February 22, 2021

Five Big Ideas for Small Bathrooms

Our girls like to say that every room in our house has feelings and the powder room was feeling left out. We wholeheartedly agreed and put Operation Powder Room Appreciation Transformation into motion after months of planning. Besides, we had been having issues with the drain pipe for years and once we opened up the wall, we soon learned why! Let’s dive into our powder room and exploring ideas for small bathrooms.

This small bathroom transformation is one of my favorites! I love how this room now feels more connected to the rest of our home and I’m excited to be partnering with Benjamin Moore to share the details of how we transformed our small powder room to infuse charm and create a serene space without feeling cramped. I’m breaking down what we did each day and sharing our five big ideas for small bathrooms with before and after photos! Hint: it includes some paint tips and I can’t wait to share more about the tranquil color we chose from Benjamin Moore’s Color Trends 2021 Palette. Keep on reading to find out!

This project has been on our minds since we moved in and thoughtfully planned out before we executed the work. Here’s my design board, process, and direction if you missed it that you can apply to plenty of ideas for various small bathrooms.

You can also read more about the history of our small grandfathered in 45” x 77″ powder room here.

This remodel was done entirely by us which felt nice to be in full control of the timeline having experienced delays with our ensuite bathroom working with subcontractors. Since Brian has a full time job, he designated tasks for each evening to ensure it would be completed in a timely manner and not drag on. Let me walk you through each day that could help you manage a similar small bathroom project!

Day 1 Plan: Clear the Space

We removed the shallow nonpractical medicine cabinet, sink + P-trap (to replace the sink trim) and baseboard.

Day 2 Plan: Inspect the Drain Pipe, Skim Coat the Uneven Wall and Sheetrock

When he opened the wall, Brian discovered parts of the pipe had rotted with crud badly built up which explained the leaking issues and foul odor. So he cut out the midsection to replace with a new fabricated PVC pipe. Next, he skim coated the long wall because it was out of plumb and sheetrocked over the cutouts from the medicine cabinet and pipe. Tip: Brian used a long level and marked the distance from the wall to the level to help guide how far out to skim coat in order to straighten the wall.

small bathroom renovation wall measuring

Day 3 Plan: Install Wall Paneling (Read more on this DIY process)

We wanted to elevate the foundation of this plain room and wall treatment is a great way to do that. *You can see we ended up pulling out the toilet for easier work space. We ran into an issue with the right side panel not fitting and discovered that the other side of the long wall also needed to be feathered out, which made the panel that Brian had already cut for that space, too short.

Tip for paneling: All in all, this process shouldn’t be too difficult if you don’t have uneven walls like us. Just make sure to double measure to accurately mark the placement where holes need to be cut out on the panels for the pipes, electrical box and outlets to adhere to the wall.

Day 4 Plan: Continue with Panel Installation

Brian purchased more panels to cut and installed the remaining panels.

ideas for small bathrooms: panel installation

Day 5 Plan: Cut, Cope Joints, Install Trim and Paint

Brian had a major setback with the baseboard installation. He accidentally broke the smallest trim during removal but thought there was more of that exact trim in our garage. He didn’t realize the designs were different until he had cut them all and went to install the very last piece! Which wouldn’t be that bad if we could find more trim with the same design but couldn’t find any. So the only task accomplished was painting the walls + ceiling.

If you’re thinking of painting a space, be sure to check out Benjamin Moore’s Color Trends 2021 Palette. It’s filled with 12 warm sunbaked hues to create a warm ambiance in any space. I’m still gushing over the color we chose for this space. While this remodel wasn’t easy by any means, painting it was the easiest part of the transformation.

Approachable colors that radiate warmth and wellbeing. Image credit: Benjamin Moore’s Website

Day 6 Plan: Install New Baseboard, Crown Molding and Apply Last Coat of Wall Paint

We purchased all new baseboard trim because we couldn’t find that exact design anywhere. Which meant Brian had to start over to cut, cope joints and install the new trim.

Day 7 Plan: Execute Final Details

Nail in baseboard
Install lighting where we hit a small snag that resulted in patching parts of the cutout
Apply last coat of ceiling paint (two coats overall)
Decide between two mirrors
Install new toilet handle to match the new fixtures and hardware.

It took us an extra day than planned to complete the remodel but we got it done in a week, even with all the curveballs! We love every detail about this small bathroom transformation! Before we share some before and after photos, here are FIVE BIG IDEAS TO CONSIDER FOR A SMALL BATHROOM:

Add wall treatment! Consider paneling, wainscoting or even wallpaper to elevate your powder room space. Our paneling took the half bath room to a new level!
Paint the wall, crown molding and ceiling the same color to give an illusion of more space (especially if you have lower ceiling like us). It makes the cutoff between the ceiling and wall seem less visible; therefore tricking the eyes. Ideas such as this one for small bathrooms is simple adjustments that amplify the aesthetic of the space design.
Choose paint colors that help stimulate a feeling of warmth and wellbeing. We were torn between Benjamin Moore Atrium White OC-145 and Gray Cashmere 2138-60 but ultimately decided on Atrium White OC-145 because we wanted something light & calm for our small windowless room that would have a nice visual flow to its adjoining spaces. The old paint color was the same as what we used for most of the main floor but because it gets no natural light, the color was appearing more blue. The creaminess of Atrium White OC-145 warmed it up so much! We used the Aura Waterborne Interior Paint product due to its exceptional durability and great color retention. It’s also mildew resistance in high humidity environments. We opted for satin finish for the wall (easier to clean + wipe) and matte finish for the ceiling which we recommend for most ceilings.

Although we went with an inherently sophisticated and versatile white, small spaces are a great place to play with color! Some other colors I recommend from the Color Trends 2021 Palette for a small bathroom are Gray Cashmere , Silhouette and Aegean Teal.
If you have a smaller sink, dress it up! Play around with finishes and faucet design, especially if you have a wall mounted sink. By updating our faucet and sink trim to unlacquered polished brass, our sink went from blah to wow! A sink can both be practical and beautiful.
Splurge on at least one of the fixtures! Whether it be the faucet or lighting, make sure you have at least one quality piece so even if you’re doing a budget renovation, it doesn’t LOOK like a budget renovation.

We hope that sharing our experience will inspire you to confidently tackle your own small bathroom remodel! Here are the before and after photos of our beloved little powder room, proving that there is potential in every space no matter the size!

We still need to figure out the towel holder, toilet paper holder, vintage rug and what to do with the long empty wall. Some of this may take time because most of our projects are never completed in one swoop. But the bones of the room is done and I can’t help but smile every time I walk by this cute room. I hope you enjoyed the transformation and exploring these ideas for small bathrooms! I would love to hear if you try your hand at any of these design ideas in your powder room. Thank you as always for being here!

