My Yard: A Decorating Update

I’ve spent a lot of time working on my yard. I’m lucky that it’s a large and open space, so I really wanted to make sure that I took full advantage of that.

Since landscaping really isn’t my thing, I decided to focus on what I’m good at – decorating and maximizing the functionality of the space rather than trying to figure out how to design the yard, in general.

It’s always a “work in progress” (a never ending struggle), but I figured I’d show you how far it’s come along!

If you remember my earlier post on my yard, this is what it looked like after putting in some grass, moving some plants around, and planting some pretty flowers.

Yeah. Blah.

After some time, I decided to add some gray bricks, pebbles, lighting, a patio set and an umbrella (from Sultan Gardens) to help “extend my living space.”

It was at this point that I realized the potential of decorating my yard. Even if my plants weren’t surviving, at least decorating the space could make it look a whole lot better…

And now, after 4 years of being in this home, it finally looks like a space that I’m kinda proud of.

I bought most of the stuff from here, so don’t even try to tell me you can’t decorate a pretty and functional yard in Saudi 🙂

We get A LOT of sun in our yard. I’m not complaining, but it’s very hard to find a shady spot. I had an umbrella, but a pergola was needed…

I bought a second-hand wooden pergola from our local classifieds and decided to add some curtains from IKEA for even more control of the shade situation.

I used custom stainless steel rods to hang up the curtains since I need something larger than normal rods, but then used IKEA brackets to put those rods up. Makes taking the curtains down so much easier!

The dining set was also a second-hand purchase, and it was so worth it!

Because our patio space is quite large, dividing up the space into a lounging and dining area makes it feel like I have multiple rooms outside.

Please ignore the state of my banana tree. I just bought it and am praying it survives!

And the space looks even better when it starts getting dark 🙂

The fabric that Sultan Gardens used on this set was not great (and black……), so I bought some outdoor fabric off of fabric.com and reupholstered the whole set. Best decision ever. The rug is from IKEA.

And if you missed it from my Instagram, I totally painted my mini pumpkins blue 🙂

This is by far my BEST IKEA PURCHASE OF 2016. It’s a battery-operated LED chandelier that can easily be taken down when you’re not using it. It’s not an outdoor chandelier, but as long as you don’t leave it outside, I think you’re good. You can also turn the candlesticks on an off by twisting them… Amaaaaazing. The only problem is that I bought this a few weeks ago and I can’t seem to find it on the IKEA Saudi website anymore… I’m a little confused because I know it’s a new product, so I suggest you go and look for it in the store because I definitely bought it here…..

See what a little styling and decorating can do?

I love it so much, so far. I hope you do too!

Enjoy the best time of year in Saudi!