There is nothing better in this world than outdoor living spaces. Mike and I finally bit the bullet and invested in taking our blah deck that was uncovered, hot, natty and too small to enjoy and transformed it into a comfortable,  stylish, year round gathering place.

Here's what our deck looked like in November:

Here's what it looks like today:

Pretty cozy huh?

Let me share a few of my secrets:

The furniture (notice it's slipcovered) is outdoor furniture from Lee Industries. It is sooooo comfortable! My husband wanted a "napping" sofa and that's what he got! Oh and the chairs swivel:)  The pillows are from the outdoor collection at Stuart Lawrence Design. The large lantern was a gift from my friend Dina and is from Pottery Barn.

As any good designer should, I've included custom touches all over the porch. One of my favorites is my screen door from Vintage Doors. I love it's old time-y carvings and bright, happy color (which is Sherwin Williams June Day SW6682).

We worked hard with our contractor to figure out how to vent the grill out the top of the roof and then hide the venting. We found this perfect vent hood from Signature Hardware. What a relief for Mike to be able to grill out without leaving the party! (Notice the wireless Sonos speaker - I play the Norah Jones station constantly!).

Another custom touch is our repurposed corner table and stools hand crafted to our specifications by Frederick Knight (made from wood from an old cotton mill) . I met Frederick at Scott's Antique Market. His company is Georgia Harvest Tables.

It's the perfect size to sit in the sun with the laptop, to serve cocktails or to hold my favorite Glassybaby candles and Blenko vase (thank you Steve McKenzie's!).

Remember this vintage vase from the early 1900's  I bought at Scott's Antique Market months ago? This is it's long awaited home. (Notice we installed wall to wall outdoor carpet to make the porch really feel like an indoor space).

One very important touch you can't see is a 40" flat screen tv we mounted on the back wall.

Now you know where I'll be this summer watching the US Open and this fall watching SEC football:) My feet will be up, a cold glass of pinot grigio in my hand all with the sun shining on my face.

Care to join me?

Kelly