Sources

Wall and Crown Molding Color: Benjamin Moore Atrium White OC-145 in Satin

Trim Color: Benjamin Moore Advance Waterborne Interior Alkyd Satin 792

Ceiling Color: Benjamin Moore Atrium White OC-145 in Matte

Sink Trim Kit (special order purchased through Strom Living)

Looking for the most updated version of our half bathroom? Explore our powder room here. Plenty of design ideas for small bathrooms listed as well. And if you simply enjoying seeing before & after photos of bathrooms, you might like reading about our ensuite bathroom renovation here.

Sweetest Regards, Patti

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Lifestyle

February 12, 2021

The Friday Five: List of Most Desirable States to Live In Based on My Poll + Four Other Things on My Mind

Hi All! I’m trying to stick to a goal of waking up early and write on my blog to keep my mind fresh. I want to introduce a new Friday routine with you called THE FRIDAY FIVE. It’s a list of five things on my mind that I want to share with you before my weekend break. So let’s get started!

1. The Most Desirable States to Live In??? Just for fun (and because every time temps drop below 0, I question why I live in Minnesota), I put out an unofficial poll on my Instagram on Tuesday asking which state you would love to live in and these were the results!

California
Hawaii
Minnesota (result may be skewed because I have a very high Minnesota following)
Florida
Montana
Tennessee
Arizona
Texas

As for me, I fell in love with Charleston, SC during our visit a few years ago. Would LOVE to live there some day!

Photo I captured of a restaurant front during our trip a few years back.

2. Comfiest Kids Jammies: My oldest who is six is quickly growing out of her jammies but doesn’t want ones with characters. She doesn’t like tags or anything that feels weird on her body. We found these ones that came in last week and she loves them! We also got matching ones for all siblings.

3. What House Project Will We Tackle Next? We are making big progress on our ensuite bathroom with the drywall crew coming to mud and tape today. While hiring out certain parts of our renovation saves us time from doing the work, it can also feel like it’s out of our control and at times, not reliable. If you’ve been tuning into my Instagram Stories, you’ll understand!

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Although we are knee deep in renovating our ensuite bathroom and garage attic working with independent contractors for drywall, electric and plumbing work, we are excited to tackle a shorter project that’s all within our control! I’ll share more next week but you can read here where I shared six projects we plan to finish this year. What’s your guess??

4. Need a Rug Pad Rec? Almost every time I put out a question box in my Instagram stories, I get requests for my rug pad link. It’s one of those things I wished I got a long time ago! I was using the polyester waffle rug pads and even though it claims to be “non-slip”, my flat weave rugs were constantly sliding everywhere! If you’re having these issues, check out these ones that I got in the 1/8” thickness.

Why I love them? They are made from 100% recycled fibers, backed with a natural rubber tread instead of plastic or PVC for better grip on floors to prevent from sliding and their felt surface layer has a rough feel to grip rugs, preventing it from bunching.

5. Valentine’s Day Activities with Kids. I’m a little late sharing about this holiday. Before kids, we would just go out for a nice dinner. Now, we make it fun for the kids. It’s simple but our kids love celebrating it. We always hang a garland for decoration, pick up flowers, bake and have the kids dress up in whatever feels like a “love” outfit which usually includes red. We’ll most likely end with hot chocolate and once the kiddos go to bed, mom and dad will have a nice dinner together.

Hope you all have a wonderful Valentine’s Day weekend!

Patti

Sweetest Regards, Patti

before and after

January 27, 2021

House Projects That We Accomplished in 2020

Like so many, last year was a hard one. But also, a lot of good came out of a bad year and in today’s blog post, I wanted to highlight all of the wonderful home projects we accomplished. This year, I want to focus more on celebrating the good and less on dwelling. Read through and let me know which was your favorite! Don’t forget to scroll until the end to hear what projects we plan to tackle this year. Because one bathroom remodel just isn’t enough…

1. Living Room Makeover – Phase 2 (read more here)

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Our living room is long and narrow. Since we moved in, we’ve been stumped on how to configure it. But we didn’t want to rush and buy new furniture just to fill the space. So we broke up the makeover into two phases. Read Phase 1 here and Phase 2 here. It may have taken us 8 years to get to this point but we are so happy with the purpose it’s provided!

2. Fireplace Makeover (see more images here)

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We really wanted to find a way to enhance our original stone fireplace. This mantle we purchased from a small shop was the perfect piece! And that large arched mirror was just the right size to pull the fireplace together. Bonus that it matches the arch of our front door so nicely!

3. Backyard Garden (read more here)

patticakewagner backyard garden makeover

Can you even believe we pulled this backyard garden together in less than two days?! I guess you can accomplish a lot when you have no where to go. This little spot is no longer an eyesore between our home and our neighbor’s. It’s been very rewarding, especially being able to harvest our own veggies. Our girls think it’s the coolest!

4. Guest Bedroom Refresh (see more photos here)

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We were ecstatic to have our first guests since the lockdown but the guest bedroom that doubles as Brian’s office was in no position to welcome anyone. It had become a dumping ground and we needed to badly organize and spruce it up! Once we decluttered, first on the list was replacing the “boob” light with the oh so pretty Lydia flush mount by Mitzi and adding sconces. Then we warmed up the space with this rich colored rug. Now it’s guest ready!

5. Laundry Room Remodel (read more here)

This laundry room remodel was a labor of love! I’m past due in writing my blog post for Part 2 of this remodel so look out for that shortly! This room used to be our old galley kitchen. We love the original cabinets that had yellowed and worn-out over time. Brian painstakingly sanded them down and it took some trial and error to get the right stain color. At a glance, it may not seem like we did much but a lot of love was put forth to restore and preserve its original character. It was important to us to give it a proper makeover while still honoring the history of our Tudor style home. See more before and after photos here and all the affordable tile options we considered for the backsplash here.

6. Dining Room Makeover (read more here)

When we moved into our house in December of 2011, we used dining furniture given to me by an old co-worker that was more suited for a dorm space. We’ve come a long way since then and you can read more about our journey with this space here. While it was more focused on furniture pieces rather than redesigning the space, it showcases how the right furniture can have a big impact on space.

Looking back and recapping what we accomplished during a very tough year makes me proud. I’m glad we put our energy into making our a home a more enjoyable place. So what’s next for this year? We’re excited to…

wrap up the en-suite bathroom renovation
finish the garage attic remodel
give our powder room a refresh
turn an unused back entry into my office
finish our landscape install in spring
give our patio a major facelift

We love sharing our house projects with you and can’t wait to hang out in my IG stories! You all are simply the best! Thanks for being here with us!

