Outdoor Sectional

My vision for our small suburban backyard always included a sectional on the patio. There is just something about them – they create a relaxed, intimate atmosphere when entertaining and are comfortable enough to lie down on and read a book or even take a nap.  (That’s what the hubster is looking forward to!  He’s going to hate me for saying that!)

See? Don’t the eight of us on this sectional look comfortable and cozy?   This photo was taken after BlogPodium when a few of us decided to head to a patio for some food, drinks and more chit chat.  (PS Recognize any of your favourite bloggers?)

I had perused retail sites looking for a sectional with the required dimensions – 96” x 96”.  If you’re going to have a sectional, might as well be big! I figured this size would easily accommodate eight people.

When I found Ana White’s Outdoor Sectional Plan online, I knew it would be perfect.  (In case you haven’t heard of White, you can read an interesting article about her here.)  The sectional is made up of 24” x 24”  individual pieces so it’s easy to reconfigure, carry, store etc.  She recommends securing the sectional pieces together but I will see if that is necessary.

via Ana White

Now I just needed someone to build it.  I’m pretty handy and have taken woodworking courses in the past and built furniture but time was an issue!   I remembered reading about a table built by Kerry’s Dad, Jim, on Shannon’s blog.  Lucky for me, he was available to build the sectional.  He worked on it diligently for two days, modifying the plans somewhat to accommodate the wood sizes that were different from those specified in the plans.  I used 5/4 x 6 x 8 premium cedar used for decks from the Home Depot.

Here it is sitting nicely (but looking a bit naked) on our new patio.  I was thinking of staining it a dark grey but think I will just apply a clear topcoat and retain the light wood colour.  Any thoughts?

Photo credit:  Leah Kirin

This is how it looked on Saturday evening for the Blogger Backyard party sponsored by the Home Depot.   What do you think? 

The green striped cushions and the seat cushions were custom made by Tonic Living using outdoor fabric. 

The table and outdoor rug from Home Depot were brought in for the party.

Photo credit: Leah Kirin

Here is (almost) everyone that was at the Blogger party.  (Will do a post once I have all the photos!)  There are 8 1/2 people on the sectional and looks like one more could squeeze in!  I love it and I envision spending more time outdoors now especially in the evenings chatting with friends over a good bottle of wine!

Hope you have a great week!

(This post is sponsored by the Home Depot.)

If you require decorating advice, contact me at vanessa(at)vanessafrancis(dot)com.