All photos in this post by Coco of Cococozy 
A view of my tiny deck in the Hollywood Hills. (above)
I know it is winter and this isn’t the time to be contemplating outdoor living…but these pictures are left over and I could use something to post about tonight! So as the year rounds out, am trying to get rid of photos I have taken that I forgot to post OR decided not to post for very specific reasons.
In this case, I decided not to post these photos of my deck way back when I took them in the spring.
I took the pictures because I was thinking of giving my deck a decor makeover…and these are the before photos. I was going to share them with you way back when…but then I sent them to one of my best friends NS and she said my deck looked bland and questioned how I could ever consider posting pictures with leaves all over the deck and the yard looking so rough and “rustic”. I responded that these were “before photos” (helloooooo….) and that this would motivate me to get the makeover and “after photos” done within a week or two of posting. She remained silent on the other end of the line. Very silent. Because she is rarely silent, her silence won. 🙂
Well low and behold – the spring passed, the summer came and went, and so did the fall and the deck decor makeover never happened.
So here is my small small deck…not spruced up…no punches of color…no new furniture accents to break up all of the teak…no removal of some of the furniture for a little more breathing space…this is just my deck. If I had posted these photos back in the spring, I definitely would have completed my deck makeover then. Now, thanks to NS’s silence, I am way too lazy and it is way too cold outside to even care about what my deck looks like…so hence, it is what it is! (Meanwhile…for those of you in the Midwest, please don’t loathe me for saying it is cold when it is in the 50s and 60s here…it is cold to me. All things are relative…[email protected]#$?).
It feels like I live in a bit of a tree house as I am up about 25 steps from the road. I have nice city views and lots of serenity (except for the gang of squirrels, the posse of raccoons, the packs of coyotes and the occasional mountain lion and deer, the frequent power outages, the evacuations because cars keep falling off the road above my street, the quintessential Hollywood Hills party that has music echoing through the hills until the wee hours, or the neighbor who goes running through the hillside behind my house in the darkness of night screaming at 2am “God help me” but not saying what he needs help with and later finding out he thought he lost his dog but the dog was actually inside the house, things are very serene up here in the hills).
I designed the deck, the railing and the fence a few years back…I like the bones and am planning to mix up the look a bit…with more accents of color (with some blues, greens and maybe a splash of orange). In the spring it will all happen…the transformation will happen in the spring…(I must keep repeating this in hopes that if I say it, it will happen)!
Please stand by for deck decor makeover in 2010…until then…maybe the deck as it stands will still inspire some of you when thinking about your outdoor living spaces, decks, patios, porches, yards or gardens.
Palm trees, banana plants, Ficus, Birds of Paradise and well oiled teak furniture are all mainstays on my deck…the goal was to create a tropical Caribbean feel! (above)
A pine cone shaped candle holder and two white traditional hurricane lanterns come from William Sonoma Home. (above and below)
My dear friend and neighbor named Aggie, who was in her 90’s, once said after these oversize ceramic pots were delivered, “You have some very important pots there…very important pots indeed.” (above and below)
The teak lounge furniture in main outdoor sitting area is appropriately named “Canyon” and comes from Brown Jordan.(above)
I have a pretty clear idea of how I am going to make this deck pop and really wow you with the after photos (that is if I can ever get out of procrastination mode…)…you just wait…you might be waiting forever…but you just wait!
That being said, design ideas and thoughts are welcome! I will keep them all until the spring and may implement a few touches here and there…please comment, critique and let me know what you really think!
xo
Coco
P.S. This is also for the reader who asked a few days ago to see more of my home…well here you are…just a snippet of it…
All photos in this post by Coco of Cococozy
I like your deck now! It does not look bland at all. I think it is classic. Maybe an outdoor rug to anchor the seating area? Some colorful pillows? A throw? Your teak furniture is beautiful and I think the cushions are a nice neutral. –Delores
i think it’s pretty classic too, and i agree that some splashes of color would be lovely additions to an already lovely deck. your weather is looking pretty awesome right now, considering i’m stuck here in snow-bound chicago!
xo katherine aka. urban flea 🙂
That was me asking. Forgot to put my name.
Your deck is so happy and inviting. I almost bought that criss-cross table when you displayed it last summer but it was not the right size.
Love your beautiful, cozy deck. And the area brought back memories of when I lived at the Yamashiro at age 19.
I will think of your luscious greenery as I go back to shoveling snow here in Idaho.
I like your deck too. It looks very natural in it’s setting. I’m anxious to see what you end up doing to kick it up a bit. It has me dreaming of sitting on my new deck next spring.
It’s beautiful and serene, with those splashes of, are they agapanthas(?) in the background. Bring the color to the table! And… I agree an outdoor rug.
Bland? Not possible with the lush view and nature spilling out everywhere. It’s perfect as is but I look forward to seeing anything you do! Thanks for the funny tidbit about the crazy nieghboor. I grew up in Laurel Caynon and remember fondly and with a little horror the “sounds” that would fill the nights. We had a “has-been” celebrity living next door that would wander into our yard in a half-assed knotted sarong with nothing on underneath and just want to chat for a few hours…Good times 😉
Beautiful deck. Love your friend Aggie’s comment.
These pictures are beautiful, if only that were possible in my garden. However, you have shown that you do not need a huge area to make improvements so there is hope!
Those pots certainly are important-looking.
good points and the details are more precise than somewhere else, thanks.
– Norman