Three years ago we transformed our old backyard play fort into a cozy cabana, and we love it! Nearly every evening, you’ll find us relaxing there with a drink in hand, enjoying the end of the day. This summer, I decided it was time for a little refresh. A fresh coat of blue paint, some tropical decor, and blue and white striped curtains gave it a refreshed look while keeping the laid-back coastal vibe we love. Today I’m sharing all the details, along with lots of photos of our updated backyard cabana.
From Play Fort to Cabana
Turning this old wobbly play fort into a Relaxing Backyard Cabana was the best decisions we made for our back yard. We use it now more than we ever did before. You Can Read all about the Makeover [HERE]
I then shared a second blog post, [SEEN HERE] where I talked about the wood beach path/walkway we installed, and a few other touches we added, like the two side steps.
Fresh Coat of Blue Paint on Floors and Steps
Well, like I said that was three years ago so it was in need of a re-fresh. The paint was starting to look chippy and worn and the blue paint was looking tired and dull.
I first gave it a good power-washing with the hose, and then once it dried, I pulled out my bucket of paint and a paintbrush. This Color is Called, Riverbend by True Value Paint. It took no time at all to get it looking Clean and Bright again. This time I decided to paint the stairs as well. I hadn’t painted them before, but I love them so much more now.
Once the paint was dry and looking 10 times better, I went to work putting it all back together so we could enjoy it.
Hanging outdoor Curtains
I found these curtains in my stash and knew they would be perfect to hang up in the cabana. But guess what, they’re not really curtains…. well, kinda they are, it’s a Shower Curtain! I cut it in half, and have hung them in several places in our home over the years, and now they have found another use, hanging up in our cabana. I just used an inexpensive metal curtain rod and shower curtain hooks to hang the curtain with.
I also hung up this curtain on the side…… which again, isn’t actually a curtain, in this case this is a swimsuit coverup. I love how it blows in the wind. I also hung up a bikini just for fun.
Planting tall grasses
Since those first pictures that were taken right after the play fort to Cabana project was done, we’ve added a lot more landscaping around the cabana. These tall ornamental grasses have really taken off and I love the beachy look of them.
Adding Outdoor String Lights and water Misters
Around the perimeter of the cabana we have hanging both outdoor string lights, and water misters. The string lights are solar power and look so fun at night, (which I’ll show you a picture at the end of this post). And then the Misters are strung up and we just add the hose to them and they give a light cool misting, which on a hot day is SO refreshing!! we love having the misters on.
Adding Bamboo Chimes
I recently found this large bamboo chime in my mother-in -law’s garage that was not being used, so she said I could have it. I absolutely Love the sound of Bamboo Chimes. I have a metal chime hanging, that I keep thinking I want to take down because the sound is a little too loud and high pitch, but the bamboo chimes on the other hand have a more earthy sound that fits the mood of the cabana better.
Outdoor Folding Table and Chairs
We would love to get some new furniture for the cabana one day, but we’re still trying to figure out what we want and what will even fit in this space. So for now these old folding chairs work just fine. I added some fabric to each of the chairs along with large throw pillows. It works, and they are relaxing to sit in. The folding white painted bamboo table fits perfectly in between the chairs and gives a place to set your drink down on.
Basket full of beach towels
Also for fun, I brought out these stacked apple baskets that I painted stripes on one summer ago. I filled the baskets up with beach towels and a sun hat which will come in handy on hot days.
A Metal Relax Sign Makeover with Spray Paint
I’ve had this Metal Relax sign for years, but it was starting to really fade in the sun and I wanted to give it a fresh new look. So I spray painted it in this beautiful beachy color named, SEASIDE by Rustoleum Spray paint.
This spray paint was the perfect beachy color to add to our Cabana. After the paint dried, I hung the relax sign up. It couldn’t be more perfect for this spot.
Driftwood Garland painted in Backyard Colors
I also have a driftwood garland hanging. I made the garland out of driftwood that I collected from the beach and then drilled a hole in the center of each piece to string some wire through. I had painted some of the driftwood pieces with coordinating colors. These are the colors we try to stick to in our backyard. So a lot of the flower pots around the yard are painted these colors as well.
Backyard Hot Tub
We don’t have a swimming pool, but we do have a hot tub. It’s an old hot tub but we love it. I painted it the blue color years ago and blogged about it HERE.
We typically use the hot tub more often in the winter months, but we do like to get in it in the summer on Weekend Mornings. Or it does get down to 80 which can still feel refreshing in the summer.
The View from the Cabana
We have a lot of trees and bushes that make out backyard feel private even though we have neighbors close by. The view is always green and lush, with various flowers coming and going. The sunflowers will all be popping up soon.
Backyard Cabana at Night
The Cabana looks even more fun at night when the lights are on. We also have fun Tommy Bahama Solar Lights from Costco around the backyard that light up and cast fun palm-like shadows. It’s a lot of fun.
And that Completes the updates on our Backyard Beach Cabana, What do you think? Any Questions or Comments? Please let me know below or email them to me at thewickerhouse@yahoo.com or come find me on Facebook and/or Instagram.
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Thanks for Stopping by,
Emily