Patti & Brian

Sweetest Regards, Patti

organization

January 14, 2021

Patti’s Planner Recommendations

When I had a full time job, I relied on my digital calendar and scribbling on notebooks to keep me on task. My team also had a project manager that kept everyone highly functioning and scheduled our milestone meetings.

Nowadays, my routine is quite different working from home with three kids. A digital calendar just doesn’t work for me. I don’t have multiple meetings and no presentations to be made to top executives but I still have deadlines to meet, the kids’ school schedules to keep in mind and tasks to check off. I finally decided that 2021 would be the year to purchase my first planner.

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I asked for recommendations from my Instagram community for some guidance and the search was on! After a few weeks of searching, I narrowed down to five and breaking them down here for comparison.

*Note: every planner will include a monthly layout so I’ve included a snapshot of the weekly layout because, to me, those are the most useful pages.

Simplified Planner by Emily Ley:

Recommend for: tackling daily tasks and for those who like to see their entire week in a two day spread. Emily Ley also has her own website (here) but when I last checked, everything was sold out for this year’s planners.

Day Designer – Strategic Planner

Recommend for: list makers! and for those with really busy schedules + meetings that need a full page to plan your day.

Day Designer:

Recommend for: similar to the Simplified Planner by Emily Ley, this planner is great for looking at your entire week in a two day spread. list makers will like the daily to-do checkbox and the bottom has sections for extra notes and your ‘Top Three’ things you really want to accomplish that week.

Passion Planner:

Recommend for: those who want to keep on schedule for the day. Parents with jammed pack schedules of activities may appreciate this. Not necessarily for list makers though.

Sugar Paper:

Recommend for: accomplishing goals for the week and not so focused on checking off daily lists. Can also be less overwhelming to help you prioritize what is important to accomplish for the week vs. each day.

The Sugar Paper planner is what I ultimately ordered and love using! It’s kept me on task but doesn’t make me feel like I have a giant list of to-do’s waiting for me because I never accomplish everything on my daily to-do’s! I shared this planner on my Instagram and within hours it was sold out. Hopefully, it comes back in stock soon but if you like this layout, I think the Day Designer or Simplified Planner by Emily Ley, could work for you.

Here’s to a new year of being better organized!

Patti

Sweetest Regards, Patti

DIY

December 22, 2020

Easy DIY Paper Stars

I’m always on the look out for fun easy projects to do with my girls. It’s the perfect time to bond with them when my littlest naps. This holiday season, I saw paper stars pop up everywhere on Instagram and Pinterest but some required me to purchase snack bags that we didn’t have on hand. Then I ran across this IG Reel that used supplies we already had at home and decided to try it out piecing together instructions from the video and comments.

Well, I can definitely confirm that this was super easy to do! Each star took about 10 minutes and the clean up was quick! Here are the simple instructions if you’d like to give it a try.

Time: 10 minutes/star

Supplies:

glue gun
sharp scissors
paper lunch bags (7 bags will make one star)
double sided tape or velcro (if you want to flat pack and reuse)
twine or ribbon to hang

Step 1: stack together 7 paper lunch bags (7 bags will make one star). We always save our carry out paper bags and that is what we used for this project. They’re a bit wrinkly but we didn’t mind the “character” at all!

Step 2: Hot glue using a T shape pattern. Glue on side with no fold and the opening should be at the bottom. Be sure when you glue together that they’re facing the same way.

*I did make a mistake and glued a couple the wrong way because I was distracted lol. It didn’t turn out bad but not as good as the other star that was glued all the same way.

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Step 3: using sharp scissors, cut the side with the opening to create the tip of the stars. You can cut a notch out on the sides to create a pattern. We cut out notches on one star but not the other. They both turned out beautiful.

See my dotted red lines as a guide below to show the pattern cutout.

*tip: if your scissors aren’t sharp enough to cut through seven bags, cut through two or three bags at a time.

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Step 4: lay glued bags on the side to fan out. I was surprised they looked as pretty as they did with the minimal effort + my sloppy cutting.

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Step 5: use double sided tape to hold together after fanning out. Or (this just came to me) use velcro so you can flat pack to store away for another time. I plan to reuse these until they look pretty beat up.

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Step 6: Last, pierce a hole at the star tip where you taped or velcro’d together and hang with twine or ribbon.

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We used the paper stars as decor for our little guy’s 2nd birthday party in December. Stars are one of his favorite things and like his name (we call him Jack Jack) he refers to stars as “star star”. So we made star star!

These easy DIY paper stars were the perfect decor backdrop (see more photos here) and the best part…we didn’t have to spend a penny because we had all the supplies at home!

Hope you have fun creating them and happy holidays to you all!

Patti

Sweetest Regards, Patti

community

November 27, 2020

Patti’s Small Shop Guide for Black Friday

I’ve never created a gift guide. As I was thinking of whether to create one for this year, I decided to instead do a round up of my favorite small shops for Black Friday. In this thoughtfully curated list, you’ll find shops that I truly love. From beautifully made kids clothes, fine organic sheets, ethically made Turkish towels to quality made home goods, you’ll love these shops as much as I do. If you’re looking for some ideas and would love to discover new smalls shops, this is for you!

Kids

Bloom Handmade

Black Friday Deals: savings listed sitewide like save $10 on their Anytime Dress, save $18 on their Dahlia Jumper, save $12 on their Buttercup Bonnet, save up to $25 on playsuits + more!

This small shop was founded by my sweet friend Kari from Living Life’s Moments. Kari’s little shop is filled with the loveliest products for your baby and child (you can also find some Women’s items like trousers and bandanas). “Thoughtfully designed, heirloom quality products to be shared and cherished for years to come” is their motto and I couldn’t agree more. We have their Meadow sheet set in the twin size and they are the absolute most adorable sheets we own for the girls. They’re crafted with fine organic cotton, breathable, super soft, fair-trade woven and made in eco-friendly sustainable mill. It also comes in a crib sheet size, too.

Pacifier

Black Friday Deals: take 20% off everything with code: FRIYAY (ends Monday, 11/30)

This is a local to us small business and carry a pretty large selection of baby + kids clothes and products. Every item in their store has been thoughtfully chosen. Some of our favorite outfits for the kiddos come from their store. They include some of the best kids brands with amazing quality like Rylee + Cru, Quincy Mae (one of our fav brands for Jack) and Kickee Pants to name a few. I’m so excited for their Black Friday/Cyber Monday deal!

