Backyard Makeover

One of the things that set our apartment apart from the other places we looked at was the outdoor space. Since we are on the ground floor of a brownstone, we have private access to the garden behind our building. When we first moved in, it looked like an overgrown jungle, full of weeds and plants that were in desperate need of grooming. Although it didn’t look like much, we saw potential for a beautiful natural oasis in the busy city.

Since Adina was born just a couple of months after we moved in, our priority was settling into our new home and getting everything ready for baby. We got a small outdoor dining set and strung up some lights, but for the most part, the backyard went untouched for months. Add several months worth of snow and ice and it was in pretty bad shape. Then spring came and as the weather started to get nicer, we were motivated to give this yard a serious makeover. Here are a few “before” pictures:

Michael totally surprised me with his green thumb and over a weekend, transformed the yard with new edging, mulch, and pebbles from Home Depot. While we were there, we got a grill, a fire pit, and some tiki torches. We pulled everything together with an outdoor furniture set with comfortable seating for four. Michael received a birthday gift from his parents that completed the backyard oasis transformation...a large wooden hammock!

Our garden doesn’t even feel like the same yard anymore! I really enjoy drinking my tea and having a tranquil breakfast at the bistro set while Adina naps each morning. Michael looks forward to coming home and relaxing on the hammock after a long day of work. It’s been so much fun having people over for BBQs and we have loved winding down at the end of the night with friends around the fire pit. It is the perfect escape from the busy city and I can’t wait to make many more memories out there!

Bistro Dining Set: Overstock.com (old, similar here) // Outdoor furniture: Bed Bath & Beyond // Grill: Lowes // Firepit: Home Depot // Hammock: Amazon // String lights: Tarzian Hardware (similar here) // Pillows: Ikea, H&M, H&M // Throw: Homegoods (similar here) // Outdoor rug: Target // Mugs: Lord & Taylor // Tiki torches: Home Depot