I avoided this makeover for 15 years | outdoor patio makeover

quite the challenge on my hands.How am I gonna turn this outdoor city patio into a European -inspired escape?That is a good question, but I will make it happen.This patio space belongs to my friend Arianna.She is quite literally one of my closest and longest friends, and yet, somehow, I have not done a makeover for her, and trust me, she will not shut up about it.She recently moved into this apartment.

We are halfway through the summer, and to have a patio space this good, looking this sad, should actually be a crime, not to be dramatic at all.Okay, she sent me a bunch of this juicy Europe inspired inspo.Like, are you seeing how good this looks?But are you also seeing what I'm working with?I have no shade, no soil, a literal metal wall.Who has this?

But somehow I'm going to figure out how to make this Europe.Not exactly the blank slate I'd like to start with, but I'm up for the challenge for one of my best friends.I do still need to figure out the overall plan for this makeover, and maybe I'm jumping ahead just a little bit.But when I saw this $100 table and chairs on Marketplace, I thought it was so good for the vibe.I instantly booked a truck to go pick it up because I'm pretty sure this is a good deal and we will definitely need some seating in a dining area on the patio.A little bold doing this myself, but the man I bought it from carried it by himself, so I know that I can too.

Definitely do not want to break this glass, though, because that would be an awful start to this makeover.Okay, so now that we have the table and chairs in place, let me fill you in on the rest of the plan, what I'm thinking.So actually, Ariana just moved into this apartment with her sister Katia, and they placed an order for this couch.I think it's great for the European vibe, but it is quite bold.So I'm gonna have to make sure that all the choices I'm making are gonna work with this couch.

Really?

That's what it says?Oh.Okay, and they literally just told me that the couch order says canceled, so...may not have a couch for reveal.Okay, well, anyways, rugs will definitely add some cozy texture up here, and I wanna bring in some lighting sources for the evening, in addition to these string lights that they already have.Literally, I have a cloud for one second.

I'm definitely gonna need some shade up here because, even if it's just for me, because I can only handle the sun for like this long.My sunscreen doesn't work that hard.And lastly, I think I need to spend a lot of my budget allocated to plants, because that is the only way I'm going to bring this vision to life.And thank goodness Katya has a green thumb, because Ariana...Okay, it's time to source everything I'm going to need in order to bring this space together.I just pulled over because I found something for free on the side of the road.

Okay, so what I spotted is an umbrella stand, and I will be needing one of those.Other than free side of the road finds, I was pretty successful with marketplace and finding what I needed, but then ordering or shopping whatever else I couldn't.So I already have a collection of pretty planters that I'm so happy to part with for this makeover and I'm Marketplacing or buying the rest that I need but something I actually Hadn't really thought about when it comes to an outdoor makeover is that there are actually a bunch of different styles.There's traditional There's modern we could have gone boho.We could have gone coastal, but I am really loving this Mediterranean European inspo which I If you are traveling to Europe or anywhere else this summer, then you definitely need today's sponsor Aerolo.

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Oh, neighbors are saying hi to each other.She was like, I'm in my feels today.OK, with pretty much everything sourced, I think I have what I need to bring together this makeover, which means I get to rent myself another van to take everything over to Ariana's.I don't know if I've emphasized enough, plants will make or break this makeover, so I've done some serious thrifting and purchasing of pots.I know they look mismatched right now, but we kind of all just need to trust the process right now, OK?Cadet Kelly reporting for duty.

Okay, so my plan today is I definitely need to go to the plant store while I have the truck so that I can Fiddle the plants in I will need to pick up a new pot becauseI did lose a soldier in the lobby.Really sad about that.But I think the first thing I want to do here is maybe just like get a few things in position so that once I do have the plants, I can maybe get to planting.Let's start with the light.These planters came with the space.

I might use them.I might not.Let's see.But I just don't want them here right now.Learn from my mistake and so many other people's mistakes.I would rather not buy glass string lights now because they always break.

These are plastic, but they kind of look like glass.And you're going to break a lot less bulbs.So we pretty much only have enough string lights to just go around this railing.So my plan is to attach them using black zip ties to hold them in place.Black so that we can't see them against the black railing.And also these zip ties said that they're UV rated.

