Summertime: when the outdoor living is easy.

Because our dining is so small (12 x14 like everyother room in the house except the bathroom which is even smaller), I can only squeeze 6 in there, and it's a tight fit 4 and 5 fit more comfortably, so I usually serve buffet style to larger groups. However, sometimes I really want everyone to be able to sit around the same table. Since I can't add on to the house, I decided to convert the 60's carport in the backyard to a dining room. The long table is actually two small tables that I can push together or pull apart depending on the situation, and I can seat 8 comfortably.

In Louisiana, I won't be able to use it year round--it's too hot from july to september, but it has already been great to use during the fall, the mild days of winter, and now in the spring.

Thomas requested a caribbean club feel, and I've tried to achieve that my using saturated colors pulled from the lucky find table cloth. Since this outdoor room is off of the kitchen, I also wanted to colors and feel to flow from the dining room (see below), hence the orange accents, and the kitchen (also below) which determined the use of the avacado green. The blue ceiling is a common feature in subtropic and caribbean homes. The sign is a street find from a restaurant that is being renovated in the neighborhood. Woohoo to dumpster diving. Since anyone who knows me knows I have a black thumb, I also planned the vibrant color scheme to distract from the lack of foilage. Once I go forward with my plans to stain the concrete paving the backyard, I'll take more pics.