Explore beautifully curated garden rooms and outdoor living spaces at my 1850 farmhouse. Get inspired by her cozy seating areas, seasonal plants, and vintage decor in this stunning summer home tour.
Welcome to my garden rooms and outdoor living spaces home tour! Discover beautifully curated garden rooms and outdoor areas designed for relaxation and enjoyment.
From cozy seating areas to vibrant seasonal plants and charming vintage decor, each space reflects my passion for creating a backyard oasis. Join me as we explore these inviting and inspiring outdoor living spaces, perfect for summer entertaining and everyday tranquility.
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About Me and My Home
If you are new here, I’m Stacy, a master gardener who lives and gardens in north-central New Jersey, zone 6a. We recently moved to a beautiful 1850 Farmhouse with 10 acres of gardens, sculptures, and statutes.
I’ve been gardening for over 20 years and enjoy helping beginner gardeners find their inner green thumb, as well as discover a love for all things plants and flowers. And I love to bring the outdoors inside my home too with a vintage cottagecore style.
I hope you enjoy visiting my garden rooms and outdoor living spaces at my home today. It would be amazing if would come back so we can grow stuff and create beautiful spaces together.
Welcome to My 1850 Farmhouse
Our home is nestled in north-central New Jersey in a sprawling suburban/farmland town. We live less than an hour from New York City, an hour from the Jersey Shore, and an hour and a half from the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania.
It’s a great spot to live because we have easy access to the best of things on the east coast. While we weren’t planning on moving when we did, we were casually looking around and found this hidden gem.
The former homeowners loved this home, cultivating every square inch with a great focus on all of the details. It needed a little updating but there is so much character, interest, and uniqueness here, the opportunity to purchase it was too cool to pass up.
So we went for it.
And we haven’t looked back since. The house is amazing, but the outdoor living spaces and garden rooms are to die for too! Wait until you see it all.
Explore My Garden Rooms and Outdoor Living Spaces: A Summer Home Tour
This time of year, I’m outside almost 24/7 enjoying my outdoor living spaces, and tend to let the inside go. Do you do that too?
Even more so for us, because we recently moved from our rustic farmhouse to a new-to-us 1850 farmhouse on a sprawling 10-acre property with lots of amazing garden rooms and expansive gardens.
Now that we’ve been living here for more than a year, I finally feel like we are making each space our own. And I can’t wait to share some of the garden rooms that have changed since last year!
So grab a cup of coffee, tea, or whatever you want really, and let’s tour my outdoor living spaces because there is SO MUCH I want to share with you. These outdoor living spaces are to die for!
Oh and wait until you see the surrounding gardens too! GAH!
Wait until you see how beautiful everything looks for summer living!
Summer Front Porch Decor and Design
We typically kick off our garden tours with some time on the front porch. There’s just something about sitting on the porch, having a refreshing glass of tea or sipping a glass of wine, while overlooking the property.
It’s magical!
Since we were first married, Chris and I wanted a front porch. A covered front porch with gorgeous pillars, beautiful front porch rockers, a swing, and a garden view.
A place where we could linger, enjoy a cup of coffee, a glass of strawberry lemonade, Long Island Iced Tea, or an amazing glass of wine with cheese, and enjoy the outdoors.
Well, we got that and more!
We still pinch ourselves every day because we are in awe of how amazing this home and property are. When we first moved in, the porch had this beautiful white porch swing. And it’s one of my favorite places to sit and enjoy the front garden views. I am out here every morning with my dogs and a cup of coffee to start the day.
The idea was to transform the front porch into a summer sanctuary with cozy outdoor seating, seasonal plants, and vintage garden decor. It was important to me to create an inviting atmosphere perfect for relaxing and entertaining. So I incorporated comfortable chairs and cushions, vibrant flowers, and charming antique accents to make your porch a welcoming extension of your home.
Outdoor Decorating Tips and Ideas for the Porch
We bought these pretty porch rockers to use on the opposite side of the porch. It has a better view of the new potager garden and crabapple trees in the lower portion of the property.
To cozy up the porch swing and rockers, I chose some pretty neutrals with the buffalo check and vintage flower pillows.
And I love how they look!