French Flower Wendy Dress - Wine by Noralee

Goumi

Black Friday Deals: 50% off doorbusters + 25% off sitewide with code BLACKFRIDAY

I discovered this precious small shop with smart baby wear and organic baby clothes when my friend Christina from New Darlings collaborated with them on their Canyon Collection. We got our first matching loungewear for all three kiddos and they are so well made and buttery soft. The kids wear them all day in the house and go to bed with them on because they’re so comfy! We also own these super soft & cute crib sheets and diaper changing cover.

Oh Baby!

Black Friday Deals: 25% off site wide with code: JOY25 + free US shipping over $99

This adorable baby boutique has been my go-to for baby shower gifts (like this darling 2 pc footie set) . They’re a local to me business and their products and services include infant and children’s fashion, shoes, accessories; bedding and home accessories; furniture, including cribs, beds and case goods; lighting; and interior design services. They also source their own line of handmade clothing, bedding, and home accessories, all designed by owner Mary Lauer and lovingly crafted by Twin Cities artisans.

Home

Sunnyside Gardens

This amazing garden center established in Minneapolis since 1935 is one of my favorites for live plants as well as home decor items. They also have a lifestyle boutique called Trill that represents “local artists, support worthy causes, are made of natural ingredients, and/or will just make life a little calmer all around”. If you’re local, you can stop by (safely and send only one member of your family inside to limit the number of guests entering the store at one time) or shop online for local delivery. I’m a big fan of their seasonal decor. Their offerings are unique and always swoon worthy!

Gathre

Black Friday Deals: 20% off site wide with code: THANKFUL (ends 11/30)

Every time I share our dining room in my IG stories or posts, I always get asked about our mats that we placed underneath the highchair and kid’s chair. They’re bonded leather mats from Gathre in the midi size and make our lives so much easier! They’re stylish, high quality, wipeable and water-resistant. In addition, they’re free of toxins, PVC, phthalates, and lead. In addition to mats, you can find them as floor cushions, tablecloths, table runners, pillow covers, tree skirts, posters, advent calendars and wooden wall hangers.

We also own two of the micro mats that we use as placemats for the kiddos because they’re so easy to clean and look great on our table. I love them so much that I ordered 6 new mats in the camel color for our entire table using their Black Friday sale code!

Olive and Linen

Black Friday Deals: items up to 75% off + EXTRA 30% off your purchase with code: TURKEY30 + free U.S. shipping over $50 | $6 flat rate under $50

I got my first Turkish towels from Olive and Linen and I understand why everyone raves about them! I had the opportunity to partner with this incredible small home textile company, founded by a mother of four, this past summer and became an instant fan. These towels are not just beautiful, they are also very high quality and ethically made. They’re handwoven, free of harmful chemicals, super soft, durable, highly absorbent yet lightweight for quick dry with no mildew smell unlike most terry towels.

Besides towels, they also carry throws, blankets, bathrobes, bath mats, shower curtains, table runners and throw pillows. These would make perfect gifts!

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Swoon Rugs

Black Friday Deals: save 25% off any purchase over $250 | free US shipping on orders over $100

Swoon Rugs carries “Thoughtful finds, one-of-a-kind pieces and vintage rugs for your home”. Founded by my friend, Tabi in 2016, this small rug boutique carries some of the most beautiful vintage rugs you’d ever find! She helped me find the right rug for Jack’s nursery and I always get asked about the source.

Based in Columbus, OH, she just finished renovating a studio to exhibit her rapidly growing rug collections so you’re sure to find one for your home (or a thoughtful gift for someone’s home)! If you’re struggling to find the right rug, just drop her an email! She offers complimentary rug recommendations based on your space, style and rug needs. Email her at findmyrug@swoonrugs.com with details about your space. A rug is such a key anchor for a room and the right rug makes all the difference!

Hope you enjoyed this small shop guide! If you have other shops that you’d like me to consider to share on my Instagram stories (up until Monday, 11/30), please send me a DM on my Instagram page. Thank you for stopping by and supporting these small businesses!

Wishing you the happiest of holidays!

Patti

Sweetest Regards, Patti

family

November 2, 2020

Our Intimate Family Style Thanksgiving Meal

Photos by Wing Ta

I didn’t grow up celebrating Thanksgiving or any US holidays, aside from some trick-or-treating. My family came to the states when I was seven and we just didn’t really know much about these traditions.

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My first real Thanksgiving meal was with Brian’s family when we began dating. From the conversations to the food, I remember how special the connection felt and since that day, I’ve looked forward to this tradition every year. It became even more special when we started our own little family. With our first born, we both had demanding careers working long hours (Brian still does) and it’s nice to have holidays where we can relax and be fully present with our family without the distraction of work.

I’ve been anxiously awaiting our first holiday meal in the updated dining room!

Brian runs the kitchen and I’m the clean up + styling crew. It’s a team effort and while our day is busy, it’s filled with warmth and gratitude. We spend the entire day sipping on special beverages, chatting, cooking, dancing, handing out treats to the kids, chasing around the littlest, setting the table, eating, laughing and cleaning as we sneak in sweet hugs and kisses. I find this whole experience to be incredibly beautiful and while this year is different, time with my little family on this day will always be sacred.

In partnership with Crate and Barrel, I am sharing inspiration for creating an intimate family style Thanksgiving meal to get you excited for the big day! I’m giving you a run down of our traditional menu, kitchen + tabletop item recommendations and some styling ideas to create a memorable experience the whole family will enjoy!

Brian’s mom joined him in the kitchen and they had a lovely mom and son time cooking together.

Before we get started, I wanted to share a couple of tips for a smooth and fun day when hosting.

Tip 1: this year is so different and we won’t get to celebrate a big Thanksgiving like the past but go into the day with the right attitude. When the host(s) is overwhelmed, everyone (yes, even our kids) can feel that energy. So start the day with good mood music, fun beverages and remember that it’s about the full day experience, not just the final meal.

Tip 2: don’t forget to plan out your cooking schedule to avoid overbooking the oven and pushing out the meal time so your meal is served nice and warm.

1. Our Menu

We solidify our menu a week in advance to gather ingredients leading up to the big day. The menu is pretty traditional with staple dishes but some change out annually. There’s always a mix of familiar and new for both kids and grown-ups to enjoy. While there are snacks set out to graze on all day, the meal is usually around 4:00pm when the sun is setting and the ambiance is cozy.

Something Familiar

Many of the recipes have been passed down from Brian’s mom who admits, “I don’t do perfection”. She may refer back to an old cookbook or a hand written recipe that she modifies by adding a little bit of this and that. Luckily, I was able to gather two of her staples that are easy and loved by all ages to share with you.

