Quick and Cheap Backyard Entertaining

Inspiration

The homeowner wanted an inexpensive solution for converting their driveway from a place to park their car to a space that could be used for entertaining during the hot summers. Furthermore, the homeowners wanted to keep the house shaded so that their energy costs would be lower, keep direct sun off of their container garden so that the plants don't wilt in the summer heat, but at the same time to not completely shade the sun loving plants.

Existing Conditions

This portion of the driveway was mostly unused and is located behind an existing gate so that the area was already private and secluded from the front yard. This space is a southern exposure so the area is very warm in the summer. There is a container garden of sun loving fruit trees, vegetables, and other plants along the side of the driveway.

Decorating, Design, and Styling Services Provided

A new terra-cotta colored custom fabric retractable awning was installed on teh side of the house. The awning is made from a screen type fabric to allow some light to come through so that the container garden plants still receive some sunlight. This screen fabric was enough to keep the plants from wilting while still allowing the awning to keep most of the direct sun off of the side of the house to keep it cool and reduce energy consumption. The terra-cotta color was chosen to match the Spanish style architecture of the house.
Since the space needed to be convertible from a car parking space to an entertaining space, the homeowners opted to use inexpensive folding chairs and a table so that they can be easily stored away when not needed and a car needed to be parked on this backyard portion of the driveway. But, using an area rug and other design accessories, the space can still look very nice when entertaining. Some accessories include LED string lights, table lanterns, a bright table cloth, and a new semi-custom DIY fire bowl.

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