So I'm hoping the sun won't deteriorate the plastic and that they will stay put.

Are these glass?Oh, my God, these are glass.

Okay, so I proved my point.Definitely go plastic if you can, because these are really easy to break, even if you don't whack them against a pot.But don't worry, I'll see if Ariana has a spare bulb.Otherwise, I'll pick one up.Okay, now over here in this corner, I've actually picked up these secondhand bi -fold, like, closet doors.And the thought behind this is, I need a way to break up this glass, this metal and bring some warmth into the space and i just feel like since the couch is gonna go right here can we do something that's a little bit warm a layered corner moment behind the couch to just get us a little bit closer to europe so far we're only in new jersey like what's closer so far we're only in iceland we gotta keep going and

we got to get to like the south of Europe.Like next step is Ireland.Then we'll get to the south of Europe.OK, not me realizing shutters have a good side and a bad side kind of.OK, we'll need to make a trip to the hardware store to get those to stand properly.But hopefully the vision will vision like at the couch, OK?

OK, and the last thing I want to do before I hit the plant store is set up the umbrella.Time to put the free umbrella stand to use.And I'm just going to fill it up with water to add some extra weight.

Oh, sweet, sweet.

This is great.OK.No, this this base is not going to work, though.That's so sad.I love free things.But I did pick up a proper base and low key.

It's also a table.So that's cool.Let's go get that.Otherwise, it's like, no, no, no, no.OK, I'm just seeing this now.It is a base that is supposed to be used under a patio table and under a patio table.

Only my bad.Anyways, this is a cool product.It is a side table and an umbrella stand in one.And then you add some water or sand so that it's heavy enough to hold the umbrella.And I don't know why, but even if it's not sunny out, the umbrella just feels so cozy to me. I guess they add some privacy.And with that, I can finally get to the main task of the day, plan shopping.

So I feel kind of like thrift stores, maybe plant stores are similar, where if you want a big variety, affordable options, more affordable options, then it's kind of best to go outside of the city.So I'm interrupting my day with like a one hour drive to hopefully find a good selection.of plants.

This better be worth it.

This is Valley View Gardens, which is huge and has a great selection of plants.You do have to look out for deals, though.So this guy is gorgeous and so Euro vibe, but not for $300.We are not working with that kind of budget today.But instead of these hibiscus trees that one of the employees pointed out to me, I think they're maybe on clearance, but they do what I need them to do, which is just add more tall greenery.It's hard to find tall greenery that's gonna work in the harsh sun on that patio, that is also affordable.

Plant babies.

Okay, the plant babies are tucked in.Now I gotta get back to Toronto.I hope I bought enough.Also, guess how much this was.I stayed within the budget I was hoping to stay within, but it's still a lot of money.And I'm curious how much you guys think it is.

If you're Kyle, wow, Nadeo, you did so good.It's not looking good yet, guys.I'm a little, I'm, I'm optimistic, but I'm also like, why does it look so bad?I feel like I've been working on this so much.We just obviously need to get these plants into pots, but that's not gonna happen right now, because it's the end of my day.I have to return this truck.

And guess what?It's supposed to pour rain all day tomorrow, so I actually kind of have to take the day off.I don't know.It's gonna look great.It does already look better.Plants give life.

You know what also gives life?Rugs give life.We don't even have a rug out here yet.Okay, gonna stop overthinking it, and I'll see you when I see you.Okay, can confirm, it did downpour yesterday.and as with any good storm, we have some updates.

Apparently, the storm made the hibiscus bloom.Looking gorgeous, didn't know what color it was gonna be, didn't know if they would ever bloom, but they are here, and they're like a pinky red, so...Wow, I think there were some yellow ones and those weren't in our color palette.The other thing that happened is the shutter doors fell down, which was like to be expected because I haven't done all the hardware I need to do to them in order to make them stand up like a divider.So that's what we're going to start with right now.OK, I'm just getting started by taking off any closet door hardware because these are no longer closet doors.

But also because this is an outdoor makeover and I wasn't thinking, I didn't bring my drills, just a screwdriver.So we'll see how far I get.Otherwise, I might be making a trip to my sister's house because she lives on this side of town.It's going.It's just going to take a while.I have to do these and then I have to do a few brackets as the stands.

