yourself, take the measurements into your local hardware store and have them do it for you! You can use this tutorial (or the video steps over on IGTV) for nooks, closets or pantries all over your house! I just love how seamless the finished shelves look in the space!

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All the steps for these simple shelves after the jump!
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DIY Blueberry Dyed Easter Eggs + Toasted Coconut Nest Tablescape

ispydiy_eastertablescape DIY Blueberry dyed Easter Eggs and Toasted Coconut nests are my Easter tablescape must haves this year! To compliment the beautiful dish and glassware, I wanted to try dying Easter eggs with natural ingredients. I stepped out of my color comfort zone and choose a blue theme, and made my dye from blueberries. You can use fresh or frozen Blueberries, but I found the frozen yielded a deeper blue. I used Martha’s tutorial for dyeing with natural ingredients (she suggests cabbage for blue eggs) It was super simple! Next up, I toasted shaved coconut in pan on low heat on the stove, then formed it into little nests while warm to put in the bowls. Add a chocolate egg for a sweet little treat!