Spring Outdoor Refresh Ideas

Spring in Utah is gorgeous. So, with it officially a change of seasons, it’s time to pull together my fave Spring outdoor refresh ideas!

With the weather finally warming up, it’s the perfect time to start on all those outdoor projects so you can enjoy them the whole summer. Our Pergola is a place that we gravitate towards, especially in the warmer months. The area was custom designed by myself and Notched Timbers. They did an amazing job working with us from start to finish. They were able to make sure we had a design that worked perfectly for our families needs AND stayed within our budget! Originally, we were going to do a curved design but it was like, triple the cost. We ended up bringing in some of that curve by cutting the top timbers at different lengths to create sort of an oval effect over the fire pit.  We ended with this classic look  that mimics the house timbers and we honestly adore it.

Once the team finished building the pergola, we got to painting it ourselves. Boy, was it a chore!

Our oldest son grabbed a paintbrush too and we made a week of family painting! There’s a lot you can talk about while painting, let me tell you!

We used the same color that we used on all the bricks and timbers on the outside of the house. It ended up needing two coats of oil based primer, and two coats of paint. The primer helps with the color, but it also ensures no sap or wood tannins would seep out. It wasn’t difficult but it was certainly tedious to get in every nook and cranny. Especially since we were using natural wood with grain and imperfections!

This was super fun for Chris because he got to get our 13-year-old, Vinnie involved in the painting process! Fun fact: Chris’s dad was a painter by trade. So, 13 was the same age that Chris started to learn to paint as well.

We ended up using a custom paint color for the brick on the outside of the house, and we used the same one for this pergola. We personalized our own mix of paint to create a specific color.

[ Here’s the process for creating your own custom paint color ]

We chose to paint by hand rather than use a sprayer. It may seem like extra work, but we didn’t want the paint splatters to get all over our bluestone pavers. And honestly, there were just too many deep cracks and knots for the sprayer. It wouldn’t have been able to fully cover everything, so this provided more full coverage.

We had to rush to finish painting before the team came back to lay the final pavers. But once we got that done, the builders started on the fireplace. After a few placement changes, we decided to do a rectangular fire pit to fit the space better. In between the pavers, we decided on using artificial turf instead of real grass like we had in our last home. Luckily, the area is separated from the rest of our natural grass, so it would make trimming it much ore difficult and the turf stays perfect year round! The pavers are from Everblue and they are a bluestone lookalike, we have loved them so far!

The final cherry on top (and my personal favorite for any outdoor space) was adding the hanging chairs and landscaping!

They are such a fun addition and make spring, summer, and fall nights by the fire that much better. Chris just recently hung them back up for me so I could get outside and enjoy the warm weather. It truly is such a great way to spend some time outside.

My exact hanging chairs are available at Wayfair and Walmart online. The chairs come with chains to hang them up, but I prefer the look of the rope that we found. Here’s a quick and sturdy way to hang them!

There’s no need to drill, hook or make a hole! You simply, just tie a TIGHT double knot, throw the loose end over your beam, and wrap the loose rope around your firm rope holding the chair. From here, tie another knot at the base of the beam and you are set!

We’re still finishing up some landscaping from last year, but I am super excited about my own upgrades to our outdoor spaces, coming this spring!

I finally got a cute little bistro table to put in down by the creek. Imagine drinking your morning tea or watching the sunset overlooking the water! As far as simple spring refresh outdoor ideas, this little table is well priced and is great from season to season!

We’re also adding in some solar powered lights to highlight the creek at night. I am so excited for spring and summer! I can’t wait to really soak up the beauty that Utah has to offer. 

Last but not least, the project I’m most excited about is our upcoming garden beds! We are still in the planning phase, but I’m super excited to share the process with you guys. I have NEVER done a garden before so we will head down this journey together. It’s going to be such a fun learning process!

Shop my spring outdoor refresh ideas for our space and yours:

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