Outdoor Living Room – ORC Week 1! – C l a r i M i c h e l e

Guess what?! I’ve decided to go for it, and participate in the One Room Challenge again! *internal panic* I have a budget of maybe £50, don’t have a lot of time, and made up my mind to do it yesterday. SOUNDS LIKE A PLAN FOR SUCCESS!!! What I do have is a boring backyard, and desperation. So I hope you plan on tagging along, because the next 6 weeks should be interesting.

***If you are new to the blog, hello! I’m Clarissa. I moved from California to the UK almost 2 years ago, and this blog just sort of happened along the way 🙂 ***

First let me explain. The One Room Challenge (ORC) is a super fun blogging event hosted twice a year by Linda from Calling It Home. Designers and lil ‘ol bloggers (like meee) transform a room in 6 weeks, and it’s so exciting! I finished decorating our master bedroom last year, and taking it on as part of the ORC helped me see it through to completion. I’m hoping that the same will be true this time as I try to create a welcoming living space in our backyard.

I’ve had this day on my mental calendar for months now, but was torn over whether or not I should join in the ORC this spring. Part of me feels that I shouldn’t take on a project unless the results are guaranteed to be amazing. But yesterday when I had a look at what the featured designers will be working on, I was reminded that the ORC is for everyone – because everyone benefits when their home is shown some love, and transformed into a comforting safe haven. So I’m doing this!

Here is the part where I show you what will be the “before” photos (and pray that the “after” photos will show SO MUCH improvement!).

The garden is long and narrow, and pretty low maintenance. It has fake grass, which isn’t my favorite, but it also doesn’t require any mowing or trimming. I’m not really sure how to spruce it up, but I’m on the lookout for a brush to “fluff” it. Do they make those? The patio at the far end is where the seating area will be. I already have the coffee table, but need to buy EVERYTHING else.Hello house. I’m not planning too much for this side of the garden. Ideally, I’d like to add more potted plants. I’ll also need to re-pot the herbs in the windowsill, and add drainage.