The thing that home makeover shows and well curated instagram accounts don’t always tell you is that renovations can take a lot of time and money. Or maybe they do tell you that. And, I’m just easily distracted by a lovely, satisfying before and after…and I gloss over the rest.

I’m going to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. Also, I’d say it is probably the latter, and of course I never paid attention to the fine print because for so long, I didn’t think buying a home was even a possibility. I never put much thought into what my dream home would look like, let alone what renovations I would do. Sure, I’d pin photos of decor I loved. However, the actual design of the home — the kitchen, the bathroom, appliances, even the floors — were more irrelevant to me, as a renter. The only things I could change were the temporary frosting on the apartment cake. So, I averted my eyes from kitchen and bathroom layouts or renovation stories. I focused instead on things like removable wallpaper or tchotchkes I could take with me to my next place.

Renovating as Homeowners

Now that we own a home that is in need of some renovations, I’m slowly learning just how much everything costs. It also takes time. And yes, it can be difficult to get someone to return your calls . Sometimes, it can be difficult for them to stay even a little bit close to being on schedule*. As someone whose surroundings can make or break my mood and workflow, I’ve been a little antsy to get things rolling. However, I’ve also found that there are ways to make do and spruce up little areas in the meantime. These small things can make it feel more like our home. Mini victories to celebrate along the way, you know?

*Except the guys who are doing our floors. They have been AMAZING and I love that they have their own dedicated installation team. I highly recommend checking out MarBrit flooring if you’re in South Florida!

While we wait for our kitchen renovation to get started, I decided to do a mini makeover on this tiny outdoor patio. We never used this space since it was just a concrete slab with nothing on it. It’s on the side of the house, we usually default to the back. However, I saw a lot of potentials to make the space look cute on a small budget. Keep reading to see how we transformed the space!

Pastel Patio Mini Makeover

Here’s the space before.

You might notice that the doors are warped and have mismatched hardware. It seems like someone broke in when the previous owners lived here. There are crow bar marks — that’s where you see the squiggly thing at the seam. So, they changed out one of the handles and locks. The glass itself is also very weird and cloudy, no matter how much it gets cleaned (maybe the tint?).

We will eventually replace those. However, it’s not my top priority because I want to get hurricane impact doors and WOW they are expensive! I don’t want to replace them with doors I will want to replace again down the line. So, I’m going to have to work them into the renovation budget.

Here is the during, once we added pink tile to the patio.

Since it’s a small space, I decided to splurge on some pink hexagon tile. Bobby and our brother in law installed the tile, which saved us a lot of money. The tile alone made a huge impact. And then, it was time to decorate!

Here is the final result!

I’m very lucky to have a longterm partnership with HomeGoods, and all of the decor you see here is from my local stores. I have several nearby, and each store has unique finds that make it worth stopping in all of them.

Planters

The first thing I bought at HomeGoods was the pink speckled planter! On a separate trip, I found these outdoor chairs and a cat bed that matched perfectly. The chairs came with a black, outdoor wicker table. However, I wanted something lighter and sleeker, so I bought the table separately.

Did I mention this is basically an open catio? Kitty Boos and Lacy are in love with this space. They never wanted to come out here when it was just a concrete slab. Nonetheless, now they are always begging at the door to come and relax on the patio with us!

Pillows

These striped outdoor pillows matched the plant stand and planters perfectly! Each of the planters were bought separately. I love mixing patterns in the same color scheme. It’s an easy way to do pattern on pattern.

Dress is Selkie french puff dress. The outdoor string lights are solar powered, so no plugs or batteries are needed. They’re a little more of an ambient mood lighting than anything. So, the wall sconce still comes in handy if I want full light. I eventually want to replace that, but I haven’t found the right ones yet (and they are all over the house, so it will be another investment).

I adore this plant stand. Also, I love anything that adds height for visual interest, without needing to be nailed to a wall. And the pastel color pairs so nicely with the pink tile!

While we still have some work we’d like to do, I’m really happy with how we transformed this space in just a couple of days. Having one more space that feels like ours makes all the difference in the world, and I look forward to tackling more projects!

If you enjoy a pleasing before and after, don’t miss our home office makeover, and check back because I’ll be sharing more home projects soon!