Cheap Chic Decorating: AKA I found it on the street, continued.

Thomas and I are engaged in an ongoing project to create a party ready oasis in the backyard. One of the challanges has been to find budget friendly furniture pieces to create an outdoor living area that we don't mind exposing to the harsh Louisiana climate. We were able to get an incredible deal on the basic furniture, but it was time to add extra seating and the personal touches that would further the laid back, New Orleans, Boho, Caribbean flavored backyard we wanted. Luckily, the street curb has been a wonderful resource for doing just that: Above is the bench/low table we created with the paneled doors we found discarded from a house renovation in our neighborhood. I had the metal bases left over from a project where I used the table tops as art (for that project, view provisions interiors blog--the table tops are the series of wooden plaques.) The fabric through is an Echo shower curtain that I found on clearance at linens and things years ago. I usually use it as a table cloth, and its colors helped inspire my backyard palette.

Above are the doors as we found them.
We also found a gorgeous paneled door being discarded from another house. Attaching another pair of leftover legs as well as three coats of marine spar polyurethane resulted in this overscaled beauty (we decided to leave on the door knob for a quirky touch (i.e. it was too hard to remove and we were feeling lazy):

Here is the back of the dooring being prepped for exterior paint (for protection from the elements) and attaching the legs:

Here is the new seating area centered around the mantle we also found on the street (please ignore the ugly concrete that is awaiting staining):

The great thing about the table, is that even though it's smaller than a standard door, it has plenty of room for accessories, snacks, and drinks. It's even sturdy enough to be used as a bench. The low hot pink and turquoise tables just visible between the pairs of chairs are actually kitty litter containers I spray painted pink and left the turquoise tops. They're impervious to the elements, add a great splash of color, make great drinks tables, are a great way to reuse something that would otherwise be trash, and their destruction during a party will not upset me.

So remember, kids, when you are out walking the mutt, keep your eye peeled for usable discards. One man's trash is another man's decor.