Today’s guest post by freelance designer, Mac Clark, offers some fun winterizing decor ideas for those of you lucky enough to own a pool (eh-hem). I know, here in California, we need to consider falling leaves, rain, and other “treacherous” weather conditions when planning our outdoor winter decor, as does, I’m sure, the rest of the country with meteorologist reports more sever than temperatures dipping below the 70s (wink!).
In addition to decor, our pools will also need to be prepared. Here is a handy winterizing pool care article that reveals things to consider when adding pool closing chemicals, as well as this helpful resource for pool shock. See now, how Mac adds easy and weather-friendly fabrics and furniture to his dream house’s poolside patio.
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I’ve been told that to improve at anything, we can’t be afraid to fail over and over again…good advice that definitely applies to decorating. But, over the last couple of months, I found myself in a “cannot-fail” situation. I’m a freelance designer in my spare time, and had just landed the client of my dreams. Their house was to die for, y’all! They had installed this beautiful pool during the summer, and were looking to redecorate their patio…just in time for the cold weather!
I draw a lot of inspiration from my day-job working in the furniture industry. I like wicker around pools, and its really big right now here in coastal North Carolina. The clients live in a fairly secluded wooded area, so I tried to stay green and leafy with the fabrics, focusing on greens and aquatic blues. I was able to get the wicker loveseats above from a local furniture store for a great bargain. I found the cushions and throws online. They already had a lot of potted plants, and the goal was to complement the greens and pinks of those as much as possible.
I’m really lucky to have a great little sister who is an aspiring interior designer herself. She suggested that I use some outdoor poufs that can go pretty much anywhere around the pool. As long as they don’t go directly in the pool, they’ll dry out on their own. If they get soaked, they would simply need to go in a dryer at a low temperature for a while.
While we were shooting some pictures of the final product for my portfolio, a tree frog came to visit! I took it as a sign that my nature-themed design would be a hit.
My day-job involves more than just outdoor furniture. We make some mean hammocks, y’all. So I ended up surprising the client with one of their very own. I actually used to weave them myself, so I am brushing off the skills once again to make them one to hang on the patio!
When I get it done, I’ll be sure to get a pic to show it off. I’m not sure where it’s actually going to end up when it’s all said and done, but with the wheels on the stand, it can go anywhere they want fairly easily or even be put away in their garage. The next couple pictures really give you an idea of the scope of the project – this patio/pool area was massive! You’d think anything would look good next to a custom pool and deck like this, but it really took a lot of trial and error to settle on what we ended up doing!
The nice things about the poufs, besides easily mobility, are their price and the variety of colors available. You see that we also picked up some red and gold patterns in preparation for fall and winter. The two stone bowls on either side of the pool were a little pricey, but the volcanic rock we used to fill them was surprisingly affordable.
You can usually find bags of it at your local landscaping supply company. The only tough part was getting help lugging it into those bowls, which were 50+ lbs when they were empty…whew. But the dark reds are a great complement to fall, and help the color scheme to stand on its own even when the pool has to be covered up.
Modern, curvy metal furniture was a must on this end of the pool because of some existing décor that was non-negotiable. But I think it worked out pretty well! Through snow, sleet or rain, this poolside patio will look fantastic.
Thanks, everybody! I am a featured designer for Designed for Outdoors, and I’m trying to get into blogging to share my struggles and successes in the world of home decorating. Please contact me at [email protected] or visit my blog at blog.designedforoutdoors.com. Regarding this post, please leave any comments or questions below!
All photography by Mac Clark via blog.designedforoutdoors.com for HomeJelly