Home Renovation

Creating a Backyard Oasis in the City

June 29, 2021

While we are waiting for the renters to move out, we are focusing on the areas that the renovation won’t include. With summer coming we started with the backyard. We have been condo dwellers in Chicago for years. We have always pretended that we had a garden. In reality, it was just three potted plants on the small back porch 🙂 Now we have a whole yard to play with!

We were extremely lucky that the previous owners appeared to love gardening and were good at building things. They left behind raised planters and an oversized bench. We started to think about the backyard and bounced around a ton of ideas. It made sense to start small and tackled a few projects that would make an impact. We are new to this and can always tackle those big ideas later!

As the weather got warmer, we knew it was time to get started on our outdoor oasis. This is what the backyard looked like before we started working on updating the space.

BEFORE: Backyard with our old two top table and raised flower beds and a bench from the old owners. Sami our border collie/ husky is peeking out from behind the smoker.

We weren’t positive on what we wanted to do long term, we tried to be frugal and reuse as much as possible. So, we started with the planters and bench. It took a weekend to sand all three items. To make them pop we gave them a fresh coat of white paint. It’s so important that you sand first so you create a smooth surface for the paint to adhere too. We bought a few outdoor pillows for the bench to create an inviting sitting area. Placing the planters on the outside created the perfect dining space. So, we decided to buy and outdoor rug and larger table to accommodate the space. The rug definitely helps define the dining area.

AFTER: Spending a weekend sanding and painting paid off as the furniture now looks fresh and the white compliments the navy and white rug.
AFTER: The pillows and throw blanket help tone down the bright white bench. Grace, our little beagle loves to sunbath on bench in the afternoons.

The planter yielded herbs and learnings: I was worried that the herbs wouldn’t grow. We are lucky to have a south facing backyard which get full sun. So, everything is growing like crazy! It’s great to be able to harvest fresh herbs, but we learned things that will change what and how we plant next year.

  • 1 mint plant goes a LONG way. We bought 3 because we couldn’t find any mint plants last year. So, I thought we should grab a couple this year. Now the mint is growing out of control. Mint spreads. You only need 1 plant.
  • String beans, jalapeno’s, and serrano peppers all grow upwards. You need a lattice to support them. I was able to find mini lattices on Amazon that are helping these plants, but next year, we may put these plants on their own in planters with larger lattices.
  • Tomatoes are finicky. Apparently last year we got lucky with a tomato plant that grew without an issue. Currently, the tomato plant has yellow leaves. After researching on Google we learned that means it is getting too much water… or too little. So, the verdict is still out on whether or not we will get a tomato.
  • Basil, rosemary, sage and oregano are easy, and we have not had any issues. That said, I think we’ve made enough pesto to last us until next year!

We added a few sparkly mason jar solar lanterns for a relaxing evening atmosphere. These little touches change the overall vibe and are great for entertaining.

All these small changes have really changed the vibe of the backyard. Now we love to sit outside with a glass of wine. It’s the little oasis we dreamed of.