Summer Patio Makeover Reveal

Colorful Summer Patio Makeover Reveal. With just a few tweaks and not much budget, you can create an inviting, comfortable space to enjoy all summer long.

Our Summer Patio Makeover is finally finished! We started a month ago, and I'm so glad we finished all our projects before the weather got too hot. Now we can sit back and enjoy our patio in the shade all summer long.

As with any big project, this Summer patio makeover was made up of several smaller projects, so I'm breaking this down into all the pieces and parts. Hopefully you'll get some ideas along the way for your own outdoor oasis!

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Summer Patio Makeover

The first project we did for our patio makeover really wasn't about the patio at all, but was all about creating a nice backdrop for the patio. We painted the concrete block wall that had been bugging me since we moved into the house.

Now we have a nice clean blank slate that doesn't detract from the pretty stuff we want to put in. Once the wall was finished, we moved on to the fun projects!

Gazebo Lighting

As much as I love color, pattern, and design, I really think that you create a mood with lighting. And although we built this gazebo for shade, it makes the perfect structure for some pretty mood lighting in the evening.

First I repurposed a thrift store chandelier into an outdoor candle holder. You can see how I did that project in this DIY Chandelier post. 

The glass candle holders are made from yogurt jars and I just put a little sand in the bottoms to hold tea lights in place. That way I can easily light the candles and lift the glass jars up to set them in the chandelier when I'm using it, and simply replace the tea lights as needed for next time.

Then I hung two strands of C9 Christmas lights around the top edge of the gazebo. 

I really love those hefty cafe lights that are popping up everywhere, but I think they look better when strung across open spaces.

Since these lights are just recessed around the edge of the gazebo, I decided to go with simple Christmas lights. I got the kind with the big bulbs, to mimic the look of cafe lights, rather than fairy lights. And as an added bonus, they cost about $2 a strand! Plus, the replacement bulbs are super cheap and easy to find.

Outdoor Rug

I love outdoor rugs for making a patio dining space feel cozy and like an extension of your home. I felt like I needed more color in this space, so I chose a bright blue floral rug to compliment the light blues in my chair cushions. It adds a pop of color and a touch of comfort.

Spray Painted Furniture

Finally, I felt like my old dining set was functional, but a little boring, so I spray painted it black to match the chandelier and hardware on the gazebo.

Now it stands out with a cool wrought iron look that provides the perfect backdrop to my cushions.

Speaking of cushions, I found these at At Home last year, and I love them because you can fold the backs down for extra cushioning on the chair bottom, or unfold them to cushion the back of the chair. I like to leave them down to show off my now-pretty chairs!

Candle Centerpiece

Because you can never have enough candle light, I decided to add a few candles to the table centerpiece as well. I chose a couple of chunky citronella candles to keep the bugs away, and accented them with these cute DIY candles that I made on a whim.

I'll be sharing that tutorial with you soon. They were cheap, easy, and fun - my favorite kind of DIY!

I hope this gives you a few ideas for your own Summer patio makeover. With just a few tweaks and not much budget, you can create an inviting, comfortable space to enjoy all summer long.

Let me know if you have any questions about any of these projects, and I'll be sure to answer! (While I'm sitting on my back patio, sipping a margarita.)