I might call my sister.

It's been forwarded to voicemail.The person you're trying to reach is not available.At the tone, please record your message.

OK, now is a really exciting time because I'm going to figure out placement.So I feel like I'm going to put the pots where I think they want to go as well as the plants where they want to go.Now, this is the point where I would not want to have regrets.And ideally, I'd put down the rug right now.But with all the soil and planting and still wetness, I kind of want to avoid doing that because I don't want to get our new rug dirty with soil.OK, what's it going to be?

Please excuse me while I play Tetris.

Well, I try to figure out where everything is going to go.I actually want to tell you a cute story about how Ariana and I became friends on the very first day of grade nine.Basically, we found ourselves in the cafeteria hanging out with a bunch of mutual friends that she knew before high school and I knew before high school.Probably like 14 girls.And then one girl stands up.and says, I have to go to the bathroom.

And then in such girlhood, but also cliquey girl fashion, every girl stands up and all of a sudden it is a field trip to the bathroom.Now I'm not really a follower and I definitely dislike hanging out in a dingy bathroom.So I turned to Ariana who was sitting beside me and I said, I don't really have to go to the bathroom.

Do you want to stay here?

And she said, yeah, I do.So everyone else left and then a friendship was born.That was a real canon event.Sometimes when you have a lot of options like I do right now, which plants go in which pots, which pots go in which spots on this patio, it's really the best to just start with what you know.So I know that I want some tall plants behind the couch, and I know that this plastic planter is not that cute, so I want to hide it behind the couch.So now I know exactly what I need to do for at least these pots and plants.

The other thing I know is that this tomato plants nursery pot is the perfect shape and size for this pot.So it's going to go in this pot.What are you supposed to do when you're planting and you get like chunks of dirt in the flowers?Like what am I what am I doing?How do I fix that?OK, tell me what kind of person you are, because.

My Spotify is like, I listen to way more podcasts than I do music.Like probably to an embarrassing amount.I don't listen to a lot of music.Like with all the driving I'm doing, or just like hanging out here planting, I'm just like, I want to be kind of stimulated, you know?Which speaking of, one of the reasons I think we created our behind the story podcast podcast, which Becky and I do on Patreon.We chit chat, we makeover your spaces virtually, we react to the makeovers that you've done in your own homes.

Anyway, if you're interested, that's over on Patreon.If you need a friend in your ear, whichdoing something like planting.This whole time I've pictured Pom, that corner.And there she is, there she goes.The cool part about doing this makeover is that because I'm outside, Ariana didn't have to leave her apartment.

I just go inside and then I get to see Ariana.which sometimes I don't get to do that.I don't get to see the person all day.She's also working from home, but I love making over my friends' faces and just hanging out with them.

I need more soil.I can't really do much else until I go get soil.

Shoot.I also decided to pick up a trellis with a tomato supply.It's been taking me all day to plant.I have just a few more left.But before I put anything in this pot, I actually want to do a treatment to it.So I just on the other terracotta pot did a oil, like a teak oil that I borrowed from Becky.

It got it a little bit darker.I rubbed some dirt on it to make it look a little bit more like lived in, less bright orange.I do on this one maybe want to try some stain that I have that's actually a little bit more tinted and darker.So let's see how that goes.

Oh, that's the move.

Doing a layer of oil and then adding the stain on top was my favorite method here.Like if we were in Europe, you know that these pots would be looking so distressed.And I want our pots to look like they've been here for like at least seven years because I don't think we can achieve 70 that easily.

That is wet and dirty.Wet and dirty.

OK, I want nothing more than to bring in furniture now because guess what arrived yesterday?The couch.We have a couch.I am so desperate to see it out here in the space, but...need to get rid of any speck of dirt before I can do that because I am not about to accidentally stain this new couch.Okay, de -dirtifying the place also means de -dirtifying me, so I need to get changed.

Okay, let's see if this fits.Underneath the couch, I decided to go with this floral print tan outdoor rug.I think it's going to add that hint of feminine energy that we need to the space because We're dealing with a lot of bolds here between the couch, the black and the metal.So the couch came wrapped up in boxes, kind of like a mattress does.So it's going to take a few hours to reinflate.And I'm hoping all these wrinkles will go away.

