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Happy Outdoors
Jen’s actual outdoor space!
By Jennifer Bertrand
5 simple rules for making your outdoor spaces more livable and lively this summer
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oo often Pinterest allows us to set goals that are beautiful but not always realistic. So as you focus on your outdoor projects, I want you to instead start the project with a dose of reality. Not sad, hopeless reality. Instead, reality that makes your life easier and better! What can I do without adding stress to my life? What will make our outdoor living fun? How can I upcycle current elements and turn them into something new? Here are some tips to help get you started! Decide what tone you want to create For me personally, I wanted to have a more modern, clean line with vintage elements like tu- lip chairs I found on Craigslist. Two older square chairs were given to me from an old Plaza house. But decide—are you going for kooky and happy, carefree and casual, modern and clean—it’s all about what floats your boat. Sometimes my design concept is called “a project I can actually complete!” Remember, less can be more Often people who love and adore vintage elements have an ability to see beauty in every- thing. “Oh, I could turn that into ...” “Hmmmm, I could paint that and do ...” I like to say it is a fun illness. However, in terms of design, the bigger aesthetic impact is by having fewer, larger elements. Create zones in your outdoor spaces Think to yourself, how do I want to use each area of the deck or backyard ? For us, we have two hangout areas with tables. One is more casual and one is a more formal area with a view of the lake. I laugh though, because the casual area with no view is where we always sit and hangout. 2 3 1
Planters With planters, I find a lot of people play it too small. Lots of little pots and plants can be texturally amazing, but visually can make the eyeballs long for a spot with nothing shoved into the crevice. If you currently have small pots and you don’t want to go buy something different, remember to play with heights. Find a table you can paint to raise it up to a more dramatic level. And if you are going to paint a table, remember to prime it and paint with outdoor paint; or, if you use indoor paint, then use an outdoor polyurethane. Outdoor curtains I created curtain rods out of piping and had it cut to size at the store that rhymes with Moe’s. Then I used metal primer and Amy Howard’s “Golden Egg” spray paint that I got at Restora- tion Emporium. By using rings and clips I can just have simple rectangle outdoor curtain panels made. I am doing it in baby steps due to cost and I wanted the fabric panels to be the last softening element I add, so I am still deciding on what pattern or color I will bust out! Finally, have fun! Put blinders on to what friends, family and neighbors are doing and just do what makes you happy! Because no matter what ... that is always the right answer! Huge hugs and happy designing to all of you! ^ 4 5
Jennifer Bertrand is the winner of HGTV’s show
“Design Star” season three and cohost of “Real Life Design” on cravingtalkradio.com. She resides in Weath- erby Lake, MO, with her lovely English husband, Chris, and her happy son, Winston. She has big plans in life to conquer the design world … again. Email pics and questions to Jennifer jblovesdesign@gmail.com Blog thereinventionofjenniferbertrand.com Instagram hgtvdesignstarjenniferbertrand Facebook Jennifer Oldham Bertrand Twitter jblovesdesign
xoxo,
Jen
6 vintagekc summer 2016
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