“I don’t do perfection”

— Brian’s mom when it comes to recipes

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Candied Sweet Potatoes w/ Marshmallows

Ingredients:

3 large sweet potatoes (cooked and sliced lengthwise)
1/2 cup salted butter (melted)
2 cups large marshmallows (or enough to cover the top)
3/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375ºF
Boil water in a large pot with enough water to cover sweet potatoes. Place sweet potatoes in pot until they are fork tender – approximately 20-30 minutes. Allow the sweet potatoes to cool slightly before slicing them in half, lengthwise.
Layer the sweet potatoes, butter, brown sugar, and salt in a 9×9 inch baking dish
Cover pan with foil
Bake for 30 minutes
Uncover and put marshmallows on top, enough to completely cover
Bake an additional 15 minutes.
Broil for a few minutes if needed, 6-8 inches from the top broiler until marshmallows are golden brown

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Apple Streusel Pie

This recipe is from a cookbook from her high school home economics class. This pie is a staple but new desserts can be introduced in addition to it.

Ingredients:

5 to 7 tart apples
One 9” unbaked pastry shell
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup enriched flour
1/3 cup butter or margarine

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Pare apples; cut in eighths. Arrange in unbaked pie shell in three layers. Mix 1/2 cup sugar with the cinnamon; sprinkle over apples for each layer.
Mix 1/2 cup sugar with the flour; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over apples.
Bake in oven for 40 minutes or until done. Let cool.
Serve with vanilla ice cream on top!

Something New

A new recipe we tried this year and recommend is the Autumn Pear Salad from Feel Good Foodie! Our littles loved it! The soft pear + grapes and pecan gives a nice sweetness and crunch. It’s flavorful and easy to make. Best of all, you can actually refrigerate the leftover and still tastes good the next day! The kale absorbs the flavors of the dressing but won’t become soggy like lettuce (although I wouldn’t suggest keeping longer than a day in the fridge).

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Roasted Rainbow Carrots

We are always keeping our eyes out for simple and healthy veggie recipes. This Roasted Rainbow Carrots from Food Network was such a beautiful dish that we all had fun munching on. Just like the salad, you can refrigerate the leftovers and they stay crunchy and delicious to snack on the next day.

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2. Kitchen Tools

Having the right kitchen tools is essential when making a big meal like this. We registered at Crate and Barrel for our wedding in 2012 and it continues to be one of our go-to stores as we add on to our collection year to year. When we’ve hosted in the past, we’d borrow a lot of items that we didn’t have from Brian’s mom or siblings – like the gravy boat, extra cookware, carving set, roasting pan, large platter, potato masher and turkey platter. It was nice to finally add these must-have items to our kitchen!

We opted for the hand potato masher instead of the mixer because it’s easy to use and store. Its convenient spring-loaded action produces light and fluffy potatoes every time.

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If you’re in the market for new cookware, we can’t recommend ours enough! Brian loves cooking with the Lago stin a Martellata Hammered Copper Cookware Set. These beauties heat up quickly and consistently because of their heat-radiating aluminum core surface. Brian used them to cook the potatoes, gravy, stuffing, cranberries and wild rice casserole and appreciates their stay-cool handle while I appreciate that they are easy to clean!

Click the below photos to shop our must-have kitchen tools.

Oversized Waffle Orange Dish Towels, Set of 2

Lagostina Martellata Hammered Copper 10-Piece Cookware Set

Stainless Steel Roasting Pan with Copper Handles (EXCLUSIVE)

3. Tabletop (Serveware, Dinnerware, Drinkware, Flatware)

As a designer, I naturally gravitate towards the presentation of the meal and want our food to look as nice as they taste. Tabletop items can make a big impact so I tend to stick with simple solid colored serveware and dinnerware to highlight the food. These white oven to table serveware with trivets enhance the colors of the Autumn Pear Salad and cranberries. Its rich acacia wood stand elevates the oven-safe ceramic but also does double duty as a trivet to protect our table and counters.

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We’re big fans of the white porcelain Verge dinnerware collection designed by Martin Hunt. The clean, simple and beautifully balanced design make it the ideal blank canvas for our culinary creations. Also, the flared rims and straight sides are perfect for keeping food contained for little messy eaters.

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Click the below photos to shop our must-have tabletop items.

Fusion 20-Piece Flatware Set (EXCLUSIVE)

Set of 8 Verge Dinner Plates (EXCLUSIVE)

Verge 15.25" Oval Serving Platter (EXCLUSIVE)

Deluxe Glass Gravy Boat with Ladle (EXCLUSIVE)

Oven to Table Serving Bowl with Trivet (EXCLUSIVE)

Oven-to-Table Bowl with Trivet (EXCLUSIVE)

Oven-to-Table Two-Part Dish with Trivet (EXCLUSIVE)

4. Decor and Styling

A beautiful table isn’t a must-have but it sure does set the mood and we’re all about the experience here! Even when it’s just me and Brian, I still love to decorate the table. Just because this year is different, doesn’t mean it needs to feel less special.

I tend to go for a classic look using the table runner as my foundation. I’m really into the clay hue right now so this Bonita fringe runner was perfect! The fiber leaf placemats and 3-ring wood napkin rin g brought in some natural and subtle fall elements. Our oldest helped set the table so we made a fun turkey silhouette with the fring e nap kin and she got a real kick out of that!

Candles bring out the coziest and relaxed vibe for me. These wood taper and wire votive candle holders add a dreamy touch to the room. Place a couple of small vases with flowers in saturated autumnal colors and you have a pretty centerpiece without blocking any view.

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Click on photos to shop the items we used to style the table.

NEW Bonita Birch Fringe Napkin (EXCLUSIVE)

12" White Taper Candles, Set of 6 (EXCLUSIVE)

Kent Wire Tealight/Votive Candle Holder (EXCLUSIVE)

White Clear-Cupped 3-Hour Tealights, Set of 50 (EXCLUSIVE)

Brian and I truly enjoy hosting, even if it’s just with our little family, and I hope you found some ideas and inspiration for your upcoming Thanksgiving meal. If you’d like to see more weekly inspiration and behind-the-scenes, please follow along on my Instagram!

Wishing you a fun-filled holiday season! Cheers!

Patti

Sweetest Regards, Patti

before and after

September 14, 2020

Redesigning Our Dining Room with Some Fall Inspiration

Photos by Wing Ta

Our home is not an open concept and I kind of love that. It feels cozy and intimate. When it came time to redesign our dining room, these were the words I wanted to reference.

view into our dining room from the kitchen that was once the attached garage

BEFORE: How it started

The dining room is modest in size and sits in the middle of our kitchen and foyer. It also connects to the laundry room. Which means that it can be seen from multiple rooms on the main floor. The old dining room furniture, although very nice, didn’t allow for it to flow with the main floor. However, it certainly looked better than what we started with!