To create mini garden rooms on the porch with more seating options, I found this vintage bistro set that WE LOVE! It’s a great spot to eat breakfast and can easily be moved around the property for some cozy dining.
Just above the bistro table set is this pretty vintage sign I found while thrifting at the flea market in Vermont. I bought this sign two summers ago (before we decided to move) and had no idea where I was putting it in the old house.
Little did I know we would move a few months later and that I’d have the perfect spot for it on the front porch.
Container Gardening on the Porch
Since I love to garden and outdoor planters are my jam, I potted up my black urns that usually flank the front door. But this year, I decided to keep them just outside so they would get watered from the rain.
The container garden recipe for the black urn planters with plants from Proven Winners that include:
- 1 Angelface Cascade Blue Angelonia
- 2 Superbells Prism Pink Lemonade
- 2 Supertunia Mini Vista Indigo
To cozy up the porch with even more flowers, I added Proven Winners Angelface Cascade Pink Angelonia in hanging baskets between each of the pillars. They are a little small right now but will fill out in no time.
As an aside, hanging baskets dry out SO EASILY so it’s important to water them daily, and sometimes even twice a day if it’s hot enough.
I add a drip system to make this task easier. If you can’t find them in a coordinating color with your home or backdrop, you can spray paint them so they disappear.
The Welcome Garden
Since my gardens changed since I shared my early spring garden tour, you’ve got to see what’s blooming here right now! The welcome garden is sited just outside the front porch and it is lovely to see it change throughout the growing season!
In the fall, I planted pansies, tulips, daffodils, and alliums in this garden. While the daffodils and tulips have finished blooming, the alliums just started and my pansies still look amazing!
As an aside, in several zones, if you plant pansies in fall they can overwinter and return in spring. If you aren’t sure whether it will work for you, give it a go in the fall.
I mean, if you are planting them anyway you might as well leave them in the ground and see if they come back the following spring. It saves a lot of money in the spring if you like that early color in the garden.
While you can’t see them blooming yet, I also planted several snapdragons and zinnias in this garden too.
What I love most about this whole area is that when you sit on the front porch, you get an amazing view of the front yard gardens.
Exploring the Potager Garden Room: A Blend of Beauty and Functionality
Welcome to the potager garden that is an amazing space for both gardening and outdoor entertaining. This charming garden room offers endless garden design ideas, blending functionality with beauty.
I use raised beds to grow seasonal vegetables and herbs, creating an attractive and productive space together with my cutting garden. To add some ambiance for a cozy seating area, I tucked in some decorative elements too that make it perfect for enjoying meals or relaxing amidst nature.
This garden room went through a significant change since my last outdoor living space home tour. When you last visited, we had a few raised garden beds for growing vegetables and our dining table with wicker chairs.
Updates to the Potager Garden
My husband and his friend, Mark, spent the whole month of March building new raised garden beds with cedar and they look incredible! I’ve got them planted up with vegetables, herbs, and of course, lots of flowers.
The largest bed is filled with twenty-four dahlias. They’re doing well so far and growing pretty quickly. I need to get out there and start supporting them.
Another big change we did was to pull out all of the boxwoods. They weren’t in the best shape so the ones that were OK were relocated to other gardens on the property.
In their place, I planted several ‘At Last’ and ‘Ringo’ roses from Proven Winners. I’m growing about sixteen roses in this garden and can’t wait to see them bloom. So far, they are growing beautifully.
They were planted as bare-root roses, so as of now, they’ve all leafed out and are starting to grow. I’m not expecting many blooms from them this year, as it will be more about establishing a good root system than putting on a spectacular flower show but hey, you never know.
We relocated the outdoor dining space in this area and I love where it is now. It’s easy to circulate around and I feel like it’s more a part of the garden room than before.
Next year, we’d like to DIY an outdoor kitchen so we can really make this space into more of a farm-to-table type experience.
So stay tuned!
The Secret Garden by the Pond
Discover the tranquility of the secret garden nestled behind the potager garden, where a serene front pond garden awaits.
Last year, we hadn’t done much with the front pond gardens. There weren’t many plantings and I wasn’t sure how we wanted to use it yet. Aside from seeing the bridge from the potager and our home, you really can’t see the garden down here, so I’ve decided to call it a secret garden.
