The outdoor sofas we ordered a few weeks ago arrived the day before we left for Pittsburgh. As much as I wanted to bust them out of their boxes and arrange them on the newly finished deck, I knew them sitting outside for 10 days, unused, didn't really make a ton of sense. So as soon as we got home, they were on the top of the list--and they're just what we hoped they would be!
Those clean lines and warm wood slats--mmm! Each sofa took about 20 minutes to assemble. It wasn't complicated, just took a little time. After we put them together, we had a seat to test them out. The cushions aren't ones that you sink into--they're definitely firm with a little bit of give. Time will tell if they break in eventually, but neither Chris nor I minded the density. They feel comfortable for lots of outdoor chats. If anything, I feel like the shape will last longer!
We got a really great deal on these Memorial Day weekend, but I just checked and they are discounted and World Market is doing free shipping on orders over $150 with the code WMFS1502 if you are interested.
Once we had them put together, we sprayed the cushions down with this outdoor ScotchGard (even if they are meant for outdoors) and placed them facing each other right in the center of the deck. I took the photo below standing at the back door.
If you squint, you'll be able to see the fireplace we have plans to build right in between the two, where the deck forms a U shape. No? How about now:
I'm not the best at photoshop mockups, but hopefully this will give you an idea of where we're headed. This is actually the amazing Jenni Kayne's fireplace made out of reclaimed board-formed concrete. Ours will likely not be this color, but I'd love to try something similar! We're going to tackle it ourselves over the next month, so stay tuned for that project soon.
In the meantime, we're glad to have some extra seating out here for a big family BBQ we're hosting this weekend for Father's Day with Chris's family. With our 8 chairs around the dining table, the small outdoor loveseat from Crate and Barrel and these 2 sofas, we might have enough room for all the Marcum adults. Ha!
Ever built an outdoor fireplace before? While there are hundreds of tutorials for fire pits, we are struggling to find examples for fireplaces, but anxious to figure it out just the same.
Leave a Reply
WE'RE CHRIS + JULIA
Portfolio
Projects
Do you remember how many boxes the sofas shipped in? Was assembly difficult?
I believe it was 2 boxes. Assembly took about 35 minutes each.
I didn't comment when I first read the post, but I can't help myself :) My husband works for this company that manufactures smokeless firepits: http://www.rethinkingfire.com/
I know you're planning to build a fireplace - which sounds AWESOME - just something to check out if you ever get bored. :) I want one so bad...*nags husband*
It is really starting to take shape ... so much space to work with :)
I do have a question (because I know it would bug me), does it bother you that your neighbor's fence is different from yours (style, height, etc.)? I know it is something that is out of your control, but were you planning on using boxwoods or something to hide it? Or is this something that you don't mind since they are at least both white? Just curious :) Happy summer!!
It's not my favorite. But you know when you don't like something and then you find out how much it would cost to change it and then it's like "well, it's not that bad." Hahaha. We're at that point. We will fill it in with some boxwoods or something to disguise it, but like you said, at least they are both white!
Beautiful sofas. I really like the simple square shape and the wood slats are perfect!
Have you considered 'outdoor gas fire table' for in between the two sofas? Although a fire place would look great visually, it doesn't create a lot of warmth for cooler evenings. A friend who owns a gas fire table hosted a dinner party earlier this spring. We all were able to sit out on the deck around her gas fire table for hours :)
See, Chris's brother in law has a gas fire table and we have to be sitting on the edge to feel anything at all! Maybe something is up with his. We're kind of sold on the fireplace idea since we built the deck around the placement of one, but it's good to know there are other great options out there.
I love that you guys are planning to build an outdoor fireplace! I think they're gorgeous and would love to add one to our backyard someday. For now, I'll be happy with just getting a fire pit!
This looks great! Unrelated to outdoor - but on the topic of sofas - have you ever done a post on sleeper sofas? We are renovating our basemet and I'm looking for recommendations on pull out couches that look great and are comfy. Thanks!
I haven't! I'll put it on the list. :)
I am loving your deck! Do the black dining chairs get too hot? I love this look but worry about my tush getting scorched!
No problems so far, our back deck stays relatively shaded. But I'll keep you posted as the summer wears on!
I have two of these benches and the chair. The firmness is a shock every time I plop down on them. I'm carrying around two of the cushions in my car until I can get to an upholsterer to consult on a different filling. I love the white covers but mine are on a screened porch and less likely to get stained. The scotchguard is a great idea just in case.
Hey Julia. Have you both thought about an outdoor brick pizza oven with the outdoor fireplace? This is quite common in Australia and with Chris loving cooking could be perfect for you guys?
We have! We've done a lot of research on it because that has always been a dream of ours, but we're not sure we'll end up going that direction. We got a great pizza oven attachment for our grill a few weeks ago that we love and with me being mostly gluten free, we're not sure how much we'd use a pizza oven built into the fireplace. It feels so permanent! But we've looked at some plans and we're still trying to decide.
UI/UX comment : the interactivity of your hero photo on the homepage is distracting. With large banner ads at the top (understandable), the 'click more' feature, the comments tally above and below, the sidebar … it gets so busy and my eye has trouble figuring out what to do that when I go to click more, the photo interacts and it's overkill. Sometimes the most beautiful web sites and easiest to use are the simplest. Taking out all those bells and whistles of the template. Especially when your design style is so clean, modern and esthetically beautiful. I love everything you do in your home and others!
good feedback! I always assumed people liked to see who was writing the blog, but maybe not?
Maybe we're looking at it on different machines or something, but I think it's crystal clear and easy.
Try using the RSS reader (I used feedly), it's much more pleasing on the eye. I usually read there then click through the link to get to the comments. Plus added bonus of having all the sites I read organized in one location.
We have the same sofa, and two matching chairs. We left ours outside over the winter and they def. weathered - I ordered covers for them this year. Our cushions have relaxed a little over time, and we added a few outdoor pillows for comfort as well. My only negative about the set is that the wood transferred some of the oil to the cushions right after we first got them, and even though I called World Market about it, they didn't do anything to replace cushions or help us out. So all of our cushions have a bad side and good side, and we cannot reverse them like I had hoped. The white color does get stained and shows dirt, so ours are not looking as fresh. I have not tried to wash them though, just because I feel like trying to get the covers back on the cushions would be challenging! :) Overall we've been very happy with them though! They look great in your space.
That's too bad to hear, but does bring up a good point - how practical are white outdoor cushions? I feel like they'd get stained so easily. Even damp leaves or seed pods from trees falling on them could cause stains, let alone kids playing the yard, etc.
Our other loveseat has white cushions, too. We ScotchGuarded everything right away. We'll see!
We put covers on ours here in Denver and they looked great the day I took them off after a snowy winter! Definitely worth buying the covers. I will say that the covers WM sells are weird sizes. The one for the couch is huge and the one for the chair is very snug. Our cushions are still firm and holding their shape.