BEFORE: Celebratory champagne in our first dining room set up with furniture an old co-worker gave me!

As we thought about redesigning the space to dress it up, there were things on our checklist that included painting the walls, possible new lighting, new window treatments and a gallery wall. However, we underestimated that the biggest impact would be furniture. If you’re thinking of re-doing your dining space, consider if your furniture is a proper fit for the room in terms of scale and design.

If you’re thinking of re-doing your dining space, consider if your furniture is a proper fit for the room in terms of scale and design

Re-Evaluating Our Current Furniture

When we re-evaluated why our dining room didn’t feel quite right, we came to the conclusion that our furniture wasn’t the right fit for the space. The cherry stain table felt too heavy and the black high back chairs were obtrusive to our triple archways, which are important design elements in our home.

before photo - looking in from kitchen — BEFORE:looking in from kitchen

Looking back at our furniture decision, we were very much influenced by the sale event. The set is very nice on its own but we were unsure if the style would fit with our interior. Yet, the price was tempting so we pulled the trigger!

When it arrived, we had our doubts. But kept thinking we’d grow to love it to avoid the hassle of returning it. The love never flourished and after eight years, decided it would be better suited in another home. So we sold it and the hunt was on to find the right pieces.

The Search for New Dining Furniture

Our first place to search for furniture is Crate and Barrel. It’s where we did our wedding registry and a place we trust for quality & design. We were beyond excited and honored to have another opportunity to work with them again!

I’ve been looking forward to putting this post together to reveal our new dining room pieces, along with some beautiful fall table inspiration from Crate and Barrel’s Modern Prairie collection. This trend invites us to be at home with nature, embracing its crafted detail and earthy texture. The mix of natural materials with the season’s most stunning colors like Amber, Russet and Ochre provides the perfect balance of warmth. Incorporating some seasonal changes has always lifted my fall spirit and I hope it does the same for you.

Crate and Barrel’s Modern Prairie collection will get you excited about fall!

Finding the Right Furniture Pieces…

There are so many great dining table and chair options that are exclusive to Crate and Barrel. Their designs are amazing and their quality gives me peace of mind.

Dining Table: There were so many to choose from but we knew that the Tate Walnut Extendable Midcentury Dining Table with 2 self-storing leaves, which we’d been eyeing for a while, was the perfect one! It’s a 1960s-inspired Tate extension dining table that recalls the timelessness of mid-century design with a tailored profile and streamlined shape. Crafted of walnut veneer, this table epitomizes the clean lines of modern design with a streamlined beveled top. We also appreciated the kid-friendly rounded corners unlike our old table which we applied rubber bumpers on the sharp corners. That didn’t sit well with my design-loving heart.

Dining Chairs: The chairs took a bit more time to decide since there were a handful of great options that paired well with the table we picked out. We finally decided on the Cullen Shiitake Stone Round Back Dining Chair (also exclusive to Crate and Barrel). I love the barrel back that flows into armrests, showcasing the stunning exposed joinery details. The slim, padded seat perfectly mimics the frame’s circular profile and is neatly upholstered in a top-grain leather making it easy to clean. These details complement the table perfectly!

Cullen Shiitake Stone Round Back Dining Chair. Using remarkable joinery techniques, skilled woodworkers expertly fit sections of solid chestnut wood to fashion Cullen's Scandinavian modern curves — Cullen Shiitake Stone Round Back Dining Chair. Using remarkable joinery techniques, skilled woodworkers expertly fit sections of solid chestnut wood to fashion Cullen’s Scandinavian modern curves

The day the furniture was delivered, I couldn’t believe the instant transformation it made to our dining room! It immediately felt cozy and intimate. The warm wood just flowed with the entire main floor and the low back provided a nice view of our triple arches. I can’t get enough of this view!

View with our new dining room furniture!

Adding Some Fall Touches

It was a lot of fun dressing up the table with some fall touches using items from Crate and Barrel’s Modern Prairie collection! I brought in natural materials to pair with the warm color combo and layered on black accents to complete the look.

The Covina 90” Table Runner woven in a blend of cotton and linen gives a nice contrast to the wood. The handcrafted Poe Large Amber Glass Vase filled with the dried Fall Harvest Bunch is a great statement center piece that additionally provides scale.

We’ve been wanting some nice flatware since we only have basic ones that were handed down to us. The modern classic look of the stainless Jett 5 piece flatware caught our eyes! The heat-treated black satin finish is simple yet sophisticated and I love how it stands out on the abaca Lanai Placemats.

I was really drawn to the Byhring Wood collection and grabbed the wood platter, serving board and appetizer plates. They’re made of acacia wood which I loved using when I designed tabletop products because of their gorgeous wood grain.

My talented photographer friend, Wing, captured this whole set up because my iPhone photography would not do it justice. Our family had a blast devouring the charcuterie board and appetizers. I’ll have to do another post for putting together an epic charcuterie board using recommendations from our friends who own a local wine & cheese shop.

If you’re wondering about any of the items in the photos, I’ve rounded up all of my favorites from the Modern Prairie collection that I used to pull together our autumnal table. Click on the photos to directly shop!

byhring mixed wood appetizer plates, set of 4

Cullen Shiitake Stone Round Back Dining Chair

Brian and I love to host. We can’t wait until it’s safe to have all of our friends and family over for a big gathering.

More before and after photos of our dining room makeover!

Product Sources

Thanks for stopping by sweet friends! I hope you enjoy this year’s fall season!

If you enjoyed this makeover, you may also enjoy this dining room makeover on my show, Rentfluencer.

Sweetest Regards, Patti

before and after

August 22, 2020

Tudor Home Laundry Room Makeover – Part 1

This post is in partnership with Elkay® to help us share our story of slowly restoring our vintage cabinets. Read on to learn how this family-owned company came to our rescue with a custom solution!

Our laundry room is a unique situation. When we turned our attached garage into our now kitchen, we transitioned the old galley kitchen into our laundry room. The original cabinets, although beautiful, were very beat up and the finish had yellowed over time. The laminate countertop and backsplash were in poor condition. The small double bowl sink was not very functional and the faucet was on its way out. But for eight years, we made due with what we had and did our best to organize + tidy it up.

This year, with us hunkering down at home, we wanted to give this room a proper makeover while still honoring the history of our Tudor style home. And boy were we dedicated, doing most of the work ourselves! There is a lot to cover with this makeover so I’m going to break it out into two posts.

