Wednesday, August 29, 2012

the backyard and pool reveal!



the two readers of my blog have called... they want photos of the backyard since the pool has been completed. and who am i not to oblige my in-laws. so i headed outside (covered with bug spray and long sleeves to ward off any west-nile-virus carrying mosquitoes...yes, i'm paranoid) this evening and took a few shots.

but before i show you all the photos of the finished pool and patio, let's remember back a few months ago to what the backyard looked like when the pool was first dug.

 DURING
as you can see the pool fit perfectly in a little niche up close to the house, surrounded by an L-shaped patio.
and drumroll please.... somebody, anybody......pixel?

THE AFTER

hang on to your hats..... there's a lot of photos coming up. but remember, you (and you know who you are) asked for it.
the pool as seen from the patio

a closeup of the waterline tile
the spillway. it makes a soothing, bubbling sound that doesn't drown out conversation.

and now for the patio. we searched high and low for outdoor furniture. everything that was comfortable was out of our budget (i had issues with paying more for an outdoor sofa than my indoor restoration hardware sofa.... call me crazy). and if it was in our budget, it was, well, ugly.

we finally found a gorgeous set in a local store  but discovered that we were only looking at the price tag for one section of the set. the price tripled when we added up all the sections. we left with the maker of the set and model/style. we found it online for about half the price with free shipping and no tax. they quoted me a 4-6 week delivery time (a little disappointing). i was ecstatic when it showed up in 2 weeks! i loved also that i could pick out the fabric color. this is sunbrella's canvas palm. it was just what i wanted. i found the black and white pillows at joss and main.


the sofas and ottomans can be moved around in a multitude of ways. and if we get a storm i lift up the ottoman cushion and store the pillows in the base.
 we had the sheers from last year's end-of-summer sale at restoration hardware. i bought black outdoor curtains to pair with them.
we got creative with our hardware. we went to home depot and found plumbing pipes. steve anchored them to the ceiling as our rods. i love them. and they were about 1/10 of the price of outdoor curtain rods... another bonus.
we weren't sure how we were going to hold back the curtains given that our posts are brick. again, we got a little creative. we found rope at home depot. steve knotted it using his boyscout skills from 35 years ago. way to go, honey. and we used metal clips to hold the curtain tiebacks.


i found these two green garden stools at ross (for $29 apiece!) when steve and i were out one night running errands.i knew they'd be perfect for the patio.

one day my neighbor rang my doorbell to let me know that another neighbor had these blue adirondacks out by her curb with a FREE sign on them. she said, i don't have room for them, but you do! SCORE! i plan on spray painting them when it cools off. still a blue, but maybe a little darker.

pretty blue lantern.
purslane.... my new favorite, mainly because it hasn't died yet... it actually thrives in the texas heat. it blooms pretty dark pink flowers all day long and then they go to sleep every night.
we found this tapioca tree at a local nursery. i love it.  the leaf stems are pink.

and there you have it.... the backyard reveal! we're gearing up for our first holiday weekend with the new backyard. we've got friends comng over saturday to swim and cook out. should be fun. have a great long weekend!

22 comments:

M. Denise C. said...

It's all so lovely, Pam! You've been busy. Enjoy!

Anonymous said...

It is fantastic. I love your new furniture. It is gorgeous. And the pool is beautiful.

pixelimpress said...

thanks kathy!

Holly said...

Wow it looks great! Very inviting! :)

Stephanie Suire said...

I looks beautiful! I especially love your outdoor furniture. Where did you end up buying it? I am also curious about the pool, I notice that it does not have a large patio/walkway around the pool. Have you noticed an issue with getting grass in the pool as you get in/out of the water?

pixelimpress said...

hi stephanie. here's where we bought the furniture... and the particular set we bought.
http://www.americanrattan.com/r-patiocabo.html

ours is the 3rd photo down (no end tables though). the sofa's pulled apart right now. and i did the sunbrella canvas palm fabric. we found them to have the best price, plus free shipping (it came in
2 weeks after being quoted 4-6 weeks), and no tax. we actually sat on the sofa in a store first and knew it was comfortable before ordering.

we designer the pool based on some inspiration photos from here
http://pinterest.com/pixelimpress/exteriors/

i love the look of a rectangular pool with no decking. we don't have children so we didn't think grass getting into the pool would be an issue. we had some kids here using the pool recently and the
grass in the pool wasn't too big of a deal. i just skimmed the little bit out and the filters too care of anything remaining.

another reason for no decking.... it gets sooo hot here in texas! i didn't want to burn my feet getting into and out of the pool (or pixel's feet for that matter.)

thanks for stopping by! pam

Millie said...

What a beautiful haven you've created Pam - it's Resort living at home!
Millie xx

cotedetexas said...

you are sooooooooooooo funny! my two readers - my in laws! i was laughing.

that furniture IS gorgeous!! so is the pool. and love the curtains.

I'm going to show this to them = they will love it! thank you a million.

Joni

Lili said...

love the lap pool! i am totally sharing the photos to my husband as we are getting ready to do the backyard!

pve design said...

looks like a perfect spot for a blog party!
pve

Cathy said...

I know it’s kinda late but I want to say congrats on your new pool! It looks lovely and inviting! I think it is a good move that you decided to have one. It will add some charm to your house, and you can finally have a place to relax and unwind. And the kids would love to have a new place where they can have some fun time! I also love what you did to your patio; it looks chic! [Cathy Newman]

Unknown said...

I was looking for an inspiration 'cause I'm having my pool renovated, and I bumped into yours! Your pool and patio looks so nice! Despite having limited space, you still managed to combine a pool and patio in it. I also love the colors you chose in the patio! :) I would definitely consider this as an inspiration! :)

Hettie Calhoun

SunnyFloridaFinds said...

This is such a beautiful setting. I love everything about it and have been so impressed with every detail. I could just melt into your backyard with a cocktail and a good book. Could you share the pool waterline tile specs/source?
I am struggling with picking the right tile for my remodel and think yours is perfect.
Thanks!
Claudia

Cassie {Hi Sugarplum} said...

Looks so so great!!! love the tile, and how the grass goes right to the edge!! And hanging the curtain rod from the ceiling is genius!!!!

Unknown said...

What a stunning reveal. Your outdoor space looks very inviting. I love what you did with your backyard, and that pool completed the appeal of it. May you enjoy a lot of weekends and holidays chilling in your lovely backyard! Tiffany @ Pools ‘n More

Anonymous said...

I'm obsessed with your pool tile. Do you happen to know what it's called? I love that some tiles are very light and others are dark.

Cathy F said...

Can you tell me what pool tile you used? my email is bcdfuller@yahoo.com

KateD said...

What pool tile did you use?

KateD said...

Were you able to get the pool tile info?

Amy Siliz said...

What pool tile is this?? It’s beautiful! Please share if you can find it! I’m planning to refinish my pool and I would love to see samples of this tile! 😍😍😍

stacey said...

Would love to know the pool tile as well!

Unknown said...

Would love to know the pool tile also!

you might also like

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...