DIY Bar Cart & a Deck makeover for fall

Happy Friday! Today I'm sharing a new space—well, I've shown it once before, when our furniture arrived...

This past summer we added a TV and a grill, and have been entertaining quite a bit so it was time to step things up.

I found this bar cart plan from Ana White and knew it was exactly what we needed:

If you follow along on instagram you may have seen the construction in progress:

There were a few hiccups, but thankfully my dad was there to come to my rescue, so it all worked out in the end.

My first thought was to stain it, but the deck has so much brown tones and it would've been too much. I had some black exterior paint leftover from our front & kitchen doors so I knew that would be really sharp looking.

I took my time with this one—patching every hole and sanding it all down...

Then gave it a few coats of paint and added hardware:

And I just love it.

My family was headed over for an evening BBQ shortly after these were taken, so I decided to have a little fun decorating (seasonally appropriate, of course—even though it was 85° yesterday)

I love that the tray is removable, and that the cart is on wheels so we can roll it right up next to the grill if needed.

Form & function at it's best.

And while I was at it, I couldn't help but have a little fun with the rest of the deck...

When the sun sets, temperatures cool down and we break out the blankets and lanterns.

Even little Biscuit wants in on the action.

I ordered the striped pillows from Target for a steal—$54 shipped for all four, and love the pop of color and pattern they bring to the space.

I still have a few more plants to add but it's almost there.

We've only had our grill for a month or so but it has been put to good use already (another flea market score!)

To get a better sense of layout, here's looking towards the deck entrance (from the living room and kitchen):

The TV is on a swing arm and can be adjusted for viewing (it was used on our patio in Florida and works great here, too). It's connected to our main system inside so it can play any TV, music, etc on the same channel as the rest of the house.

Outdoor living is huge in California, especially in the transitional seasons when the temperatures consistently hover in the 70's and 80's.

The outdoor space is the reason we bought this house—thankfully we didn't need to do any major renovations out here.

These mountains, cozy furniture and good company are all you need.

Cheers to fall...

Aside from a few more plants, I ordered some cafe lights to string above the deck so I can't wait for those to arrive. Just those couple additions and we should be all set!

Meanwhile, the living room is a different story. Our tile guy bailed on us at the last minute so we had to scramble to find a replacement. Reliable and reasonable contractors around here are hard to find apparently, so we ended up going with Lowe's for the installation. Hoping to get the ball rolling on that next week!

I'm still keeping busy with projects, though. Putting the finishing touches on one wall in our living room and building an end table this weekend. I'll have more to share on Monday, so check back then! Enjoy your weekend...