Our Home Update: Deck Reveal

After five months, our deck is {almost} completely finished! The last thing I would like to add is an outdoor rug, but since we’ve gotten this far, I’d thought I’d share the transformation.

We moved into this house in September and knew from the beginning that we wanted to add a deck or patio of some sort in our backyard. After much research, we ended up going with a composite lumber deck (Trex brand), and cedar wood pergola. We went with Trex for the decking because it requires less upkeep – we won’t have to stain it on a regular basis or worry about it warping – but it still looks just like real wood and is incredibly durable. Apparently it lasts up to three times longer than real wood, and will luckily withstand a lot of foot traffic. While it’s more expensive than wood, composite decking only needs to be washed down about once a year, there’s no need to worry about splinters, and most manufacturers offer a 25-year warranty. Last but not least, it’s eco-friendly!

We went with the Spiced Rum colored Trex, which offers a natural-looking wood color with varying tones throughout. See more images of Spiced Rum Trex decking here.

For our pergola, we went with both a budget-friendly and longer-lasting option. Cedar wood requires less maintenance than other types of wood, is naturally rot- and insect-resistant, is easy to stain, ages beautifully, and is cheaper than composite material.

When we originally had our deck built, the only outdoor furniture we had was our old patio furniture from our previous apartment. We just got cheap, small furniture, as we knew we wouldn’t be staying in an apartment for very long. But it was nice to have when we first had our deck so we could immediately enjoy it!

We finally recently bought new deck furniture after an especially rainy spring in Austin. We wanted quality furniture that will last a long time, but we’re also planning on taking good care of it and keeping it covered when not in use to preserve it for as long as possible.

Below are the latest improvements! I’m planning to add a couple more things here and there (outdoor rug, side tables, a few plants), but for now it’s looking so much better!

Everything you see below is from World Market, with the exception of the fire pit and hanging lights (both from Target). I’ve included close-up photos of our furniture and linked everything below!

All-Weather Wicker Vilamoura Outdoor Occasional Sofa

We really lucked out in finding this outdoor sofa! I had been looking at outdoor furniture for months, but either we would’ve had to blindly order it without knowing how comfortable/durable it was, or we were going to settle with one of the furniture sets we found in-store (none of which were very comfortable). Since most outdoor furniture sets are well over $1,000, we didn’t want to get something we weren’t going to love. We found out World Market was having an outdoor furniture sale, so we stopped by one night after work and they actually had all of the above furniture available to try in-store. The couch is super comfortable and high-quality. And the best part? It’s still on sale for $399 (such a steal)!

Natural All-Weather Wicker Wailea Outdoor Chairs

While we could’ve gotten the matching chairs to pair with the Vilamoura Sofa, instead we opted for these Wailea Chairs that I’m obsessed with! They are surprisingly comfortable and have such a unique look to them.

I knew I wanted a variety of pillows to brighten up our deck and add pops of color. Each different pillow is linked below.

Warm Woven Kalahari Indoor/Outdoor Throw Pillow

Oversized Coral Stripe Indoor/Outdoor Lumbar Pillow

Coral Woven Triangle Indoor/Outdoor Throw Pillow

Woven Arrow Striped Indoor/Outdoor Lumbar Pillow

Warm Southwest Indoor/Outdoor Lumbar Pillow
^ unfortunately this pillow is sold out online, but you may still be able to find it in some stores!

In case you’re interested in the fire pit and lights, I’ve also linked those from Target below!

Rocksprings 30″ Wide Square Fire Table in Brown +
Heavy-Duty Drop Outdoor String Lights (10ct)

Last, but not least… obvi gotta link the outfit!

Hat | Long Cardigan | Dress (similar)| Shoes (white no longer available, but brown & black on sale for $20!)