European Cafe Patio.

For quite some time, I just haven’t know what to do with this space...

It’s my front patio. It’s private. It separates the detached garage/laundry room/kettlebell room from the house. I already have a sofa out by the front door.  But I’ve wanted to add a dining area right next to the kitchen.

I’ve been looking for the right kind of table and seating for nearly a year now.  But inspiration failed me with each outdoor living set I looked at.

I want the space to be unique from what you typically see in an outdoor dining space.  I want people to see it and say, “Wow! I never thought about doing something like that!”

As the months rolled by, and I got to “know” this space better, I could see that it fills with sunshine quite easily, starting at about 10am each morning... And goes until late afternoon.

“An umbrella or canopy will have to be used,” I noted. “No one is going to want to sit outside in the Sun and get roasted while eating.”

Last weekend, while flipping through old photos from my European travels in 2014, I saw a picture of one of the café tables I ate at while in Bordeaux....

“That’s it!” I said. “That’s the look I want!”

I mulled over how I could interpret the look and feel in my little space. And I could easily see myself sitting outside, underneath a big umbrella, in one of the rattan chairs, drinking coffee at a little table in the mornings.

But I want the space to be big enough to have a few people to sit down. So thought about it and drew this...

Yes. It’s a horrible rendering of what I am thinking.  But the idea includes:

•       Two round café tables (about 30 inches to 34 inches each)
•       Two rattan café chairs (maybe three)
•       A custom-made “L” bench seat (that opens with storage inside)
•       And a large rectangular umbrella, to be placed in it’s own sand directly between the two tables)

I’ve been sourcing ideas on Pinterest and exploring places to buy things. And I think I have a carpenter I can tap into in order to build the bench. So the plan is coming together.  Though, it’s looking like the place I want to buy the tables from won’t be shipping until January. So this is going to be a work in progress for about five months.

But it will be worth it.