There are some places in a garden that seem to invite you to slow down, pull up a chair and stay awhile. This little corner of our upper garden has finally become one of those places.
What began as an uneven hillside is now an outdoor dining area overlooking Okanagan Lake, with a rustic wood table, wood chairs, flowers gathered from the garden and a hanging flower wall that Bentley and I created together.
On the first evening I finished styling the space, I stayed outside as the sun began to set and lit the candles on the table. For once, the temperature was perfect, the bugs left me alone and even the wind, which had been determined to blow out every candle, eventually settled down.
It was exactly the kind of evening I had imagined when we began creating this little garden room.
Come take a look at how it all came together.
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Creating an Outdoor Dining Area From an Unused Hillside
Where do I begin to explain this area? Well, let’s start at the very beginning.
It was once an untouched hillside with bits of natural grass and some native shrubs growing from a thin skim of soil over solid rock.
Then it became a dumping ground for blast rock from the excavation site for our home. Money had run out and we could not afford to truck the excess rock away any longer. So we put it off to the side and decided to figure it out later, because at that point we had a house to build.
Fast forward a few years to when our daughter Jenna announced she wanted to get married on our property and have an engagement party around our pool. The yard by the pool was a disaster!
So we did what any normal family would do and we got to work. Bentley started placing the larger boulders to create raised garden beds going up the hill and used the flatter stones as steps. Then we filled in with soil and plants and everything started growing.
The one area we didn’t touch was what I call the upper garden.
I wanted a shed for doing crafts and projects instead of working on my kitchen counters. Financially, that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon so Bentley flattened it out and spread a lovely golden beige small stone gravel.
Now it was up to me. While I wait on my art shed, I thought it would make a great spot for an outdoor dining area. The hillside behind blocks a lot of the wind that usually roars down from the mountains above. The view is stunning not only of the lake but the gardens below. I could watch my beloved wild birds from this area too. So an outdoor dining area it would be!
Choosing Furniture With Character
For this area, because there is no shelter, I had to either find incredibly durable furniture that could withstand sun, rain and snow or go the inexpensive route and not worry if it got weathered.
I bet you already guessed, I went with the inexpensive route. Off I skipped to Facebook Marketplace.
First, I found an all-wood table in just the perfect shade – not too red, yellow or orange, just a fine neutral brown with warm tones. $40!!! Yes, you read that right. 40 Canadian dollars! What is that in USD, maybe $25?
Then these amazing chairs came up. The pictures weren’t great but I thought I could spy what looked like flower shapes cut out of the back of the chairs – could it really be flowers?
As usual, I sent Bentley off to pick them up. He is brave and he needed to be for this one. The address was at the end of this gravel road where he came upon what felt like an abandoned trailer park. Not a person was around. It was so eerie and a bit spooky.
The seller said she would leave them outside of her place so he drove around until he found the chairs. They had agreed on $30 for three wood chairs, but what did he see…four wood chairs with leather seats, and yes, the cutouts were flowers! He left $40 under a pot, loaded them up and brought these beauties home to me!
I could not be happier!
There will be no painting of these chairs or the table because their patina and wood tones are absolute perfection!
To me, it was like inheriting a relative’s well-worn furniture that so many meals and laughs had been shared at.
It really can’t get better than that, can it?
Creating a Hanging Flower Wall
As you walk up the stairs to this area, I thought it would be fun to have a flower wall prominently placed at the top of the stairs where I could display the garden’s abundant blooms.
Bentley built this beautiful sturdy structure that will withstand our strong winds and also hold as many vases of flowers as I can gather together.
You can find my complete DIY hanging flower wall tutorial by clicking here.
Adding Vintage Lace to Soften the Backdrop
While the flower wall was pretty, the unsightly stucco wire fencing behind was all I could seem to see. What an eyesore.
Then I thought of these pretty lace curtains I had purchased for the greenhouse. They would be perfect hanging behind the vases, allowing the flowers to take center stage without competing with what was happening behind them. If you are interested in the curtains, click here for a shoppable product link.
Suddenly, it all came together.
The heavy wood frame had this beautiful, delicate old-world quality.
Vintage lace curtains gently moving in the breeze.
Old mismatched mason jars hanging from twine.
A variety of pastel colored flowers enjoying the last rays of the setting sun.
All the flowers in those vases are directly from my garden. Peach and yellow dahlias grown from seed. Cream, apricot and raspberry-coloured zinnias also grown from seed. And one of my all-time favourites, Peach and Cream dahlia, grown from a tuber that I have overwintered in our basement for many years.
The area we live in is classified as Zone 6B which gives us a fairly long growing season from early May until the end of October.
If you would like to learn more about my flower garden, please check out my garden tour post by clicking here.
Setting a Simple Outdoor Table
I have become a collector of tablecloths, but for this beautiful table, I did not want to cover the wood but rather let it show. This table reminds me of the tables you see in an orchard or vineyard where people are dining right amongst the trees or vines. I’m surrounded by vineyards and orchards where I live, so why not join in and have my own harvest table, so to speak?
