The Patio Refresh That Didn't Require a Mood Board or a Miracle
String lights, planters, and the Walmart finds that finally made my outdoor space make sense. This post is sponsored by Walmart.
I need to talk about my patio situation because it has been a whole journey and I think a lot of you are in the same place. Spoiler, the journey was keep it simple, take my time and don’t forget to breathe life into the space!
Talk about started from the bottom now we’re here.
You have the space. You have the vision, sort of. You just haven’t pulled the trigger because outdoor decorating can like an ordeal. I’ve been collecting my larger pieces for the last few years but it needed more life. After replacing tragic plant placed in the corner by the previous owner, I immediately knew that life was more plants.
Outdoor planters are so hard to find! They are mostly boring or a little too cottage core for my very modern Mid Century bungalow. A quick interwebz search lead me to this cutie from Walmart and then I went down a rabbit hole of all of the affordable offerings. Here are my favorites!
Patio foundation notes:
The old cinderblock reminded me of, I dunno… a prison? I had it sprayed with stucco. It was the most affordable option but a girl still dreams of breeze block for the outer walls! Fast growing plants helped big time! I’m using the cozy sofa I had but Walmart has an incredible outdoor sectional that looks a lot more sleek than the usual suspects!
I will say that the other major missing element was lighting. There is just one sad wall light and no other dreamy lighting. If you do nothing else to your outdoor space this summer, put up string lights. I mean it. String lights are the outdoor equivalent of turning your overhead lighting off and switching to lamps the whole vibe shifts, the whole space softens, and suddenly you want to actually be out there. The Better Homes & Gardens G40 clear glass globe string lights are $7.88 for a 20-count strand. The G40 bulb size is the one you want — it's the big, warm, slightly oversized globe that reads as elevated rather than just functional because the big light stays off even on the patio.
Now let’s talk planters, because this is where people get lost
Planters are one of those things where people either overthink them or just grab whatever’s on the shelf and wonder why it doesn’t look right. I have some thoughts.
The Walmart home brands: Better Homes & Gardens, My Texas House, Beautiful by Drew, Mainstays have genuinely great options right now, and the key is mixing them rather than buying a matching set. Matching sets of planters look like you just bought a set of planters. A mix of shapes, sizes, and materials looks like you’ve been collecting them, which is always the goal.
Everything is linked in my Patio Refresh collection in my Walmart Creator storefront so you can easily shop from here.
This post is sponsored by Walmart. All selections and opinions are genuinely my own. #WalmartPartner #WalmartCreator @walmart @walmartcreator
The transformation. And yes, Walmart is on my errand list today. 🤞🏾 The planters are in store as well.
Love the change over. Here I come Walmart I need some planters.