House Crashing: Kelly Moore’s Charming Outdoor Deck Oasis
We had a blast when we house-crashed Kelly Moore last May (see the full visit here), so when she told us she’d refreshed her outdoor space, we were eager to see the deck updates and the cozy retreat she created there.
The deck is a welcoming mix of relaxed seating and thoughtful details: outdoor drapes that frame the space, a sculptural hanging egg chair from Ikea, and colorful, modern seating from CB2. Those elements combine with abundant potted plants to create a layered, inviting outdoor living room that feels both stylish and comfortable.
Plants, textiles, and seating are used to define zones on the deck, making it feel like an extension of the home rather than just an outdoor platform. The hanging egg chair adds a playful focal point and a private nook for reading or relaxing, while bright cushions and furniture pieces bring personality and contrast to the neutrals of the deck surface.
DIY Pallet Planter and Creative Containers
One standout detail is Kelly’s leaning pallet planter, a smart DIY solution that brings vertical greenery to a compact outdoor space. She used hose clamps from a home improvement store to secure the pallet, creating an easy-to-make, visually appealing planter. While some pallets are chemically treated and others are heat-sealed, making them safer for gardening projects, when in doubt you can seal pallets with a product such as SafeCoat to reduce concerns about contamination. To see Kelly’s step-by-step pallet planter project, check her blog post here.
Beyond the pallet planter, Kelly mixes traditional plant pots with unexpected containers—an old metal toolbox becomes a charming planter, adding character and a collected look that suggests her space evolved over time. These creative container ideas are an easy way to personalize a patio or deck, and they work especially well with succulents, herbs, and other low-maintenance plants.
Seating Areas, Fire Features, and Cozy Details
The deck transitions down to a lower sitting area that features bold seating choices, a chiminea, and a fire pit—elements that extend the usable season and create a warm focal point for gatherings. You can view a closer look at that lower area on Kelly’s blog here. Between layered seating, lighting, and plants, the space reads as an intentional outdoor room built for both quiet mornings and lively evenings.
Small accents show up in every corner: a single succulent in a pretty pot, groupings of containers that create texture and depth, and found-object planters that add soul. These little touches are what make a deck feel curated rather than staged, and they give guests things to notice and remember.
More Inspiration and How to Share Your Home
If you want to explore more of Kelly’s outdoor details, her blog has additional photos and notes about the updates. We’re grateful she shared the space with us—seeing more corners of her home is always inspiring.
Looking for houses to crash: We’re currently scouting for interesting homes in and around the Atlanta, Georgia area (including cities along the route to Richmond such as Charlotte, NC; Greenville, SC; and Greensboro, NC) because we’ll be traveling for the Haven Conference. We’ll also be visiting Bethany Beach, Delaware later this summer, and would love to find crash-worthy houses in that region or nearby coastal areas like Virginia Beach or Annapolis. If you’d like us to consider your home, send a few photos and your general location (no address necessary at first) to [email protected]. We can’t promise to visit every submission, but we’ll do our best to fit in as many delightful house-crashing visits as possible.
Back on Kelly’s deck, favorites are easy to pick: the hanging egg chair steals the show with its cozy silhouette, while the toolbox-turned-planter gives the whole space a bit of grit and charm. For a roundup of all the houses we’ve crashed, check out our category page here, and see a couple of re-crashed homes for update posts here and here.
Kelly’s outdoor deck is a great example of how layering furniture, plants, and unexpected containers can transform a simple porch or deck into a personal outdoor living space that’s both functional and full of personality.