Looking for outdoor living space ideas for your deck, patio, or garden? Wait until you see how we transformed our deck at the cabin in Vermont.
You know how much I love my outdoor living spaces.
I’ve been chatting about ways to design a backyard oasis.
And some mistakes to avoid along the way.
I’ve been updating our outdoor living spaces both here in New Jersey and Vermont.
The Cabin in Vermont
Do you remember when we bought the cabin in Vermont?
It was a few years ago.
And our househunting in Vermont was featured on an episode of HGTV’s Househunters.
You can catch the episode HERE. It is called Ski Condo or Lakehouse in Vermont.
And if you want an inside look at the episode, CLICK HERE.
Anyway, on the episode, one of the issues we had with our cabin was the deck.
It didn’t feel stable and was not in the best condition.
After we moved in, my husband replaced all the deck boards and shored up the footings.
Those projects alone took a lot of time.
At that time and until the pandemic hit, we didn’t sit out there much.
The furniture was from the former homeowners, not in the best condition and it wasn’t comfortable.
So instead of enjoying that deck after my husband worked on it, we rarely sat out there and went out to dinner often.
But then the pandemic hit last year.
And since we are from New Jersey, we were not allowed to frequent the restaurants.
So we needed to create a backyard oasis in record time.
And because we started so late purchasing items for the deck in June, there wasn’t much available and so many items were on backorder.
At the time, I think almost everyone was trying to improve their outdoor living spaces too so the pickins were slim.
So we have been slowly pulling this outdoor living space together, and I can’t wait to show you how it looks today!
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Remodeling the Deck at the Cabin in Vermont
The cabin in Vermont is about a 4-hour drive from our home in New Jersey.
As a result, doing projects up is a bit of a challenge.
We’ve been chipping away at the deck and made some changes that have made great improvements.
After Chris replaced the decking, the railings looked HORRIBLE!
It had several different deck stains and looked so outdated.
I wanted to upgrade them with a beautiful cable railing so it would open up the deck more.
So last fall, he and his friend Mark went up and made these amazing cable railings!
It took them a few weekends to build it.
But don’t they make a huge difference?
When we are out there now, it just feels like we are sitting in the trees.
I love it.
Decorating the Deck at the Cabin in Vermont
Because everything was closed down in the spring of 2020, we did not get up to Vermont until Memorial Day weekend.
Once we were up there, we realized we needed to do something about the deck so we would want to use it more.
Because remember what I said?
If it’s not comfortable and inviting, you probably won’t use it very much.
Like I mentioned earlier, we started fixing up the deck so we could enjoy the outdoors at home.
And I started shopping for it by mid-June in the spring of 2020.
Well I guess so was everyone else because most of what I wanted was already out of stock!
Because the deck is pretty large, I wanted to create two separate spaces: one for dining and one for conversation.
On one side of the deck, we bought these folding adirondack chairs and this gas firepit.
Gah we love this and used it every night we could!
We were out here all summer long after a day on the boat.
In addition to the conversation area, I wanted a dining space that could double as a living room.
I found a set like this one that satisfies both and looks great with the conversation area.
To cozy it up, I added this GORGEOUS rug that was gifted to me by Boutique Rugs.
And let me tell you, it’s a really nice indoor/outdoor rug.
I was really surprised how soft it is and my dogs love to lay on it.
The best part?
It doesn’t even look like an outdoor area rug!
I love it!
About Boutique Rugs
My favorite place to shop for area rugs is Boutique Rugs.
Are you familiar with them?
They have a huge selection of high-quality area rugs at super affordable prices.
I have several of their rugs and have a great experience with them, so getting another from them for the deck here was a no-brainer.
This one is my favorite outdoor area rug. I have it on both the upper and lower decks of my home.
I have this one in my dining room.
And Boutique Rugs gifted me this one for the closet makeover.
If you are updating a space and looking for an area rug, check out Boutique Rugs and use BLOOMS60 for extra savings.
But Where Are the Plants?
I debated whether or not to add plants on the deck.
Since the cabin in Vermont is 4 hours away, we aren’t there as often as I’d like to be to consistently care for container gardens.
There isn’t a water source outside the house.
And we turn the water off every time we leave.
So that makes caring for plants outside difficult there.
I have a few sanseverias that are fine with the neglect.
But the deck gets some sun and I don’t want to scorch them.
So I haven’t really figured that part out yet.
I’m thinking about taking some hosta divisions from here and bringing them up there to maintain in a container.
They would add a lot of foliage and hopefully take care of themselves.
If I do that though, the expectation for their survival during the winter would be low, unless I take measures to insulate the container from the harsh winter temps.
So I don’t know, I may or may not add plants this year.
We’ll see.
There’s still so much we want to do here at the house.
But it all takes time, so little by little it will get done.
Thanks for dropping by our cabin in Vermont!
Want More Outdoor Living Space Ideas?
- 7 Mistakes to Avoid When Designing an Outdoor Living Space
- 37 Backyard Ideas for the Perfect Outdoor Living Space
- My Favorite Outdoor Area Rugs
- Outdoor Living Space Home Tour
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