I like to approach design for our home AND our outside spaces with a few intentions in mind: minimal-ish feeling (so it’s soothing on my eyes), yet cozy and comfortable feeling.  Oh, and also super functional, because, hi this stage of life with two little ones running around.

My goal is always to create a space that feels calm & grounded— almost spa like in some ways—and also set up so that we can share it with people we love (for BBQ’s, dinners, play dates, girls nights, etc). High-quality yet functional pieces for REAL life (especially so with sticky hands and bouncy feet that come with kid living).

So when we recently redid our backyard last year, I wanted to bring this same approach for inside our home, to the outside.

We spend as many hours a day outside as possible in the warm, dry months. Like, literally anything we can possibly do outside, we do (play, eat, relax, host, and as of this week, even doing the kids baths outside in a old beverage bucket (lol, see below). So I knew I didn’t just want a backyard that *looked* nice, but one that we could live in, play in, eat meals in, cook out in, grow a garden in and make memories together in. One that we could LIVE in, fully.

And one of the most common DMs I get when I share a photo of our yard (or home in general) is something along the lines of… “Where did you get those chairs?!” “Can you share what rug that is?” “What brand is that umbrella?” “What plants are those?”. So hopefully this post will be a collection of all those things.

When I’m looking for pieces and elements to add to our spaces, I’m always looking for the best quality I can find, but never at top prices. It takes some hunting and searching, but I love it. So I am always more than happy to share my favorite finds! So here are some outdoor (and indoor favs) as of late.

Because sharing is caring, IMO. And friends don’t gatekeep the things they love 🙂

So here it is… a round-up of my summer home and backyard favorite design finds, to help you create a space that brings you peace, ease & joy, too.

My summer home & backyard favorite design finds–

(our new veggie garden planters, made by my husband for mother’s day– the best gift!. If you’re looking for something similar, I was considering these or these too).

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