Don’t get too excited—this is more about improving function than looks. We reclaimed our old spray‑painted metal-and-glass coffee table from our first house’s living room after John’s parents returned it (they used it while their house was on the market and it accidentally ended up in storage).
We realized we didn’t have room for it inside, but so much outdoor furniture is the same metal-and-glass style—like the round table the previous owners left on our upper patio—so it found a new home outside.
Is it a perfect match for the space? No. Is it ideal for resting my pale, frequently unshaved mom legs? Absolutely.
Sometimes you have to make do with what you have—whether that’s an old thrift-store coffee table or a set of particularly ghostly legs—until you upgrade. Here’s a straight shot of the table without any limbs in the frame:
And check out the happy surprise in the background: our hydrangeas decided to bloom. We were curious about the color—buds looked white—but they opened to cheerful blue flowers. It’s one of those small joys of spending your first spring and summer in a new home: seeing what emerges and gets you excited. Seriously, it felt like Oprah handing out hydrangeas: “You get a hydrangea! You get a hydrangea!”
When we did the big patio reveal, I even hauled non‑outdoor pieces outside to help show scale—John thought I was a little odd, but I loved it. The patio was charming with those items staged, but here’s how it actually looks most days now:
Yes, that’s a whale‑shaped baby pool. It was a gift from a friend who had the same one as a child, and Clara absolutely adores it. Being a cautious mom, I stuffed towels underneath so the swim-diapered tushes aren’t sitting on a hard surface.
Although the patio is far from finished—no final outdoor furniture lineup, fewer pillows than I’d like, and plenty left on the wishlist—it already feels like a little paradise. It’s a reminder that outdoor spaces don’t have to be perfectly styled or fully furnished to be inviting. Sometimes a whale pool and an old coffee table are all you need to make a happy, usable patio.
Before I sign off, here’s a quick look at how much the backyard has filled in since our first house tour. John snapped this shot of the left side a few months ago:
And here’s the same view now—much fuller and greener:
On the right side of the yard, the transformation is similar. A few months ago it looked like this:
And now:
It’s getting wonderfully lush—welcome to our little urban jungle. Burger and Clara love exploring out there. One other fun discovery: a bush we couldn’t identify turned out to be full of flowers, which look like roses to me.
Full disclosure: I’m not great with plant identification, so that’s my best guess. One thing I can say for sure is that the monkey grass is thriving and keeps tickling my pale legs whenever I wander the yard.
So tell me—do you have patios or outdoor spaces that are functionally perfect but not yet styled to death? Did you ever have a whale pool as a child (they really do seem to be a classic)? Are your legs as delightfully chalky as mine? Share your stories—I promise not to gossip. Much.