On Friday, we gave a rating for all of our past outdoor DIY projects and patio purchases. Today I’m back to discuss how my patio has been holding up all summer.

Let me first start off by saying that I absolutely love it back here. Yes our city patio is small, but we absolutely adore sitting out here. There’s just nothing better than a warm night, with a cocktail in hand, just relaxing after a long day. 

A few of you noticed some small tweaks we made out here from last season, so I figured it was time to share the scoop on these mini updates. 

First up, we got a new rug! I loved the black and white striped rug we originally had out here. It was crisp, clean and totally classic. But after hanging out here for about 1.5 years (and not being brought in over the winter), the white stripes were looking a bit dingy and the entire thing was just dirty.

I set out to find a new rug and instantly fell in love with this striped rug from Overstock. I purchased a 5×8 size for only $102. You really can’t beat that price! I hate spending too much on a rug that is just going to be outside and get dirty and wet, so I’m happy that this one came at such a great price.

Other new things out here? Pillows! I still love my palm print pillows from Etsy, but the other ones we had out here didn’t hold up very well. Instead I splurged a bit and got 2 new neutral pillows from Pottery Barn. I love the classic gray and white striped pillow, especially next to the green. 

This one is Sunbrella and while it was a big pricey for an outdoor pillow, I’ve heard wonderful things about the quality. So far it is holding up incredibly well! Plus since they’re both gray, I figure I can still change-up the look of the patio in the coming years and they will still work with any new decor or color scheme. 

Finally, let’s chat about the plants out here. Just like last year, we added hanging planters from Home Depot and filled them with wave petunias and ivy. 

I’m blown away by how well they do back here. Last year we overstuffed the boxes, and this year we were determined to not do that. But somehow the petunias have still gotten out of control and they’re growing like crazy! I think it looks gorgeous, but they may be in need of a little haircut. 

We also replaced our dying hibiscus tree with a palm plant. 

It is holding up much better than the poor hibiscus tree and the greenery matches the palm print pillows…so that makes me even happier! The planter is from CB2 and I’m so happy I purchased it this year. Very modern and sleek, and it allows the plant to really shine!

I’ve also got a fern out here, and another small plant (not sure the exact type…) that I plopped into a white planter from HomeGoods.

I added these lanterns from Target back at the start of summer. I love that they’re on a timer and automatically go on and off at night! I’m always worried about battery operated lanterns outside, out of fear that they’ll fill with water and break. But these lanterns have stayed out here all summer long and are still functioning perfectly!

So there you have it! The small tweaks we made to our city patio this summer. Next year I’ll probably replace a few of the items (like our rusting side tables). I really would like to put a round coffee table out here, because it would be better for flow and would cut down on the matchy-matchy furniture look a bit. 

But for now, it’s working perfectly for us and I’m just grateful to have a little slice of the outdoors right here in the heart of Chicago.

Casey