Our Outdoor Space... or at least 1 of 2 (In progress)

I guess I haven't really shared much about our outdoor space before.  I guess that's both because it's no where near finished and a little cause I am lazy  forgetful.

Actually, we essentially have 2 outdoor spaces: the upper deck and the lower patio. 

But the only space we're currently using is the upper deck.  The lower disaster space is a post for another day... and we;ll eventually get around to it when we've actually got some landscaping down there as well.

Anyhow, back to the upper deck - immediately after we moved in we placed the bbq up there (which I thought made sense since it was off the kitchen) and bought a patio set without measuring anything.

The deck was actually narrower than I thought ( we had looked at 3 different options when we built),  but since getting the set home was so difficult, I was NOT about to return it, so we made do. 

 Plus I really liked it and we got it on clearance at Walmart. 

I really love the detail on the backs of the chairs.  The cushions are neutral, which we like, but sometimes I think it's all too "beige" out there and I need some brightly colored toss cushions on the chairs.  It has six chairs, but only 4 fit comfortably around the table.  We also love the rectangular umbrella, which is perfect for the space!

The other two chairs were perfect for creating a little sitting area:

I also added a little round wicker table with glass top.  It's vintage, handed down from my mom.  I had originally sprayed it glossy black 3 years ago but the "elements" of a Canadian winter have taken their toll and I kind of like the natural look.

This spring, after buying a new(er) bbq, Cory decided he was going to keep the bbq downstairs.  I told him it could stay until we get the lower space finished.....sometime next year most likely. 

That left this corner free:

I'm thinking I might try and move the sitting area to the corner or maybe find a few more matching chairs to add some extra seating since we always seem to be bringing kitchen chairs outside when we entertain.

It looks really squashed here, but it's actually perfect.

The one area I am not too keen on is this:

Our neighbours house is set further back on the lot than ours which means that we have a full-on view of our deck.  Plus, sometimes their three kids are strange (and don't appear to have any toys... so sometimes they stare at us out there, or even into our house for that matter....

So obviously, I'd like to add a little privacy.  I don't want to add a lattice screen or anything here, but I think it might be nice to add a tall cedar in the corner.  I mean, there's already a huge empty pot there.

Well actually, that's a smaller pot (full of last summer's dead plants) sitting inside the opening of the large blue pot!

We've been keeping the babygate at the top of the stairs cause the animals like to hang out on the deck with us sometimes.  But there is nothing better than a little color in that otherwise bland space.  Especially when this is what the stairs are currently looking down onto:

Yuck, not much to look at!  But hopefully we'll made some headway on the lower level this weekend!!