Under the Deck (Tour of in-built BBQ)

As I write this, I am sitting in the late afternoon sun gleaming on the gazebo on our deck. Sun’s rays are warming my face as the crooning of birds in the surrounding ravine and the gentle occasional breeze are accompanying me. It’s a cherished moment of calm that is making me feel that I am in heaven literally and literary. The only side effect of summer is, I catch myself smiling more and feeling increasingly carefree during the longer days of the season.  

Summer is at the very heart of any Canadian, just because we have only handful weekends to enjoy summer here in Toronto. And to make the best of it, we spend pretty much every minute possible outside in our staycation (a.k.a. our backyard). This year also, with the hint of summer, we have been totally plugged out with our outdoor surroundings on our deck. 

But to extend the time we spend in the fresh air; we have created the ultimate outdoor oasis under the deck including an inbuilt BBQ station with an actual hammock because sometimes the simplest summer pleasure just come from swaying away on the hammock outside after dinner ;) . Never did I think I would enjoy an outdoor project as much as I have worked on our interiors but looking at it now, it is our perfect private spot to unwind. 

As an extension of our household, investing in the backyard of our dreams has enhance our quality of life and the value of our home. For our easy bare feet walking we have invested in stone interlocking from the front drive way to most of the backyard.  

One of my favorite thing about summer is to take advantage of the beautiful weather by dining outdoors! Given a chance I leave no stone unturned in styling my tablescapes, be it indoors or outdoors. Let the creative juices flow and make this summer the best summer ever for your outside entertaining.

Since summer style is all about ease. I have fun with no rules approach while creating tablescapes by mixing with colors, patterns and not to forget food and wine.  

When planning an outdoor space, it’s important to think about your own lifestyle and how you will be using this space. You should think of your exterior space as an extension of your home. We like to layer our outdoor spaces in a way that feels comfortable and practical for personal use or entertaining friends. For the very same reason, designing an outdoor in-built BBQ was an exciting moment for us. 

At times dealing with it seemed like a myriad of decision and rules so daunting but thankfully my expert BBQ loving husband tackled the task with ease. For smoky and flavorful meals, we also installed a smoker/broiler. For handling food or cleaning up as the party unwinds the built-in sink is just perfect in our outdoor BBQ station. 

Who says we vegetarians don't enjoy BBQ? Here is just a glimpse of our veggies getting ready for grilling. From grilled veggies to hot dogs and from garlic breads to burgers...our outdoor food fare runs till quite late.   

Now with a practical, livable space under the deck our outdoor entertaining is a breeze. No matter if we are having some family over for an impromptu BBQ party or are prepping for a Canada Day bash for the group of friends, the pleasant weather under the shade of our deck and relaxed vibe gives us the chance to interact and connect.  

I am honestly not much of those green fingered types who love to tend to their flowerbeds all afternoon. I am in tune with throwing down a pillow and soaking up some rays with a good book here taking the advantage of the surrounding scenery and the view...so if you need me I am all settled here for this summer :). Until we meet again dear friends, enjoy your summer just because summer is too precious to spend indoors....toodles!

My Home - My Pride (Front Porch)

Our ordinary porch turns into summer's hottest hanging out space during the season. Its actually an easy going, welcoming and a comfortable live-able space which makes us want to spend more time outside. Here is the mini tour for you all.

Just like any stylish indoor space, our outdoor space also possesses comfortable furniture, art pieces and of course plenty of flowers to brighten our entry and exit. Purposeful placement of each object here ensures glamorous look that is out to bowl every visitor.

I believe and insist on eco-friendly decorating, it allows to see the potential in existing pieces. Instead of buying out so many different plant stands this summer, I DIY'ed this plant stand with two blocks of wood pieces and a wood sheet on top for a rustic looking my very own plant stand.

We Canadians long for summer hence we spend inordinate amount of time outdoors during the season. This is my personal favorite spot on the porch where I don't only enjoy an iced cold lemonade but also a long chit-chat with husband dear after our evening walks.  