While I wasn’t going to use a table cloth, I knew I had the perfect runner. On a little shopping excursion with Jenna, we came upon a garden center that was going out of business. They had the most beautiful decor section. Underneath lots of candleholders and other decor was this unevenly sun-faded runner in soft pastel shades of pink, blue and ivory. The sun-faded spots resulted in a 50% discount but these imperfections were exactly what I was looking for. I wanted people who dined in this area to relax and not worry if they spilled something.
That’s what comes with well-used decor, some worn areas, possibly some stains but all of those tell of wonderful meals shared with family and friends. The important stuff, where memories are made and cherished.
Carrying on, this tablescape called for my tried and true round rattan chargers, simply layered with ivory dishes, soft beige linen napkins and the sweetest daisy napkin rings made from all natural fibers.
I could have gone with a bouquet of flowers or several small bouquets, but I didn’t want to take away from the flower wall or the surrounding flower gardens. I opted for two rosemary topiaries in terra cotta pots, a stack of charcuterie boards and a glass cloche on a wood pedestal filled with flowers and extra napkin rings. Those napkin rings are just that cute that they needed their own special spot.
Down the center on either side of the cloche are slender gold candlesticks interspersed with crystal candlesticks to complement the wine glasses.
Black lanterns with large candles light the area around the table.
For me the design is founded on letting the surroundings, flower garden, natural hillside and expansive lakeview, be the star of the show and the tablescape is subdued yet still romantic. While it may not be the leading actor, it definitely has put in a strong supporter performance.
Shopping Links:
- Table runner (similar)
- Rattan chargers
- Dinner plates (similar)
- Cloth napkins (similar)
- Napkin rings
- Charcuterie board (similar)
- Cloche on wood pedestal
- Gold candlesticks
Creating a Garden Room
Growing up, my love of gardening came directly from my mother. She took a hobby farm with little more than hay fields and turned it into what many thought was a park with a large variety of enormous trees, flowering shrubs, vines, perennials and roses.
She didn’t have many rules when it came to gardening except the need to create rooms. Each area should feel almost like a room in a home. A little enclosed if possible so that the area could be distinctly its own.
I did an in-depth post on creating garden rooms, so if you are interested in learning more just click here.
As you heard, our new outdoor garden area may eventually transition to an art shed, but for now it is the perfect outdoor dining area. A distinctive room with big views. Close enough to the house to transport food and drinks but far enough away to feel like we are on an adventure or maybe at an outdoor restaurant. In the evening, it even feels like we are on a rooftop bar. It truly is stunning.
Creating garden rooms allows me to have distinctly different garden designs throughout our property. For example, our courtyard area is more formal with distinct paths, sculpted trees, more linear in nature and a focal point of a pond and waterfall.
The cutting garden is quite wild with so many flowers bursting forth from raised garden beds and borders. From one year to the next it will change depending on my mood or desire to try new plants or tried and true plants.
The greenhouse garden fully embraces the cottage garden theme with a sweet vintage window greenhouse in the center surrounded by colorful zinnias, dahlias, cosmos, climbing roses, honeysuckle and the list goes on and on.
While some gardeners swear by one cohesive design theme, I am much happier being able to express the many different things I love about gardens. While I love formal gardens, I also love the simplicity of a natural hillside, or a cutting garden overflowing with so many flowers it seems out of control.
I highly encourage you to create garden rooms and allow yourself to enjoy the various destinations that you will create.
It can be as simple as a bench under a tree.
Or a bistro table encircled in flowers.
Or an old greenhouse made from garage sale windows perched on a rocky outcropping.
Or even an outdoor dining area made from second-hand furniture.
When Evening Arrives
Our new outdoor dining area in the upper garden is truly beautiful any time of day, but the magic happens when the sun slowly disappears behind the hills.
The constant chatter and chirping of birds subsides as they all head to their homes in the trees.
The crickets gently start to sing their rhythmic songs.
A soft breeze cascades down from the mountains above.
Each time I try to light a candle, even the gentlest of breezes blows it out. This was going to be my perfect ending to a lovely day so I took a chance and spoke to the wind “please stop”.
And it did.
For the next little while, the candles flickered and dripped onto the new/old table runner, but that was okay. Each drop of wax was another memory. The lake glistened under the setting sun, and I simply sat there enjoying this space we had created.
Sometimes a garden gives you exactly the evening you needed.
In closing…
Creating this outdoor dining area reminded me that some of my favourite spaces haven’t started with a grand plan. They have evolved slowly, one idea, one project and one piece at a time.
An unused hillside became a place to gather. An old table and chairs found a new home. A simple wooden structure became a wall of flowers gathered from the garden. And a few candles turned it into somewhere I didn’t want to leave when evening arrived.
If you have an overlooked corner of your own garden, perhaps you don’t need to completely transform it all at once. A table, a few comfortable chairs, something growing nearby and a reason to linger may be enough to begin.
I’m already looking forward to seeing how this little garden room changes with the seasons.
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