Outdoor Rooms

I love that concept: a room in the outdoors...creating a little oasis outdoors...outdoor living...you get the picture, lol.

I find it hard knowing where to set up limits, where to splurge, etc., when it comes to making our outdoor lanai and pool area our little oasis. I have to admit that just stepping out there still feels like I've somehow hopped into a magic plane, and am suddenly on vacation. As if my sliders are teleportation devices that instantly take me away from work, chores, stress, and plop me down where an aqua pool is shaded by palm fronds, the air is scented of florals, and I am on a tropical isle...and must've misplaced my Bellini!

We've long thought about adding canvas panels as a sort of curtain turning the raised eating area of the lanai into sort of a cabana. Not knowing how long we'll be in this home has made me uneasy to go that far. I see so many table and chair sets that I absolutely love, but lets be honest, they're not exactly cheap! So we find ourselves still using the set my Mom gifted me about...oh my gosh...how long now?....oh, at least 7 years ago. Don't get me wrong it's great, it's a Martha Stewart set, I believe...from Kmart...not sure really, but it's comfortable, but the table is a little lopsided at this point, lol. Well, the thing is...do I really want to spend the $$$ on a gorgeous new set? This one's fine, really. Tough call. What would you do???

We were at Disney's Animal Kingdom a while back, and I just LOVED the look of the Balinese, or perhaps Thai structures and gardens they had. Huge patina'd statues surrounded by lush tropical foliage. That is exactly the type of feel I hope to achieve in my own backyard. The thing is how much am I willing to spend on this one? Do you limit yourself when you know chances are this isn't your "forever home". Hmmmmm....

Back to reality...time to go skim the pool so the kids can swim...and where the heck is that Bellini???!!!