Outdoor Room Makeover

BEFORE

To make the backyard appear larger I designed a seating wall with 2 piers at each end that would hold larger containers. This boundary fools the eye and magically the yard is bigger! This is an old trick that painters used to force the perspectives in paintings. I also had a cement overlay installed over the existing cement patio with a faux finish of fieldstone. We replaced some of the furniture with cast aluminum in a dark finish and painted and antiqued the white set of cast iron to match. To finish off the planting beds a new boxwood hedge and roses were planted and graceful topiaries loaded with Mandevilla and Diamond Frost fill the containers. A Beautiful Retreat and a perfect way to create an outdoor room.

AFTER

Closeup of the containers, I painted these to look like weathered terra cotta. They were originally gray. I used an exterior latex paint in chocolate brown and then drybrushed with tan, olive and rust.

I am linking this @ Addicted 2 Decorating.