Join me!

A Decadent-Looking (Yet Surprisingly Frugal) Deck Makeover

Do you need a deck makeover? Decorating your outdoor space can be a fun way to change the look of a space from year to year. A deck makeover doesn’t need to cost a fortune, either. Forego replacing the expensive structure by sprucing up space with personal touches and crafty decor. With a few well-placed accouterments, you can bring your personality outside for some fresh air.Deck Out Your Deck with these ideas

A deck can be a great space to extend indoor living to the outdoors in the warmer months. If you’re lucky enough to have a deck space that opens up from the indoors, like a kitchen or living room, then you have a space that blurs the lines between inside and out. To function as a living space, the deck needs some furniture and outdoor decoration that nods to the indoors, yet with the durability to be left to the elements.

Have a look at how the deck looked before.Deck makeover BEFORE

Yuck.

The deck boards are in need of replacement, nails are popping up out of the boards, and the wood is rotting. Even so, this project wasn’t on the books for this year. We all have budget and time constraints! What WAS on the books was making it a welcoming and inviting place for outdoor dining and entertaining. It just needed a bit of cleanup and some personality. As you can see, by adding furniture, plants, and accessories, this deck had quite the amazing transformation!

Deck Makeover Project

The first step was a solid power wash of the wood. With a clean floor and walls, this outdoor room already had a lot more potential. It is a wide open space that looks out over neighboring streets with almost a woodland feel. I wanted to bring that natural feel to the decor, along with some bright pops of color that fit with the colorful paint used on the houses in this area. And, of course, I did a few crafty DIYs as well.Gorgeous Deck Makeover Project

Disclosure: the post is sponsored by A.M. Leonard’s Gardener’s Edge who also provided me with some of the decor items. The DIY elements were designed and made by me and I’ll share how to make those in future posts. The designs and opinions are my own. Please check out the awesome giveaway we have at the end of this post so you can deck out your deck too!

Two French doors open up to the deck from the living room, so it’s a well-used living space in the summer months. This navy WaterGuard Mat in the boxwood pattern is pretty enough for inside and it ties the indoors and outdoors together. Outdoor Rug

The space was so bland and lifeless it really needed some flowers, so the first order of business in the deck makeover was planting colorful annuals. A 3-Tier Harvest Basket Planter Stand was perfect for the small space because it packs a lot of flowers into a small space and livens up a dead corner. Each of the planters has a drainage hole in the burlap that lines the middle baskets. It was simple to put together and I conservatively added nine plants that will grow and fill in over the season. I chose dahlias, SunPatiens, calibrachoa, and sweet potato vines for vibrant blooms and dark, interesting foliage.Three Tier Hanging Baskets

Since the deck gets so much sun it’s a great place to grow a little vegetable garden as well! I’ve been hearing a lot about grow bags and these are just about the cutest that I’ve seen. They are lined with plastic and have a grommet for a drainage hole so they are fine to be left to the elements. And the handles really can handle the load: I have moved them a few times to catch a bit more sun!Burlap Herb Planter Bag

There is a number of different designs for the burlap bags available. I chose the 5-Gallon Retro Herb Grow Bag, 10-Gallon Retro Pepper Grow Bag, and the 20-Gallon Retro Tomato Grow Bag. As you can see, the plants are happy and growing like crazy. I can’t wait to harvest them.

Burlap Pepper Planter Bag

There’s also a Rustic Herb Basket with Burlap Liner that’s got a chicken wire look to it and it’s lined the same way so that you could plant it as well. I like to use it as my harvest basket so that I can harvest the herbs and vegetables easily and bring them in to cook with.Herb Basket

The back fence of the deck was built to create a privacy screen from the stucco wall of the neighbors’ house. The fence just didn’t have much pizzazz and your eyes ended up being drawn to the garden next door.Deck Out Your Deck with these ideas

To keep the focus on the deck space, I made some outdoor artwork (see how to make it here) and hung two Galvanized Bucket Wall Planters. The galvanized metal planters are just the right look for this eclectic space and I love that they can stay out all year. They have drainage holes which are removable, so you could use them indoors or out.Galvanized Bucket Planter

Of course, we need a little bit of lighting outdoors and this set of lanterns is the perfect look.Gorgeous Deck Makeover Project

The battery-operated lights in the Aversa and Siena LED Candle Lanterns mean the candle can be on at the flick of the switch, and they provide a warm light to help us enjoy the deck into the wee hours of the night.Set of Two Electric Outdoor Candles

The deck needed an outdoor rug to cover up the nails and some umbrellas to dampen down the hot sun. The umbrellas are attached to the deck to give the most shade with the least amount of floor space being taken up. The old glass patio table was sent to a new home because my woodworking husband built this new cedar table with planter inlay.Deck Makeover Ideas

Wow, right? You’ll have to wait a few more weeks to see how he made it, but we will share the instructions. For now, enjoy the final look of the outdoor space. What a difference a deck makeover can make!Everyone Loves a Deck Makeover

While all of the elements are made for the outdoors, I will bring in the containers for the winter (with the exception of the bucket planters). I don’t have the space to pack up and move the table and chairs so I was happy to find a large selection of durable patio furniture covers that exactly fit the table and chairs so they can stay out and be protected!

Deck Out Your Deck with these ideas

Giveaway Time!

I’m thrilled to be giving away something to deck out your deck (or garden) from A.M. Leonard’s Gardener’s Edge! This contest is now over. Congratulations to Nadine who won the $50 gift card!

Comments

  1. Your deck ‘up-do’ has inspired AND motivated me to do something or anything to make my deck more inviting and comfortable. I bought this house two years ago and I’ve put the deck on the back burner, so to speak! And now is the time!! But to choose just one item…would be impossible!
    Not to mention how I couldn’t afford to buy anything new.
    But thanks a million for such great ideas!! And for lighting that fire under my ___!! ?

    Reply
  2. My porch doesn’t get near enough light to plant much and until the neighbors pulled down trees, the backyard was somewhat shady but the 3-Tier Antique Willow Plant Stand would be a nice addition to the yard or the porch.

    Reply
  3. I so enjoyed reading your post! This is such an awesome deck space! I love your privacy screen and your little vegetable garden is a plus!

    Reply

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Kickstart

your garden!

This FREE 5-day mini course will help you set up a thriving garden for wellness and joy quickly and easily.

I want the free course!

Join one of my free email courses!

Natural skincare

made easy!

This FREE 5-day mini course will teach you the small changes you can make to your skincare practices that will make a HUGE difference in how you feel.

I want the free course!

Kickstart

your garden!

This FREE 5-day mini course will help you set up a thriving garden for wellness and joy, quickly and easily.

I want the free course!

Learn and Live
with Nature

SHOP BOOKS

Garden Therapy Online Courses

SHOP COURSES