Some favourite outdoor spaces of 2009

But first, a I'd like to say Happy New Year to all our readers, and happy birthday to my Mom!!

Arkitektstudio WRB
Morten Holtum
Semple Brown Design
Ken Gutmaker
Michael Graydon
Turnbull Griffin Haesloop

Kim's latest project

I have been quite busy around my house (as usual) and because of this I don't have a Flickr find post for today. Instead I thought I'd show you all one of the projects I have been working on. My backyard. I love LOVE L O V E summer and since it's so short up here I wanted to put everything else on hold and get going on making my backyard a space I want to hang out in. A couple weeks ago I was out back on my deck and it was HOT. Really hot. The fence surrounding my yard is super tall and there are tall houses and big trees all around so it gets almost no wind and is very sunny all day long. So I decided I wanted a small deck under the 2 trees that shade the back part of the yard. That way when it gets too hot I have a place to chill. My boyfriend came over last weekend to help (thank you Jeff!!!) and we knocked out a deck. Yesterday I bought some plants and got all that in place and VOILA!, I have another place to hang out.

Here's a "during" photo. I removed all the grass from the spot and dug down a bit because I wanted the deck just hovering over the grass level. (I say I because I did ALL the digging while Jeff built me a cat house/bench for my front porch).

Before you check out the end product, let me warn you to pay no attention to the stuff going on to the left and right of the deck. Those are projects for another weekend.

Yesterday I also did some planting of pots for around the rest of the backyard. It all took about 4 hours and resulted in a bit of a sunburn, some mosquito bites and some aches and pains. It was worth all that. And now you're all invited over for a BBQ. Bring booze. (Another warning - pay no attention to the peeling mess that is this deck. I'd like to shoot the former owner who thought it was a great idea to paint the deck instead of staining it or just letting it weather. That's yet another project.)

Greenart Gardens

It's warming up for our northern hemisphere readers so it's a perfect time for a little garden inspiration. Australian landscape design firm Greenart Gardens does just that. Wonderful outdoor rooms and gorgeous greenery. I don't think I'd want to come back inside with garden spaces like these.

Stoked for summer

I hate winter more than I can express in words, and now that summer is right around the corner, I have outdoor spaces on my mind. This lead me to 2Modern's shop, where they have a slew of modern outdoor furnishings and accessories. Plastic rugs, chairs, benches, tables, planters - such amazing pieces. Some of my favs are below (click on each to take you to the product page).
(Note: Unfortunately I don't have time for a Flickr Finds post this weekend as I am trying to get my bedroom furnished. As comfy as my new sofa is, I am a little tired of sleeping on it.)

Weekend flashback

What a beautiful day it is here today! I love this time of year (early autumn in Australia). Perfect for a little retro al fresco inspiration. If only my outdoor area looked as good as these retrolicious beauties. Hard to believe they are almost 40 years old! Scanned from The Practical Encyclopedia of Good Decorating and Home Improvement, Vol 13, Meredith Corporation, New York, 1971. Hope your weekend is exactly what you're wishing for.

P.S. Where's WINKS? I hope you'll forgive me but I'm using my weekend time to work on the 4 mega reading guides for Easter. Dozens and dozens of blogs to explore! Back to work. I'm half way through list number 2.