Monday, June 8, 2009

design obsession: outdoor dining spaces

there is NOTHING i love more than good food and great atmosphere. honestly. nothing. now that summer is here, i seem to be stumbling across photo after photo of incredible outdoor dining spaces. it's cruel really, as my apartment has the ittiest and bittiest of patios. these inspirational spaces range from elegant and formal to shabby chic, but they all look like the kind of place i could spend an evening...or every evening. for. the. rest. of. my. life.

in my opinion it all comes down to a great table--whether large or small, creative seating (no need to match) and OF COURSE the lighting. candles, candles and more candles. throw in an exquisitely tended garden and it just gets better and better.

here are some FABULOUS outdoor dining spaces to inspire you. i have gone overboard, but i just know you'll get lost in them, the way i have.
...happy sophisticating...

a simple, burlap tablecloth becomes chic and delightful in this outdoor space. love the mismatched chair. and the peonies. clearly.


how fabulous is this?! it's like a kid's fort, but for grown ups. very sophisticated grown ups. who love candles.


shabby chic at its finest. don't tell me you can't afford an arrangement like this. go to a thrift store. look hard. find furniture. buy it. and buy some fabulous laterns while you're at it. gorgeous.


so simple and yet so wonderful.


a more polished version than some of the others. so chic. like an adorable french bistro in your own backyard. you can't go wrong with black and white.


this was recently featured on one of my favorite blogs, absolutely beautiful things, but it needed to be featured here as well. is this not the most glorious sunday dinner you've ever seen?


so rustic and so wonderful.


a twist on a dining space. lounge while you dine. like in ancient rome. only better.


so simple, yet so sweet. okay...maybe a huge expansive view of the ocean is not so simple.


love love love the tiered terra cotta pots.


has to be my favorite. the chandelier is from an old church sanctuary. and the all white? fabulous.

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