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While it would’ve been easier to tear everything out and start from scratch, there was no way that we would part with the original wood stain shaker cabinets. We saw its potential and so our remodel revolved around it.

Being that we live in an old house (built in 1927), there were definitely a few challenges with these vintage birch cabinets.

they are more shallow than the standard so we were worried about finding a single bowl sink to fit
discovering they contain lead finish
figuring out the stain color and getting a consistent look.

In this Part 1 post, I’m going to cover the first challenge – finding the perfect sink for our shallow cabinets thanks to Elkay. Before we learned about their custom stainless solutions, we were clueless about where to search and wanted to share our experience in case you are in the same situation.

As America’s No. 1 selling kitchen sink company, we knew they made quality products and when we learned about their custom service, we were so relieved! Elkay provides custom + modified stainless products which means modifications can be made to their existing catalog products. We were also really happy that the ordering process was easy! We provided them with our cabinet dimensions and they came back with CAD renderings to help us order just the right one.

Elkay’s Custom Stainless Solutions was perfect for our non-standard size cabinets

After a couple round of renderings and confirming the dimensions, we ordered the Stainless Steel Single Bowl Undermount sink. I was so excited for the practicality of a single bowl in our laundry room. Brian was more excited about all the technical stuff like its 16 gauge thickness, made with type 304 stainless steel. Which means the finish is scratch resistant to heavy-duty use and deep scratches are repairable. It also has sound-deadening pad(s) to minimize sound and vibration for a quieter time at the sink – definitely useful for when you wash dishes if installed in the kitchen.

We had a smooth and pleasant experience with this entire process and would highly recommend Elkay to anyone looking for a custom sink. *Please note that custom orders are non-cancelable and non-returnable.

I’m going to follow up with Part 2 of this makeover to share our journey with refinishing the cabinets and other design details. But because I don’t want to keep you waiting, I’m excited to share more photos of the reveal! We are so happy with how everything turned out and proud of all the labor of love poured into this project. You know what we mean if you’ve been following along with my IG stories.

And since you’ll probably ask, the nicely designed faucet is also from Elkay. It is the Allure Single Hole Kitchen Faucet. We wanted one with low flow which is a water-saving feature, a fully rotating spout and a side spray so this faucet checked all the boxes. It is both ADA compliant and lead-free compliant. It also has a 2/5” max thickness which means it can be installed in countertops up to 2.5” thick.

Here are some before and after photos to get a better idea of the transformation.

I’ll be sharing Part 2 of this makeover soon with more photos! Come back to learn more about how we restored these vintage cabinets through sanding and re-staining and other design details like picking out the backsplash (read more here on all the options we explored). We hope you can learn from our experience and mistakes that we made along the way. Thank you so much for following along with this project friends! Appreciate you sharing in our enthusiasm.

Patti

Sweetest Regards, Patti

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community

August 6, 2020

Four Ways to Give Back to Deserving Teachers and Organizations This School Year with Amazon

This post is in sponsorship with Amazon and I’m so excited to partner with them on such a great project!

We come from a family of teachers. Brian’s mom was one, his two sisters and my oldest brother are currently teaching. Our girls have also had incredible teachers who have taught them so much. We know the work they put in and appreciate all that they do, especially during this year’s unusual circumstances.

Like many, we will be starting this school year in distance learning. However, Ava has the unique opportunity to be in the same first grade classroom as her kindergarten year. Which means, same teacher and pretty much same classmates. Last school year, when distance learning took effect in March, her amazing teacher went above and beyond with the virtual lessons and gave Ava a wonderful classroom-at-home experience. We had such a great routine and it’s reassuring to be entering distance learning with something familiar.

We are grateful for our teachers and want nothing more than to celebrate and give back to them. That is why I’m excited to partner with Amazon to give back to deserving teachers and organizations on the heels of an unprecedented school year. Teachers will be faced with finding new ways to adapt as they get ready for the year ahead and the last thing they should have to worry about is getting necessary supplies. Below are four great ways to give back to deserving teachers and organizations this school year, thanks to Amazon.

#ClearTheList with Amazon Wish Lists

#ClearTheList is an organic social media movement that encourages customers to give back to teachers by purchasing items from their Amazon Wish Lists. I love this movement and encourage you guys to head to my Instagram post and to submit Wish Lists from your favorite teachers in the comments. You never know whose paying attention!

If you’re a teacher and want to create your own Amazon Wish List, you can get started by visiting Amazon.com/WishList and clicking on “Create a List.” From there, it’s easy to share the link with others. Customers who purchase items from your Amazon Wish List can have them sent directly to you (the Wish List owner).

AmazonSmile Charity Lists

You can shop AmazonSmile Charity Lists and easily donate items of need to charities with AmazonSmile Charity Lists. Charity Lists give non-profits an easy way to create lists while providing a convenient way for you to donate needed items directly to the charity of your choice with the reassurance that the list is managed by the charity. You can shop thousands of Charity Lists – and you can even search for education-specific charities – by visiting smile.amazon.com/charitylists

AmazonSmile

In case you don’t know about AmazonSmile, it’s a simple way for you to support your favorite charity every time you shop with Amazon, at no extra cost. Customers who shop at smile.amazon.com will find the same Amazon they know and love, with the added bonus that AmazonSmile will donate a portion of the purchase price of eligible items to the charity they choose. Customers can select from over a million charities that they can give back to, including more than 150,000 eligible education-related charities like schools and PTA’s. We use AmazonSmile to donate to our school’s PTA.

Thanks to AmazonSmile, you can give back while checking off your school shopping list. Simply start your school shopping at Smile.Amazon.com/ReadyforSchool – a convenient, one-stop shop for all of your school needs, no matter where you’re learning this year.

Donations with Alexa

Customers who wish to make a monetary donation to the charity of their choice can do so with any Alexa-enabled device. Simply say, “Alexa, I want to make a donation” to get started.

This school year is going to look different for many of us. Supporting our teachers and those who need it most during this challenging time is something we can all get behind.

Our classroom will be right behind us in the dining room!

And also a reminder to give ourselves some grace because we are all trying our best. Good luck with your first day of school!

Patti

Sweetest Regards, Patti

design

August 3, 2020

Top 8 Beautiful White Tile Designs for your Backsplash

We are in the middle of our laundry room renovation. It’s a unique laundry room because it once was our old galley kitchen. The beautiful original cabinets are being preserved through sanding and re-staining them. The old laminate countertop was replaced with durable quartz and the laminate backsplash is getting a facelift with new tile. We wanted white tile but something different than subway tile that was used in our kitchen.

