CREATING A COZY PATIO SPACE ON A BUDGET

How to transform your patio from boring to bad ass all for under $500.00

How Being Quarantined Made Me Want To Give My Patio a Makeover

When Covid-19 made its way to Colorado and we all got ordered to stay home I realized I didn’t have a patio that was enjoyable. So I decided I would create a cozy patio space for myself. If I was going to be stuck inside for weeks, and maybe months, it needed to happen. I needed to Create a Patio Space on a Budget that I would enjoy. Being a wedding photographer that isn’t able to shoot weddings currently, I needed something fun that brought me some happiness.

Like most people right now, I definitely didn’t have a ton of money saved up. I knew I shouldn’t be spending a huge amount of money on creating my dream patio. Trust me, I lived on Pinterest for a solid week while trying to figure out what I wanted to buy. Everything seemed to be at least 500.00 just for a super cute patio set alone. And while I did have 500.00, just one or two pieces of furniture for that price seemed absurd. Especially since none of those super cute furniture sets that would fit on my apartment patio, looked all that comfortable.

All this while keeping to a budget. So how do we do this?

Patio String Lights For Those Cozy Nighttime Vibes

First thing I went and bought to cozy up my patio space were some patio lights. I got a 20 ft long set of string lights for $13.00 at Walmart by Better Homes and Garden. With how long my patio was, I ended up needing an extension cord which I had. Depending on your patio, you may or may not. Make sure if you do, that you get an extension cord that is made for outside. I did not include the cost of the extension cord into the budget so keep that in mind. I did however spend about 8.00 on a small pack of ceiling hooks from Walmart. These or something similar will be necessary to hold up the lights. Total spent: $21.00
CLICK HERE FOR THE EXACT STRING OF LIGHTS I BOUGHT FOR MY PATIO

My patio is a pretty good size for being an apartment patio. Measuring about 11ft long and just short of 5 ft wide. However on the far side of my patio it’s more like a small nook surrounded by walls. The 5 foot width is only for about 8 feet then it drops down to about 4.25 ft in the nook.  I had to find something that would fit it properly and make the space super cozy. So back I went to Pinterest to find some inspiration.  Creating a cozy patio space on a budget of $500.00 was my goal. So I started looking into using Pallets for patio furniture. And it just so happened that Pallets you can get fairly easily are 48×40 in size. This was the exact size I needed to fit into that little nook on my patio.

Creating Patio Furniture From Pallets

For my small homemade patio day bed, I used two 48×40 wooden pallets. I researched online what places around the Denver area sold individual pallets that were new. I ended up buying my Pallets from Denver Reel and Pallet Company. The two pallets cost me a total of $32.00. From there, I went to Home Depot and had some sanded plywood that was roughly an inch thick cut down to 48×40. The Plywood Cost me $39.00. So for a total of $71.00 I had a base to work with. I stacked the two pallets on top of each other, and then put the plywood on top to give a flat surface to sit on.

(PHOTO ABOVE NOT MY PHOTO, COURTESY OF AMAZON.COM)

Finding A Cushion to Fit The Pallets

Then came time to find some sort of comfy cushion to put on top. I needed something thick enough to not sink down when you sat on it. When creating a cozy patio space, you definitely want it to be comfortable. I’ll be honest, I couldn’t find any sort of outdoor patio cushion to fit 48×40 anywhere. I could have had it custom made, but that would have cost so much money. Funny enough as I was walking through PetSmart to get my dog food, I saw a pretty epic dog bed. It was an orthopedic dog bed that just so happened to be 48x38in. First off… I didn’t even know that orthopedic dog beds existed, but they do. And they are super comfortable.

So I bought it and brought it home. There is one down side with this dog bed…  It is not weather proof. Being in Colorado we get tons of nice weather throughout the year. So I don’t mind if I have to pull the cushion inside when the weather is bad. But if you are in an area that gets tons of rain, this might not be the best option.

The dog bed was 74.00 from PetSmart

 HERE IS A LINK TO THE EXACT BED I BOUGHT.

 

USING THINGS I ALREADY HAD ON HAND

Once I got the bed on the pallets and plywood I grabbed some old patio seat cushions I already had and stuffed them on the back and side of the bed to kind of fill in the empty space. I ended up using some old king size pillow cases that I already had to cover them to not be so ugly. To be honest, this is a totally optional step and you could absolutely fill it with some other sort of pillows or throws, or don’t. Either way it be just fine. But if you are looking for some extra cushion behind there, it isn’t a bad idea. Just keep in mind I am not including these in the budget since these aren’t really necessary. So adjust your budget accordingly if you plan to buy some. You can get some new from walmart for about 25.00 a piece or probably find them used super cheap.