Nothing looks more hospitable than flowers as you walk through the front doors during summer time. Lavender and dotted marigolds are making the best eye catching combination this summer at my end.

The indoor pinkness is extended outdoor on our front porch as well with most beautiful pink flowers. My mild obsession of Buddha is enhancing the porch as well. The Buddha statues and little knick-knacks makes you stop and park here yourself before you whisk away from here.

Small area such as our porch feels larger when they have a clear purpose with little bit of creative touches. Hope you enjoyed this tour of our porch. Until we meet again on the blog sphere enjoy the summer and make the best of it, toodles!  

All Decked Out! (Tour of our deck)

We, the truly Canadians, are the biggest weather fanatic. After enduring the most classic and long winter, we impatiently wait for summer and sunshine immediately connects with us. This year is also not an exception, with the hint of summer in our ravine; we have been totally plugged out with our outdoor surroundings in our newly built deck. Set against the backdrop of the sparkling waves of pond where the water is shimmering with the heat haze and leafy ravine splays for miles, our deck is a ready-to-go stage for all of our outdoor activities and entertaining. 

My mind often boggles to think how many efforts it went in to build this place from a house to home. We have been contemplating to bring in this major change in our outdoor space ever since we moved in. Finally we could get an actually believable space (almost 500 square footage) last year in which we could relax, have privacy, entertain and where my husband can also catch a cat nap after a long day ;). So, come on, let’s walk out to the back door and tour our patio/deck which is our happy place that we crave at the end of each summer day.
 

Unlike regular wooden decks, we decided on composite decking for almost ZERO maintenance and high comfort place to relax. Composite decks offer the same beauty of wood without the any downsides. No paint-no stain, adaptable and Canadian weather resistant for years to come. We also picked safety tempered and shatter resistant glass railings to create a modern look without blocking our ravine view. It also holds up the extreme temperatures of Canada.

Stunning vignettes are a key ingredient in any of my décor so why should our outdoor be any different ;). A contemporary outdoor setting for dining in style is a must. Thrown in here are some glass accessories and few low-maintenance plants and flowers to complete the look.  

Though, it gets ridiculously hot in summer and to keep Mr. Sun at bay and cool off, we have installed a gazebo from Lowes. It occupies the perfect amount of space to protect us from rain or rays. Gazebo contains net curtains with zip for us to recline or doze off on relaxing afternoons while protecting us from those unwanted bugs at evenings (though we have hardly found any).  

Each piece is outdoor friendly here yet sophisticated enough to use indoors when the weather gets colder. I have extracted the very best out of what I already had indoor. I strongly believe in relying on your imagination and style rather than deep purse for all those seasonal decorative changes. 

The best highlight of our deck is the light. At the stroke of a dusk, the patio instantly becomes a party hub with lush green view. Dimmable lights, that greatly extend our outside living with ambience, can be easily operated from our smartphones on Wi-Fi. They set the perfect mood to take our deck up a notch on the welcoming scale even for the people who walk around the pond.

The space allows us to connect with Mother Nature. The feeling of being enveloped in lush greenery while sipping Tea or chilled cocktail in the company of chirping and tweeting birds (and frogs at night) is a cozy retreat for us from the pressure of modern life.

Be it a sunset or star gazing...many smile inducing and satisfying moments take place here on summer evenings.  

Multiple zones for relaxation and entertainment on the same level make the most of summer's laziest and haziest days comfy. A sweet bench here offers an extra seat for our guests or a makes a perfect place for me to slink away with a book in the evenings. The deck also provides a set of stairs that leads to our walk out basement. (we have a built in barbeque and another outdoor space underneath the deck, where the major work is wrapped up, will hopefully share the space with you all soon.)

 

So, if you ask me for my summer plans, relaxing is the only task on my to-do list this summer so far. And this year, with this summer entertaining oasis…looking forward for another season of barbequing and grilling outdoors. Until we meet again, stay connected lovely peeps, toodles.