It's also a modular system that zips together.But I couldn't make this happen by myself.So I'm going to have to bring in some support with me when I come back tomorrow for the reveal.Honestly, I'm just trying things here.I don't know if this is a good idea, but I want some greenery in this corner, and I guess I did not buy enough plants after all.But now it's time to figure out the placement of all the tables I thrifted.

The ones I thrifted are all circular, but I feel like this space in front of the couch needs a long lower table.So I actually picked up this bench from Ikea.I have this bench in my backyard and one time I needed more tabletops than I did seating.So it became a coffee table instead.And I actually thought it was cute as heck.It's also just hard to find the right size coffee tables that are long and low and don't take up too much space.

OK, with the coffee table in, I'm not loving how the couch is looking and what's behind it.So I'm going to rearrange things.I'm removing the wobbly planter box from the top of the wooden wall and adding one of the thrifted tables back here with a plant on top, which means that I can bring the other plant to be in front of the wall.Now it's looking a lot more balanced.OK, it is finally reveal day and Ariana told me yesterdaywhen I was loading things to my car with her, she said this is like a bucket list moment.

So I cannot wait to reveal to her.And the other day during my rain day, I actually went thrifting and picked up some goods to like help do some final touches here.I'm in a rush.The sun is, I know it's still bright, but it is slowly setting.Let's get some final touches so the space can come together.

It's already looking so good.

If you have any glass candle votives, always check the thrift store.My theory is that the brides just donate them after their wedding.So there are just so many vase and glass options there.Elliot is here to help me as we are quickly losing the sun.And did I mention we're throwing a little party tonight on the patio?So this rug arrived today in the nick of time.

He's helping me get that down since we have a heavy table to move.He's also helping me zip the couch together.Also turns out they had more string lights, so I'm going to put them up on the wooden door because I just we need more in this corner.These cushions that came with the dining set are very worn, ripped and dirty.So I decided to get new ones.And the couch actually came with its own cushions, but I just thought it was too much on the couch.

So I want to put them over here in the dining nook instead.Now for the true, true final touches.We have pillows for the couch.We have glasses for our bevvies.We have even more lighting and more seating.And I'm giving her a real ashtray to replace the sketchy beer bottle that was being used.

OK, and with our cutie snack spread, I am ready to bring in Ariana and show her this place.

no i'm so scared oh my god no no tell me when okay i'll count you down okay my heart's beating i'm so scared open your eyes in three two oneIt's giving premium private exclusive Gorgeous, the table makes so much sense.Like it's so beautiful.This is my bucket list moment You know what I mean?Do you know what dreams come true?Do you know what dreams come true?

This is legitimately a dream come true.I actually can't believe this is outside.This looks like a fucking like the chicest living room you've ever seen.To be honest, babe, the rugs, like, I actually had a vision of, like, a woven rug like that.Yeah.And, like, a dual rug, like, that they go on top of each other.

This little, this is my new meditation cushion.Oh, real, yeah.Oh my god, that pot!Oh, that's so you.Oh my god, that is me as a pot with a flower.With the red flower holy.

Like this is actually, because I didn't think we were going to get to this level, because I was like, oh, it's silver.It's kind of giving like industrial odda.Like I was like, I don't know if we're going to get cozy.Like this is cozy.This is my new personality.You're not going to hear the end of this patio for the next, like at least 3 .5 years.

Oh my God.No, it's everything.It's like the rugs, the planters.It's like luxe, but like so beautiful and cozy.It's like everything I want in a space.It's like literally perfect.

I actually can't believe.It only took 20 years of friendship.

We're celebrating our 20 year anniversary in September.

So you guys too could get a gorgeous patio makeover.if you just befriend Kelsey right now.And in 20 years, you too will get this f***ing sickening patio.And guess what?It was worth the 20 year wait.

Party.I hope you're getting the vibe, but the feeling of being there and sitting in the space is just honestly 10 times better than what I'm seeing on the screen right now.I hope you guys like this makeover.I'm so glad I could finally give Ariana a dream space by the Sorry Girls.Speaking of, on the Sorry Girls next week, Becky is transforming a kind of offensively gray bedroom into a room that you would actually want to sleep in.We'll see you there.