deck love

Hi all!  Hope you had a great Labor Day weekend!! 

One of the projects we are really hoping to get to this 'fall' (our summer in SF) is to stain and seal our deck.  It is badly in need of this!  So, in preparation I'm thinking about the overall design we're going for, and what color will work best for us.

source unknown

I know, this is a patio and not a deck.  Work with me :)  I love the blue doors, and have thought about doing something fun like this on the outside of our window that face the deck. Easy way to add a punch of color.  Also makes me want to paint the entire back of our house, which borders the deck.  Maybe I should start with the fence!

design sponge 

Love the exotic flair here, and will very likely end up with some elements that have the same feel (no surprise there!). Would be awesome to find some old, beautifully worn outdoor furniture to include in our mix!  Although the goal is to have a somewhat furnished and finished deck by next year, we will almost certainly continue collecting the furniture pieces over time and need to be prepared for a mix of wood finishes.  So, the base color needs to work well with a growing mix as time goes on.

This is interesting and has my wheels turning.  It's from a recent West Elm catalog, and the overall look is a bit modern for me, but I'm loving the fresh feel of it all!  I'm not actually sure how to achieve this look, since our raw wood is just a bit darker than this.  Would we need to bleach it?  Some research is needed!  Also, is it too 'of the moment'?  I know it's appealing to me because it's fresh and different, but will I get sick of it?  If it ends up being feasible, in many ways a light stain could really make sense for us, given that our furniture will be a mix of old and new and will add some 'weight' to the overall look.

Especially when I see this....

via vogue living

LOVE these chaise lounge chairs!  And I know the floor here is stone, but work with me...the darker furniture with the light-colored floor, and then you throw in some bright fabric...so good!  I'm thinking some otomi would be a great stand-in for this look....

found here

Hmmmmm.....

OR, we could go in this direction!

also from vogue living

I could see this tropical look working well with either a light or a dark stain under foot.  Definitely wouldn't mind walking out our back doors to find this!  So many options, but I know which way I'm leaning. I'm excited!  Now we just need to find the time to make this project happen!!