Creative director Sarah Samuel, who blogs at Smitten Studio, recently revamped the patio at her house in LA. We're smitten by its modern bohemian vibe. If you like it too, here's how you can recreate the look:
Above: Sarah and her husband made the built-in benches, using leftover scraps from their home renovation for the frames and covering them with stained redwood.
Above: Then they added the furnishings, a comfortable mix of retail and vintage finds.
Above: Before they started to build the seating, Sarah applied a dark gray paint to the cinderblock walls surrounding the patio. Benjamin Moore's Gravel Gray, a similar shade, is one of our favorite choices for exterior paint. See more of our color picks at Shades of Gray: Architects Pick the 10 Best Exterior Gray Paints.
Above: To cut the chill in off-season evenings, Sarah found a Red Enamel 1960s Freestanding Fireplace; $950 at Surfing Cowboy. You can also refinish a salvaged mid-century fireplace; for information, see Thrive Vintage.
Above: Sarah covered the rough cement floor and tied the space together with a Tierra Outdoor Dhurrie from West Elm (currently out of stock). For similar outdoor rugs, see Help Me Choose an Outdoor Rug.
Above: Rectangular Outdoor Bench Cushions are $59 apiece at Home Decorators Collection, a good source for cushions in whatever size and shape you need.
Above: Sarah found most of her colorful handwoven Kilim Pillows ($50-$100) at the Pillows Store on Etsy.
Above: The white wire chairs that Sarah bought from HD Buttercup are sold out, but you'll find a similar set of Whitworth Outdoor Dining Chairs on Amazon at $427.83 for two.
Above: A Tulip Table (modeled after the Eero Saarinen original) is $270 when ordered through Home Click.
Above: To create another seating area, Sarah added a wood-slab coffee table and surrounded it with floor pillows. The Victoria Round Wood Slab Coffee Table can be made to order at Rotsen Furniture; contact them for details.
Above: For serving food, the Pinch Large Bowl (about 10 inches in diameter, and made of electroplated stainless steel) is $14.95 at CB2.
Above: The Alseda Banana-Fiber Stool can be stacked to create additional seating; $29.99 each at Ikea.
Sarah Samuel isn't just designing patios. Last week, we wrote about our favorite item in her creative line of modern "picnic-ware" that looks vintage; see Trend Alert: The New Classic Picnic Basket.
We source the ingredients for another modern outdoor space at Steal This Look: A Silvery Blue Palette in Austin, TX. For indoor spaces, see Remodelista's archive of Steal This Look posts.
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