BEFORE. Read more here on how I whipped this room into shape through organizing

PROGRESS. Our home was built in 1927 and we’re preserving the original wood cabinets. While they are beautifully crafted, they were in need of some love. We sanded them down and will be picking a stain option real soon.

We love the option that we picked out but before researching our choices, were unsure if we would find anything that looked special but was still subtle and not too distracting…and of course affordable. I thought it could be helpful to round up my favorite white tile designs in one place. As well as share the sources. I won’t reveal what we’re going with, yet. But if you’re looking for a white tile for the backsplash that isn’t the go-to subway tile whether it’s for your kitchen, laundry room or bathroom, you will want to check these out!

An additional tip that I’d like to share is choosing grout for these white tiles. My recommendation would be a darker grout (gray) for lighter or white cabinets and lighter grout (off white) for darker cabinets. This will give you better contrast and balance in the space. I’ll be following up with a full blog post soon on our laundry room makeover (read more here on how I organized this space) so be sure to check back! And don’t forget to subscribe to my blog and follow along on Instagram!

Thanks for reading friends!

Patti

*This post contains affiliate links

Sweetest Regards, Patti

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before and after

May 3, 2020

How We Created a Beautiful, Low-Maintenance Backyard Garden in Less than Two Days

We have a small narrow backyard that has been neglected since the first day we bought our home due to other projects getting pushed to the top of the list. Hashtag old home problems. Since we’re spending so much time at home and want to enjoy our entire outdoor space, we decided it was time to finally give our backyard a facelift. Keep reading to see how we transformed our lifeless backyard into a beautiful garden in less than two days!

In high school and college, Brian worked at his brother’s landscape company so he’s pretty knowledgeable with outdoor projects and lawn care. We’ve been looking forward to this backyard makeover and were ecstatic to have the opportunity to work again with The Home Depot (a.k.a. our other home), to share with you some outdoor tips using Vigoro live goods and products. If you’re not familiar with Vigoro, it is a total care solution brand exclusively sold at The Home Depot. We love that it’s easy to use and helps create a quality foundation for a beautiful garden all season. So if you’re looking to create a quick but nice, low maintenance garden in your backyard, you’ll want to follow along as we share our step-by-step process!

Here’s the before. Beautiful view isn’t it? Yikes!

Creating an outdoor space doesn’t have to be complicated. The key to having a nice looking, yet low maintenance garden is having a no-mow yard using hardy plants that are longer lasting. Vigoro has so many great selections of live plants that are more disease resistant, sun shade tolerant with a broad selection of quality colors. They also have a 1 year plant guarantee! Click here to learn about the Hardiness Zone and figure out what types of plants work best in your area, their sun tolerance and how to decide between annuals or perennials.

Some Perennial Options from Vigoro. Photos from The Home Depot

Here’s a super quick and messy rendering from Brian to get us started. See, no need to be intimidated or discouraged 🙂

When planning your garden, understand which areas get more sun vs. shade and have a general idea of where you want your walking path to be placed. This will help you visualize where you want to place the plants along the path. Here’s how we planned ahead to order and have things shipped directly to us before getting started. Note: If you’re planning on a vegetable garden like us, it will need plenty of sunlight.

Order Process

Step 1: Measure your space to get approximate square footage. This is important to help you plan how much you should order for each product.

Step 2: Order outdoor essentials based on your measurements.

1. mulch | 2. garden soil | 3. potting mix

Step 3: Order Additional Garden Items. Here’s what we needed and ordered:

Raised garden beds (2x) – you can DIY this too!
Hanging Coco Baskets (we used both the 12” and 14”)
Plant Brackets
Stone Steppers
Planters

* Other tools we already have that you may need (make sure to order ahead if you don’t have them): rake, shovel, garden gloves, hand tool set, hooks and drill if you plan on hanging plants. See checklist and helpful links below.

1. Hand Tool Set | 2. Plant Brackets | 3. Hanging Baskets | 4. Monroe Planter | 5. Stepping Stones | 6. Women’s Gardener Touchscreen Gloves | 7. Raised Garden Bed | 8. Digging Shovel | 9. Bow Rake

Step 4: Order Live Plants. Consider each plant type below and how much. Vigoro has a broad selection and remember it comes with a 1-year plant guarantee!

Vegetable plants (we opted for a variety of tomatoes, green beans, cauliflower, red peppers, kale, green peppers)
Potted Plants (we opted for Calibrachoa)
Ground Cover (we opted for perennials in English Daisy and Japanese Pachysandra)
Hanging Plants (we opted for annuals in African Daisy and Calibrachoa for their beautiful colors)

Once all of your items arrive, it’s time to get your hands dirty!

First, we cleared the yard and raked. Tip: You want the ground to be smooth with a slight slope away from the foundation so water runs away from the house.

Second, we laid out the raised garden beds and stone steppers. We used Brian’s quick sketch as a starting point and played around with the design and placement until it looked right to us. Then we laid out the ground cover to ensure they were evenly distributed before planting them.

Ground cover is low-maintenance but add interest to mulched areas. We used English Daisies (for long lasting blooms that can handle cooler weather for our area) and Japanese Pachysandra (use less water and is also great for shaded areas). They’ll continue to grow and spread to create a more green space. Tip: Don’t plant them too low to the ground to prevent them from being covered by mulch. And always check the tags to anticipate their full size to see how far apart to plant them.

Third, we laid mulch over the dirt and that’s when we could see a huge improvement!

We love Vigoro’s Premium Brown Mulch for our yard

Fourth, we poured Vigoro’s garden soil in the raised garden beds and planted the veggies. We picked out the veggie options with our girls which was a fun activity to do with them!

Brian planting the vegetables in the raised garden bed.

Last, we hung all the hanging flowers and potted the ones in the planters with Vigoro’s Potting Mix. Don’t underestimate the impact of what hanging and potted plants can do to a space! Here’s how we utilized the Vigoro flowers – scroll down to see more photos:

Hung two of the Calibrachoas in the 14” hanging coco baskets off the mudroom windows using these sturdy plant brackets.
Hung two African Daisies in the 12” hanging coco baskets from the backdoor pergola using existing hooks.
Potted two Calibrachoas in a large size planter to put outside our two back doors.

These hardy plants provide the perfect mixture of soft and bright beautiful colors. I love that they’re longer lasting at such an unbeatable value! Tip: Don’t forget to water the plants as soon as you’re done planting them!

If we can tackle this backyard garden makeover in less than two days with three small kiddos, we’re hopeful that you can as well! We wanted to document our step-by-step process to encourage you to create your own. Now is the time to tackle it and don’t forget to check out The Home Depot to order Vigoro products for your next project!