Hamptons Inspired Small Backyard Reveal
Hi there friends! I have partnered with Lowe’s to bring you a backyard makeover inspired by the Hamptons. This reveal has been 5 years in the making, so I am beyond thrilled to be sharing it with you today! And what better time than the spring to share it, well almost:). When we first walked into our backyard, even though we were warned by our realtor we were a little shocked. It was small, really small, and to be honest it made me nervous. But…that quickly subsided as we walked through and saw the beautiful bay view and the rather large privet hedge. Sold, that was it and I have been plotting and planning this space ever since. Living on the East End of Long Island there is a certain style the Hamptons have and I wanted to capture a small bit of that in my backyard. If you drive through any of these towns you will find a plenitude of pea gravel driveways, beautiful architecture with cedar shake, gorgeous landscaping and lots of privet! If you were to peek into a well manicured backyard you would also most likely see lots of white, rattan and/or wicker, teak woods, classic prints, beautiful gardens, maybe a pool and a pool house too. Well…some of that is just not possible for a few obvious reasons but I did create a functional, private and pretty space within a modest budget. Come check it out….
This is a before shot of what our small backyard looked like when we first moved in.
This is a slightly updated before shot, with my overgrown garden and shed that went through 2 hurricanes in the last 5 years since we have been here.
Last but not least the after shot of my Hamptons Inspired Small Backyard Reveal…..
I designed the space to use the most length we could out of our yard for this patio without it seeming off balance. I knew if we were going to do this then we needed it to be functional, so I broke the area into 3 parts. I created a sitting area for chit chat, relaxing by the fire and just lounging, I also added a purposeful dining area with a bench for the little ones and a DIY outdoor kitchen.
We decided to go with pea gravel for a few reasons. First we thought we could do it & not mess it up and second, we loved the look. I will be posting the tutorial soon, stay tuned.
You can find this beautiful Nantucket gray wicker sectional HERE.
The lights are a favorite, they are Allen & Roth Edison string lights, you can find them HERE. You can also find my tutorial for the DIY Light Poles HERE.
This is actually a potting bench I painted in HGTV Home by Sherwin Williams Tricorn Black, I added this DIY towel holder on the side using simple eye hooks and jute rope. By combining it with THIS grill I was able to create a DIY outdoor kitchen.
All of my vegetables and herbs were purchased at my local Lowe’s store.
By adding these 4 vintage wicker chairs and giving them a fresh coat of white paint it fits right in with the Hamptons look. The outdoor bench is the perfect addition and is so convenient with kids.
I love styling bars, it is my thing, you can find my all time favorite styled bar HERE.
There are no words to describe how happy I am to have this space done. It is such a functional area to entertain our family & friends and cuddling up by the fire at night is an added bonus. We debated about whether to do gas or the “real thing” and I have to say, do GAS!!! It is so nice at night once we decide it’s time to go in my husband just turns it off, no waiting and no mess. I highly recommend it.
At first when this large umbrella arrived I was second guessing myself but guess what, is it the best! It gets hot here on Long Island and this umbrella makes it possible to be outside during the day.
As the sun went down I thought it would be nice to show you how it looks when the lights are on.
The lights create such a serene & peaceful mood out here & makes it fun to dine under the stars.
I hope you enjoyed my backyard reveal and can see the potential in even the smallest of backyard spaces.
I will be back to share my FULL source list with you, so if you have any questions please leave them in the comments so I don’t miss anything. In the meantime you can shop Lowe’s Outdoor Living section, you will see the fire pit we used right at the top.
THIS IS A SPONSORED POST BY LOWE’S, PRODUCT WAS GIVEN IN EXCHANGE FOR THIS POST.
Have a beautiful week,
Jen this is an absolutely amazing transformation.I love that it at the same time feels as though I could create this look as well. Great job!
That is exactly what I wanted you to feel, that makes me happy Laura! Thank you so much! Jen
It looks AMAZING! It makes me long for summer and gather around with friends. Just beautiful Jen. xo
Thank you so much Lucy!!!
Looks great! Would love to know the source of potting bench! Thanks!
Outstanding Job Jen! Can I come hang out in your backyard….for like a whole week 🙂 So Inviting!
AMAZING, can I come over now with some marshmallows???
So gorgeous, Jen! I’m definitely “borrowing” some of your ideas this summer!
Your backyard looks great. We have a small backyard with an empty patio since I sold the traditional patio table set. I’m hoping to achieve a similar look this year with new and found pieces. Thanks for the inspiration.
I love it! I actually prefer a small yard… less to take care of! :o) I’m sure you guys are really going to enjoy your new Hamptons backyard this year!
Tania
WOW, WOW, WOW, etc. This is so awesome, am terribly envious. We had something fairly similar in mind to do at bottom of our back yard. Our house is at top of 1/2 acre lot) and shed, more yard, at bottom of small hill. We have fantastic view of valley around us. CO river is little over 2 miles south of us, can see traffic on I-70 where it runs along river from our deck..
Your new patio/entertainment area is spot on girl. Is that your hubs slaving away laying it all out? If so you both sure did fantastic job.
This is my 1st. time on email in about a month. Decided to put windows 7 away and get new awesome laptop with windows 10.Then had to figure out how to use it, finally got email tonight, so happy, felt like cut off from my other world, blogland.
Your new yard is such an inspiration for all of us. Enjoy rest of week
Love what you have done – we will be needing something like you have done for our small backyard area as well – you have given me the inspiration – I only hope that I can accomplish something similar – thank you!
Thank you Olivia. I know pretty soon it will be that time again, to get the outside pretty again, I cant wait! It feels like summer today, enjoy it:). Jen
Jen, it is so gorgeous. You have me dreaming of lovely and long and restful beach days. Thanks so much for all this beautiful inspiration. x
this is so beautiful! I love it! I love all the spot on details.
Jen, Your back yard is gorgeous! It looks so peaceful and functional. I’m heading to Lowes today to look for that gas firepit!! Julie
Hey Julie! I had no idea you get my posts, yay! Thank you, cant wait to enjoy it this summer! Yeah, we love it, they have a rectangular one as well:). Miss you! Jen
hey girl looks so pretty! Great job!
Hello Jen your transformation was awesome I live in Tennessee where it too can get very warm in the summer. My question for you is did you all create a subfloor before pouring the gravel. Or was it all just gravel?
Hi! I love your blog and Instagram accounts! What pieces did you purchase in the outdoor sectional? Thank you so much!
Hi Anna, thank you! The sectional is 5 pieces in total, great ? btw, 2 pairs of the chairs plus the corner. It is very comfortable and looks amazing! Jen
Beautiful backyard! I love the green!
Thank you Yvonne! Excited for the warmer weather so we can enjoy it again!
I love the comfy look you created but please tell me what you do about the dew and the rain on your fabric pieces.
Hi Karen, I have outside storage bins that I put the cushions in, but I have to be honest occasionally I forget. The cushions are waterproof and held up great! Everything else was fine outside. Hope this helps, Jen
It all looks so amazing! I love the sectional! Is it from Lowes as well? I looked online and couldn’t find it.