A Backyard Dream Come True

Sprucing up your outdoor space is something many of us have been working on while we are spending more time at home. My husband and I have wanted to create a backyard that we could enjoy as both a family and couple. What we got was a backyard dream come true.

Disclosure: I am partnering with American Furniture Warehouse. All opinions are my own.

Backyard Shame

When my husband and I moved into this house nearly 12 years ago we had high hopes for a beautiful backyard where we could relax, our kids would run around and we would spend hours just enjoying the space. Fast forward now and although from my patio looking out, the backyard is very pretty, when you look at the space where we could actually sit and enjoy the backyard, it’s pretty lame.

The backyard faces west and by the time my kids are ready to play outside in the sunshine, it is so hot back there that it’s pretty unbearable and it lasts only a short amount of time. My husband and I just submitted the plans and permit requests to our city to put up a covered patio which we are so excited about and with that we were also looking for more furniture and entertaining options to bring this space up to par with the rest of our yard.

Shopping At American Furniture Warehouse

My husband and I both grew up in Colorado and spent our childhoods going to American Furniture Warehouse with our parents when we needed furniture. As we moved in together, we purchased all of our home furniture from AFW and we continue to frequent the showroom to get inspiration for our next home renovation or furniture need.

We had actually shopped online due to the current state of the world and purchased to pick up, however, before we did the pickup, my husband wanted to run inside and take a peek at the items to make sure they were exactly what we were looking for. The showroom did great following current social distancing procedures and cleanliness protocols and the only issue we had was that WE forgot our masks. I was so upset at myself for this.

We popped into American Furniture Warehouse, quickly went over to the outdoor furniture area and located the 3 pieces that we had ordered. We wanted a rocking chair that both of us could sit on, a fire pit and a nice side table. My husband was elated when he found this wicker Brunswick cocktail table with a built in cooler. Seeing it in person his eyes lit up!

After a quick peek at the items we ordered, we jumped back in our pick up and waited for the text that our items were ready to be loaded. It was the easiest process ever. We just checked in, they took our phone number and gave us a wait time, we then grabbed some dinner and waited for the text with where to park and they loaded and secured everything right in our truck.

A Backyard Dream Come True

We could not wait to set up our new backyard space and use it. We had always wanted a gas fire pit and a place for my husband and I to snuggle up while the kids ran around the yard in the evenings. It was a perfect grouping of items and we were super excited to put them to work.

I moved the old grill to the other side of the patio and set up our little seating area. The fire pit took center stage, with the glider rocker offset to one side and the cocktail table on the other. I have a few more ideas of things I want to add to make this space even more homelike outside like some planters, an outdoor rug and maybe even some fun decor and wall hangings. I will for sure be heading back to American Furniture to make some more purchases.

Sling Double Glider

I want to spotlight the pieces that we purchased and I am going to start with the Mac II Sling Double Glider. My husband and I went back and forth on what type of couch space we wanted for our patio. Ultimately we felt like this lightweight double glider was the best fit for us because we could easily put it in the storage shed during our harsh winters.

This glider is super comfortable and often we actually find the dogs snuggled up in it because they also love it. I have enjoyed many nights (and days) just rockin away, taking in the fresh air and relaxing next to the fire. It fits my husband and I comfortably and has really helped make our backyard a little escape.

Brunswick Cocktail Table with Cooler

Now American Furniture is sold out of this actual table and obviously you can see why, but they do have other options that would look and work amazingly. We love to entertain small groups of people at our house and when we realized that we could have both a side table and a cooler in one, we were sold.

Recently we had a small group of friends over and it was awesome to be able to just fill the cocktail table cooler with ice and let everyone put their drinks in. No one had to leave the space to grab a drink from the fridge and everything stayed cool and accessible the entire day. We also love that it has an easy drain feature and was super lightweight and easy to store.

Galiano Gas Fire Pit

Our kids have been begging us for a fire pit for years. They are s’mores-a-holics and this was on our list of must purchase this year. My husband really wanted a gas fire pit because he loves the simplicity of just turning on the gas, pressing a button and viola, fire!

I really wanted it to have a stone look to it but at the same time be light and easy to move but durable and able to hold up in the weather. When we were looking we both sent each other this Galiano Gas Fire Pit and we knew it was the one we were getting.

I loved that it came with a cover for the winter and that the rocks matched the ones on our house already and my husband was all about the ease of lighting. The kids…they love s’mores and we are eating our weight in these, weekly. Our new backyard space is really that dream come true!