Backyard Patio Ideas: Our New Paver and Gravel Patio

I’m so excited to share a first look into my backyard renovations: the new paver and gravel patio! I’m even more excited to share how I decorated our brand new backyard seating area with the help of my friends at Serena & Lily. I hope this post provides you with some patio ideas for your own backyard. 

We have a small backyard that was in need of some major work. It was comprised of mostly weeds and some spots of grass… it wasn’t pretty or functional. Here is the before: 

Now, is a totally different backyard, with space for the kids to play, three different seating areas, a rose garden and a beautiful – weed free grass!

So here it is, a look into one of the seating areas in our brand new backyard. I’m still waiting for the fireplace table that I will add to this space, and maybe a hot tub! Lol

Outdoor Sitting Area

To create a new sitting area in our backyard, I designed this area with pavers and gravel to hold our couches and chairs at the most leveled part of our yard. This is also the area that has the most shade throughout the day. So, it was the perfect space for a sitting area. I wanted this space to be a relaxing and welcoming sitting area for the adults to enjoy, have some drinks and appetizers while watching the kids play.

Pavers and Gravel Patio

Initially, I was thinking of doing pavers with grass in between, but I think my husband was going to kill me if he had to edge all that grass lol. So, to save my marriage and cut down on the time that it would take to cut the grass I went with gravel instead. 

I have to be honest that I’m not sure I love the gravel: it keeps spilling over the pavers. The kids love to play with and kick the rocks around, so I have to constantly clean it. Next year I might consider just adding turf in between the pavers to not have to worry about cleaning out the gravel all the time. It does look beautiful though, right? 

Serena & Lily Outdoor Pillows

I choose the most beautiful outdoor pillows from Serena & Lily. Keeping the color palate soothing with soft blues and white to compliment the trees and hydrangeas. The blue is goes well with the gray pavers and gravel of the patio floor. 

When choosing pillows I always try to include a solid pillow, a geometric pattern and something fun like a floral print. That way, it’s easy to mix and match. Serena & Lily pillows are absolutely gorgeous, they are weather resistant and durable. They are worth the money as they will last for many seasons to come.

Here I went with the Sumbrella Lido white with blue lining. This is a classic pillow that will go with anything. This is my solid pillow. For my geometric, I chose the Beach Stripe pillow cover. I love the tassels and soft blue color.

My fun print is the Palm Pillow Cover, it adds a pop of color to the outdoor seating area, bringing all the elements together. The Serena & Lily pillows are weather resistant, so you don’t need to worry that they will discolor or get damage if you forget to cover the furniture once in a while! 

Palisades Outdoor Chairs

I also picked up the Palisade chairs in Driftwood! Gosh I love them. These chairs have the relaxed look of wicker but are made of hand-wrapped resin, they are weather resistant. I don’t even cover them when it rains. I chose these chairs so I can move it around when I have company over or when I need to watch the kids in another area of the backyard. They are super comfortable, and obviously gorgeous. 

Outdoor Patio Design

No outdoor patio is complete without beautiful planters and gorgeous flowers. I kept the planters and flowers in a very classic color palette.

I chose evergreen boxwood to flank each side of the couches. Boxwoods are a great addition to any backyard as they provide color year around and are very low maintenance.

To compliment the boxwoods, I also added some Annabelle Hydrangeas to my pots. My plan is to add Annabelle Hydrangeas all around this sitting area. This is the perfect corner for hydrangeas as it only gets morning sun. 

I still have some other ideas for this space, I want to add a fire-pit table so we can make s’mores and enjoy the backyard patio through fall. There is so much planting that still needs to happen, unfortunately we are in the middle of a heat wave, I have lost a couple of plants already. 

Therefore, I will wait until the heat subsides to actually start planting again. But so far I’m so please with it! I have been waiting for over six months to create this backyard for our family to enjoy. I’m so proud of how is turning out! 

I hoped you enjoyed this mini tour through our backyard. 

With Love, 
Ceres