Making Your Patio Space have a Cozy and Bright Feel

Looking at my patio at this point, just felt very plain. I also hate the color of my patio walls so I wanted to get things to put on the patio to make it feel slightly brighter. So I opted for a Black and White outdoor rug to fill the rest of my patio space. Technically I would have needed a 4.5×8 foot rug. Unfortunately you can’t just find an outdoor rug that size. The closest one is 5×7. Home Depot had a great selection of rugs and I ultimately ended up choosing one with a geometric design to give some more life to the space.

While it didn’t fit flush, it easily folded up on the edge to make it fit. I also had some flowers that were about to die so I just kind of weaved them into the patio fence because I thought it looked pretty. [the throw pillow pictured below was one I used on my bed for a while and is not included in the cost of this patio makeover]
It’s amazing how different it looks just by adding the patio rug. This rug cost me 95.00 at Home Depot.

YOU CAN FIND THIS EXACT PATIO RUG HERE

Adding A Little Color Goes a Long Way

I also needed to find some sort of cover for the bed. And while I wanted white, it just seemed a little boring. I found a cute set of twin sheets (which fit this bed perfectly in width, so I just had to fold over one side when I put it on) at target. These gold pineapple sheets gave it the perfect touch. I bought these for $10.00
CLICK HERE FOR THE GOLD PINEAPPLE SHEETS AT TARGET

Target truly is the best store ever. During my trip there, I bought a few extra throw pillows. These throws cost me about $60.00. No, not all of my throw pillows are made for outside. And yes, I did have some throw pillows already, so I used some of those as well. Only the black and tan one with tassels is actually made for the outdoors. The outdoor one I bought at Lowes for $25.00. Many of the pillows were on sale. Since I was creating a patio space on a budget I was definitely checking out all the sales.

CLICK HERE FOR THE LOWES PILLOW

LINK TO THE TARGET THROW PILLOW – WHITE AND BEIGE – OPALHOUSE (21.00)
LINK TO THE TARGET GREY FAUX FUR THROW PILLOW  (18.00) (shown in final photos at end of blog)
LINK TO THE TARGET SOUTHWEST GEO THROW PILLOW IN GRAY (17.00)

Plants are Life

I absolutely love plants. They really make a space just that much better. So I went to Lowes and got some plants to give an extra touch to my patio space. I knew I wanted something to hang from my ceiling so I got a fern. And I also got a Pink Mystic Gem Clematis climbing plant. My patio fence is basically a trellis, so I thought it would be fun to add a climbing plant to my patio. Both of these plants cost me about 35.00

 

Finishing Touches

When I started this whole process, I already had two black patio chairs that just looked so boring. But now, they don’t look half bad out there on the patio. I did really want one more piece of furniture that was cute, and someone could sit on. Making my patio space comfortably sit 4 people, or even 5 if two people cuddled up on the pallet bed. Target (here I go again with Target) has a great selection of fun indoor and outdoor “Poufs” as they call them. Basically small little ottomans that are great for sitting on as well. I wanted my pouf to add some color, so I opted for an indoor pouf that was red and brown. It definitely gives a different feel to the patio and really ties together the space. This pouf cost about 75.00.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FLORENCE PERSIAN RUG POUF IN RED AND BROWN FROM TARGET

It is also a great height, and sits pretty flush with the top of the pallets and makes for an awesome foot rest for people as well as an extra seat. It is also sturdy enough that I can sit my stemless wine glass on it no problem ;). If you wanted to sit multiple glasses on it, you could definitely find a cute tray to lay on top and turn it into almost an outdoor coffee table.

Ok.. So Just What Did All This Cost?

Adding everything up, the grand total came out to $466.00.

My biggest tips for creating your perfectly cozy patio set up…

#1. Take a look at what you already have! I threw together things I already owned with new pieces and it ended up working out great.
#2. Who says that everything out on your patio has to be brand new? A great way to save would be to also look at second hand items. Facebook market place is a great spot to check out used items.

Think All This Is Creative?!
Wait Until You See My Wedding Photos!

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT THIS EPIC COLORADO SPRINGS WEDDING