PLANNING FOR THE BACKYARD MAKEOVER
I wanted to show that you can make an amazing backyard with a low budget, and with items from Kmart. When you focus on details, function and one overall theme, creating a backyard of your dreams is easily doable. I started with the theme; I wanted to create a Moroccan theme for my friend Tuulevi’s backyard and make it a relaxing oasis and a place to host parties during summer. The original plan for my Kmart Outdoor Living backyard makeover: – Dining Set – Additional seating for gatherings – Fire pit (and the additional seating will be around it) – Garden lanterns, candles etc. extra lighting – Flowers & flower pots – Cushions & pillows etc. fabrics – Serving dishes, napkins etc. items for outdoor party I think I accomplished my backyard makeover fairly well. I didn’t have time to order anything online for this backyard makeover, even though the sales person at Kmart guaranteed they have fast delivery & store pick. I had done ton of research before heading to Kmart. I used their online Outdoor Living Planning Tools and had a fairly clear picture what I was looking for, but I still spent a total of about 8 hours at two different Kmarts purchasing all of the products, and finding all of the decorative touches to add for the backyard to come alive. I shopped at all home related departments, not just outdoor living department. I spent pretty much exactly $1,500 for everything, including the tax, all of the flowers and all of decorative accents. Many of the products were on sale. However, the umbrella in the pictures is home owner’s own, but a similar one would cost $199 at Kmart, so included that the makeover would have been over $1,700 with regular prices. Note: many of the products are now on sale, and I noticed that there were price differences between the stores, so I have used regular prices on this posts, but changes are that they are lower in your store or online, like most of them are as I write this post, and you can get it all, including the umbrella and all of the flowers for much lower than $1,500 if you shop smart. I liked the Jaclyn Smith Today collections products the best for this makeover, and most of the products are from the Jaclyn Smith Today collection, but wasn’t looking at the brands at all when purchasing the products from Kmart, just picking items that I liked and I thought would fit this backyard. NOTE: most of the pillows & fabrics I used are NOT weather proof or chemically treated for outdoor use, and they need to be taken indoors during bad weather days. Here is the picture of the house and the backyard before the makeover.
I decided the colors for the fabrics from the house and added potted flowers that fit perfectly with the existing trees and flowers on the yard to enhance the beauty of their yard, and brought the best out of it. Originally I wanted to use purple in the makeover, but it wouldn’t have fit the backyard’s existing colors at all. When you are doing low budget makeovers, always try to incorporate things that you already own and use the existing yard as your guiding line.
THINK DOUBLE DUTY
I also focused how items can have a double duty purpose, and how you can get more for less. Some of the double duty ideas I had: – A large bucket perform as a cooler for drinks at the backyard BBQ party and then relive as a container pond with plants and water in it. – Brand new birdbath with ice can also be an elegant cooler bowl for parties and then turn into a birdbath. – A lounge chair is for sun tanning during day and for snuggling next to fire at nights. – Large sheet can be a table cloth, backyard blanket or rug, curtains on the pergola or hide thing behind it. – Flower pots can be used for table decor, as magazine holders, or for firewood. – Flower stand turn into tables with a sturdy place mat or a tray. – A rocker on your dining table can be pulled for a reading nook.KMART BACKYARD MAKEOVER DETAILS
I split the makeover in two – the patio and the yard itself. I used same fabrics, lanterns, flower pots, and tiki torches on both places bringing it all together. In addition I created a reading nook for the patio.FIRE PIT & RELAXING SPOT ON THE YARD FOR UNDER $500
The relaxing spot, the lounge chairs and the fire pit in the yard is perfect spot for suntanning during days, relaxing after a day at work or enjoying the fire after dinner.
The homeowners had just had their entire yard landscaped last summer, but they hadn’t had time to enjoy the new yard last year, so I wanted to make it something special for them to enjoy this summer. Fire pits are one of the most wanted items in backyards this summer, and it was a must for this yard as well.
Read the details here.
DINING AREA AT THE PATIO FOR UNDER $1,000
The patio is very large and there is plenty of space for small dinner parties.
I surrounded it with tiki torches and lanterns, and added a lot of flowers to bring the garden already to the back porch.
The fabrics and pillows made the deck to look like an additional room, and welcoming for the guests and the homeowners alike.
The grill used to be the focal point, but by adding new furniture and bright fabrics the patio turned into an entertaining heaven.
Get the details here..
RELAXING READING NOOK FOR UNDER $100
The reading nook was easy to create just by pulling one of the rockers off and adding a side table.
The relaxing nook is perfect for bird watching (in the bird bath), reading or having an afternoon tea or drink before dinner.
Think how you can easily create a relaxing spot like this in your yard with using items you already have – the key is that it has to be easy to set up, it’s not real relaxing if you need to work hard before you get to the relaxing part.
Get the details here.
Disclosure: I was compensated for my participation to the Kmart Outdoor Living campaign, but all of my opinions are my own.
