Take It Outside with Brooklyn Limestone's Small Backyard | Beautiful Blogger Backyard Series

Today on Take it Outside I'm going to take you to my small backyard at Brooklyn Limestone otherwise known as "The Concrete Jungle".

Have you enjoyed all the backyard eye candy shared this week?  Huge thanks to Eclectically Vintage, DIY Playbook, That's My Letter and Life on Virginia Street for sharing their amazing backyards. Want more?  Yeah!  Because I have 5 more inspiring outdoor spaces for you coming up next week.

Before and After of Brooklyn LImestone's Small Backyard before - trash and weeds . After - pavers, dining table, playhouse and edison lights While our space is not in the same league as the lovely ladies above, the transformation from the "before" is pretty drastic so it's worth a mention.  Ok enough blabber...let's get down to it.

Let's start with this small backyard makeover before...

Small Backyard before - construction trash and a jungle of weeds
Our small backyard is tiny by most people standards but a good size for city life.  When we moved in it was an absolute disaster with a few feet of garbage hidden by a jungle of weeds. Yea, it was that bad! Our small backyard after our makeover...
After small backyard is transformed - side by side photo of dining table with umbrella and kids picnic table with outdoor chalkboard hanging behind it

We installed pavers, a small raised garden, and deck. To make it work best for us, we broke it up into unofficial zones. Starting with our raised deck, we make the most of the limited square footage by going vertical.  Then down the steps to street level, we have ample seating in one area, a playhousean outdoor chalkboard, a kids table and a potting bench that serves as a workbench/buffet tucked under the staircase.  And I can't forget those edison string lights I wanted for 7 years and finally hung last year (FYI I left them up all through the winter without any issues - knock on wood!) We've tried to squeeze as much use we can out of this small backyard area while also keeping it low maintenance  (and who am I kidding? I have a black thumb so a lush garden was never in the cards)

Close up of herbs on the dining table with playhouse in the background along side overhead of edison lights at night strung over the playhouse area

Making the most of your space in a small backyard

It's been a slow work in progress but we've been able to put a lot of living space in this small backyard. I'm happy with how it looks now.  Now if only the weather would cooperate so we could actually enjoy some quality time back here. It's too darn hot for me right now.  Autumn can't get here soon enough!

Potting Bench under the stairs and sitting area on the deck with 2 chairs and a small table Small Pergola over the deck with table and 2 chairs under it

For the curious, here is a complete source list for our small backyard makeover:
Trestle Dining table & Bench from World Market
Playhouse by Kidkraft from Wayfair  (before being pimped out)
Outdoor Chalkboard is DIY
Children's Picnic Table by Ikea but now discontinued - this one is similar
String Lights by Birch Lane Marble Bistro Table scored secondhand
Wicker Chairs by World Market
Striped pillows by Lowes
Succulent planter DIY

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!  See you back here next week with 5 more fabulous outdoor spaces to inspire!  Want to share your own beautiful backyard?  Drop me a line or tag your Instagram photos with #beautifulbloggerbackyard

8 comments:

  1. oh my gosh the little green door! i can't take the cuteness! love this space- the lights make it so magical!

    ReplyDelete
  2. That must have been so much work. It already looked good, but seeing the before made it even better. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Very impressive -- I remember a lot of those projects. If you ever have time, a photo from Agatha's play house looking back onto your house/deck would provide the spacial awareness I'm lacking about the deck. It's totally not my business I'm just curious to see how it all flows together with your back door and stuff. What a great makeover!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Inspiring! Did you lay the pavers yourself? Husband and I are debating the pros and cons of doing the labor ourselves next summer (basically, cost vs. back breaking work).

    ReplyDelete
  5. I just love your space - I think you are too hard on yourself. It looks like the perfect space for the entire family to relax.

    ReplyDelete
  6. This is so charming, Stefanie! I can't believe the difference between the before and after photos!!! You did such a great job!
    Thank you for hosting this series-
    Jen

    ReplyDelete
  7. I can't believe that before - did you find any bodies hiding under the trash? Love those string lights - I want them too but they are impossible to hang in my yard without interfering with the cantilevered umbrella!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love this series! I cannot believe the transformation - beautiful and full of summer comfort!

    ReplyDelete

There is nothing that thrills me more than hearing from readers. Please share your thoughts. ♥

Follow @ Instagram

© 2007-2020 Brooklyn Limestone. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy
Back to Top