Me too. I’ve been longing for vitamin D, longing to be surrounded by nature, longing to be far far away from a pandemic. The closest thing to all of that? An outdoor oasis in my very own backyard. I know I’m not going to be spending money on plane tickets or hotel rooms anytime soon. I also know that not everyone is in a position to shop. If you have some funds set aside, I highly recommend investing in your backyard so you can get outside more and more each day.

I immediately went on a digital hunt. I looked far and wide. Up and down. Sideways and backwards. My results told me one thing’s for sure: cheap furniture doesn’t look too good. Common sense told me cheap furniture doesn’t last long either. I wanted to invest in something pretty, something with a natural aesthetic, and something with a middle-of-the-road price range – nothing cheap but nothing that would throw me in the bank account deep end. BEHOLD THE BEST OUTDOOR FURNITURE SET…

Outdoor Sofa

Although I was very tempted to get an outdoor chaise lounge set for sun bathing, I figured the outdoor sofa route would be more comfortable for friends, outdoor meals, socializing, etc. Turns out I killed two birds with one stone (er, sofa). I can sit with friends or easily lay flat and worship the sun since the sofa is over 6 feet long 🙂 I opted for the driftwood finish.

Lounge Chair

The sofa needed a friend so I bought a matching Portside chair. I shipped only one chair to start, thinking we may not have enough room in the backyard for two. Now that I see it all put together, I’ll most likely buy another chair to make it a matching set! Plus, it just makes sense in order to fit another couple, more friends, etc.

Mosaic Coffee Table

I love that we call this a “coffee table” when in reality it should be a wine or beer table at our house ha! I’m obsessed with the mosaic marble work on top since it adds such a fun detail. I LOVE white, and since I didn’t want all-white outdoor furniture (dangerous for so many reasons…*wine*), I invested in a white coffee table that offers easy clean-up.

Indoor/Outdoor Rug

After I was set on all the furniture, I knew I wanted to tie it all together with a rug. I felt like the set needed something to complete the look. I adore our woven cable-strip rug made of 100% all-weather polypropylene that’s durable, waterproof, and ridiculously easy to clean. While our stripey selection is currently sold out, you can opt for this sustainably sourced , material equivalent natural beauty or this stripey sister. I opted for a 5×8 and while I *love* my rug, I was definitely between it and this beautiful ombre rug or this pinky hued gem. The world is your oyster!

Ceramic Side Table

I am my mother’s daughter, and she loves a good ceramic side table. Inside, outside, you name it. I grew up with them all over the house. I wanted one by the oversized chair and fell in love with this cobalt blue for a pop of color. I decided on a more natural look for the furniture because I wanted the colors of the garden to take center stage. I think this side table brings in even more 🙂

Outdoor Pillows

Proper lounging is made possible by pillows…and not just any pillows. They should be proper outdoor/all weather pillows so that the elements don’t ruin these babies overnight. They need a durable fabric to take on anything, rain or shine. I love the pop of color they add as well. The pillows shown are from a small boutique in Hermosa Beach, but the pillows below are beautiful and filled with yarns made from recycled plastic bottles which helps to keep water bottles out of the waste stream!

String Lights

Alexa, turn up the romance. I adore the festive, inviting vibe these lights give off. We went with the warm light color temperature and love everything about it. As the sun goes down in the city, the string lights turn on 🙂 Grab a glass of your favorite wine, turn on some Van Morrison, and boom. The perfect night is set!

This blog post was originally published on April 15, 2020 and updated on April 25, 2021.