Because unless you walk down, you almost don’t even know it’s there. And you have to walk through the arbor of the potager garden to get to it.
Last fall, I divided several hellebores, hostas, astilbes, hakonechloa grass, brunnera, sedums, ajuga, and ferns to fill in the garden.
And I love how it’s coming along!
This fall, I plan to pack several spring flowering bulbs so it blooms from early spring through fall. I replaced the old Adirondack chairs we had with these six beautiful Adirondack chairs and a firepit that I bought on a serious sale.
It’s a great space and we enjoy sitting out here by the pond.
Speaking of the pond, we added ten shubunkin goldfish here. I know we lost one when we first put them in the pond but so far so good, we’ve been able to keep the others. Keep your fingers crossed they survive another year and nothing gets to them!
Pool Area Design
The pool is one of my favorite places to be! From May through September, you’ll find me out here for at least a few hours a day under my favorite umbrella. I used to love tanning, but these days, I prefer shade so I can comfortably soak in the views and listen to the fountain from the front yard pond.
There is a garden along the green fence that seems to be a great spot for roses. They love it there. Last year, I tried to grow sunflowers, calendula, marigold, and dahlias, but the resident bunny got to them.
This year, I’m planting more of them and spraying them with this repellent to see if they will leave them alone.
We bought five pool loungers so each of my family members could sit poolside. And we may add a few more. At some point, I’ll tackle the gardens behind the seating area, but for now, it’s on the back burner.
The Backyard Porch With Zen Garden Room
And finally, the last outdoor living space we are touring is the backyard porch in the zen garden. This is one of my favorite garden rooms on the property as Chris and I are out here all the time after a long day.
It’s really relaxing listening to the soothing sounds of water from the pond’s waterfall. Plus, we enjoy watching the fish and the frogs.
We weren’t sure how the fish were going to do during the cold New Jersey winter, but they are all there and look healthy.
The backyard porch has a curved shape deck that is covered, so we were able to enjoy this space all year round.
Because it is shaded for the majority of the day, I keep all of my houseplants out here during the warmer months. They LOVE the time outdoors in the heat and humidity and benefit from their summer vacation.
After shopping around for a while, I wound up purchasing this conversation area that has worked out really well. It’s been a great spot for just us or when we need to accommodate more guests.
To decorate for summer, I bought these pretty outdoor vintage floral pillows and neutral buffalo check pillows.
And I added a faux boxwood wreath to the old window frame that I found thrifting that sits above the sofa.
Right now, the azaleas are wrapping up their flowers, but this gorgeous rhododendron is in full bloom. And it is a stunner!
I’ve also got a pretty mountain laurel that’s on the verge of flowering in the back ground beneath the canopy of trees.
This year, I decided to pot up more of my seed starts so the containers don’t look like much just yet. But I did plant a few so here is a sneak peek at what’s coming.
Final Thoughts About My Summer Home Tour’s Garden Rooms and Outdoor Living Spaces
I hope you enjoyed this tour of my garden rooms and outdoor living spaces. Creating these cozy, inviting areas with seasonal plants and vintage garden decor has been a labor of love, transforming my home into a summer sanctuary.
Whether it’s the tranquility of the Zen garden, the charm of the potager garden, or the serenity of the secret garden by the pond, each space offers unique opportunities for outdoor entertaining and relaxation.
I encourage you to incorporate some of these garden design ideas into your own backyard oasis. Happy gardening!
What is your favorite outdoor living space? Have you decorated yours yet? Do you have any garden rooms you’d love to share? I would love to know more in the comments below.
Each day has been a blessing here and we are so glad we found our home with these incredible gardens. It’s like a dream come true.
If you’d like to see more of the gardens throughout the seasons, you can check out my seasonal garden tours here.
- Early Spring Garden Tour 2023
- New Gardens Tour
- Early Spring Garden
- Early Summer Garden Tour
- Gardening for Summer Highs and Lows
- The Prettiest Fall Garden Ideas
- Flower Garden Ideas for the Front Porch
For more summer home tour inspiration, please check out the following posts.
The Tattered Pew // Worthing Court // StoneGable // Cottage On Bunker Hill // The Ponds Farmhouse
Happy Gardening!
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