Al Fresco

A year ago I shared my front porch and how I decorated it. It was the first thing on my to-do list when we bought the house. While we had workers taking care of some projects on the inside, I was busy taking care of the outside living area. I mentioned in that post that there is one area of the porch that still needs to be furnished and I planned on using it for outdoor dining.

Last summer came and went, busy with every day life and various projects. The outdoor dining area got pushed to the bottom of the priority list. The space has been empty ever since. With summer here again, spending countess hours outdoors, the space began to feel like an unfurnished room in an otherwise well appointed home.

After some searching in stores and online for a reasonably priced table and chairs, we settled on this acacia wood dining table with two matching arm chairs. Rather than ordering additional matching chairs, we decided to mix it up with these white metal ones. They are sturdy, well constructed, and stackable for easy storage. The acacia wood table matches the outdoor couch and chairs we have in the sitting area. Everything flows seamlessly and feels very balanced.

Since the start of summer, I have accumulated quite a few potted flowers, plants, and herbs. I wanted a plant stand to display them all in one place. I was beyond thrilled with this amazing plant stand that I found on Amazon.

The stand is large enough to display most of my plants on three steps. It includes two bars for hanging plants as well as a trellis for climbing flowers. It is heavy duty and very sturdy. According to the manufacturer, an adult can climb the steps as a ladder. I cannot attest to that at this point as I haven’t felt the need to do so. The stand is both practical and beautiful. It is the focal point of the outdoor dining area.

I anticipate many meals out here as summertime begs for dining al fresco. It’s also a great place to work, have a snack, drink our morning coffee or simply take in the view.