Summer is here and I am so ready to entertain again! My favorite place to do this is outside and this year I have a new outdoor oasis that I cannot wait to finish up and reveal all the details with you! I am almost done but here’s a sneak peek at my inspiration and some of the items I have planned for my space.
I spent 12 years as a licensed interior designer and my last firm that I worked with was in Rosemary Beach, FL on 30A on the Gulf Coast. I am definitely inspired by the work we did down there and most of my inspiration images reflect this.
But I live in the south and I am also heavily influenced by my southern roots. I love hydrangeas and potted Camilla trees and lush ferns.
As I was collecting inspiration, several of my images reflect this side of me as well.
I have added 800sf of outdoor living space and have an area for a 10′ dining table with 10 chairs, an outdoor fireplace with a large soft seating area and a fabulous coffee table and I have a grill area and serving table area with a fun bar cart!
These are some of the pieces I have selected for our retreat.
As someone who loves to entertain, I have longed for a larger space to welcome more people to gather. When I first moved into my home 6 years ago, there was a song that had just come out and the lyrics were “Holy Spirit, you are welcome here. Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere.” This has been my desire for my home to be a place where you are welcome here. I want it to be full of people that love on one another and for our time together to be a real blessing to each other.
When I finished laying 3500 bricks in the new outdoor patio space, I asked my dear friend to do a “blessing of the bricks”. We gathered for dinner with our Sunday supper group and he led the blessing. It was such a powerful evening in which we prayed over the bricks and all that would walk on them.
It is my heart’s desire to create many opportunities to fill this space with as many different people as possible to share in fellowship and good food together.
My new outdoor area that I have created allows for us to gather at the dinner table, cozy up on the sofa around the fireplace to enjoy good conversation and even host watch parties for movies and sporting events on a 100″ screen using my movie projector.
My son has one year left in high school and I wanted a space we could enjoy entertaining his friends as well. They have already had several parties watching movies together, cooking out and just hanging out talking.
I am almost ready to reveal the final space and can’t wait until I do! How are you planning to create a space to gather this summer? I’d love to hear your plans!
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