It seems like the rainy weather has finally taken its leave and this mini heatwave has gotten me thinking about summer BBQ’s and lazy afternoons (or as lazy as they can be with a one year old running around…ok maybe I’m just happy we can be outside).

We have a few BBQ’s coming up so I was super excited to find these melamine Le Cadeaux plates at Tyler Florence. I’ve actually had my eye on these since last season and finally pulled the trigger. The white provence print works perfectly with the thread and berry pattern I have from Juliska.

The plates are a little pricey, but seem very sturdy and I have a feeling they’ll be used on many nights when it’s just me and Joe even if we’re not outside.

- Adrienne

A-Listers Need to Know:

Price:

Dinner plates are $18.95 at Tyler Florence. While I love Tyler Florence’s shop, it looks like you can get them for less on Amazon.com starting around $15 with bowls at $10.99. That being said you have to pay for shipping online so it’s probably about even.

Purchase:
In person:

Tyler Florence Mill Valley

59 Throckmorton Ave

Mill Valley, CA 94941-1915

(415) 380-9200

Online:

Amazon.com

I love these sunny, stylish outdoor chairs from CB2 and now they’re half off! At $50 each you can get a trendy outdoor look that would cost around $200 per chair to recreate with DWR product.

The yellow is my favorite, but I think you could combine all of them for a fun eclectic look!

- Adrienne

A-Listers Need to Know:

Price: $49.95

Purchase: www.cb2.com

As some of you may know from my “Summer has Arrived” post, I’ve been on the hunt for reasonably priced outdoor furniture options. Despite my preference of the modern wicker look, when it came to our lounge chairs price won out over trend. In order to keep cost down I decided to go cheap on the chair and spend a bit more on the cushions. Usually, I’m a proponent of splurging on the furniture and saving on accessories, but with outdoor loungers I think a comfortable cushion is most important. It’s like a couch, you want the frame to hold up, but need the cushions to be comfortable and ascetically pleasing.  

So, after much searching, I ended up purchasing two APPLARO lounge chairs from Ikea for $129 each, which is much cheaper than say the West Elm equivalent priced at $349. The quality of the chairs is surprisingly good and they were super easy to assemble (you just have to put the legs on). The only thing some of you might not like is the back bar that allows you to adjust the angle of the chair is metal not wood. Personally this doesn’t bother me, I just wanted to provide full disclosure here!

I paired the chairs with cushions from West Elm that are $99 each (the Ikea ones are miserably thin and uncomfortable.) I then accessorized the cushions with the terry cloth cushion covers also from West Elm $49. This step wasn’t completely necessary, but I’m a sucker for terry cloth covers, they just scream boutique spa to me and I couldn’t resist. I also added one of their outdoor pillows for some color, but the chairs are super comfortable without the pillow.

The total cost of each chair including the cushion and cover was $277!! They look just as good as the more expensive options that come in around $500 on the low end! As soon as the whole deck revamp is finished I’ll provide pics. Until then, I think this combination of items makes for a great lounge option!

- Adrienne

A-Listers Need to Know:

Price:

APPLARO lounge chair, Ikea $129

White lounge cushion, West Elm $99

Terry cloth seat cover, West Elm $49

Purchase:

www.ikea.com

www.westelm.com

Ok, that title doesn’t really make any sense, I just thought it was funny and couldn’t come up with anything creative. I’m working on sprucing up our upstairs deck on as small a budget as possible (stay tuned for finished pics, this stupid rain storm has really put me behind schedule). So in trying to stay low budget, I was in Ikea the other day picking up some outdoor accessories and I came across their decking (pictured above).

This comes into play because our deck is in desperate need of refinishing, but we rent so I don’t want to invest the money or time. So I’m thinking of using the Platta decking to cover up the wrecked wood. They also had another smaller decking option with plastic snaps on the bottom, which might work better because I’m not completely sure how the Platta decking will stay in place. Unfortunately, they don’t have this other style online but you can check it out in the store.

I didn’t know Ikea had decking so I thought I’d let you guys know. The quality seems decent in person and of course the price is right.  Anyway, stay tuned. Hopefully this rain will stop and I’ll be able to finish my project new decking and all!

- Adrienne

A-Listers Need to Know:

Price: $5.99 per piece

Purchase: www.ikea.com

I was in West Elm yesterday and was impressed with their outdoor pillow collection for two reasons, one because the selection was so large and two because I didn’t even know they made outdoor pillows! I really like their orange and grey options (which is a big color this season). The only patterns I wasn’t really into were their Ikat options, I think I’m just sick of Ikat. 

The quality of the pillows seemed pretty good. They might last a couple seasons with a lot of wear and tear, but for the price that’s not too shabby!

- Adrienne

A-Listers Need to Know:

Price: $24-$34

Purchase: www.westelm.com

I purchased the above outdoor umbrella in yellow at the most recent Restoration Hardware warehouse sale (yes, I’m sure you’re sick of hearing about that sale, but they have seriously good deals there). While I got mine for about $150, I do think the high quality of this product warrants its normal $459-$559 price tag. The umbrella canopy is made out of Sunbrella® fabric, which is attractive and incredibly durable. The top of the stand is also super easy to adjust from side to side, which is a lifesaver as the sun is setting.  So far, I’ve been very pleased with mine and plan to sit under it with a bowl of ice, a fan and a cold beer to get me through the afternoon :)

- Adrienne

P.S. Just a heads up, make sure you double check the umbrella dimensions to make sure the canopy is going to provide enough shade for your space. If you have a 6 person outdoor dining table, it may not provide enough shade but would work well for a table of 4.

A-Listers Need to Know:

Price: On Sale for  $459-$559 (price changes based on fabric color choice)

Purchase: www.restorationhardware.com

Despite a rather chilly day here in San Francisco, there’s no denying that summer is on its way! In my opinion there are only two negative aspects of summer,  getting my pasty  Irish skin bikini-ready (never a pleasant task) and purchasing the ever expensive outdoor loungers necessary to lay on in a feeble attempt to get that pasty skin tan. Today I’ve decided to focus on the latter of those two issues as I still have no solution for the first. 

There are beautiful pieces of outdoor furniture out in the market, but quite frankly they are too damn expensive! So I scoured the internet today to find my top picks that weren’t offensively priced. I realize there are also teak and iron options out there, I just currently really like the “modern wicker” look that’s been popular the past few seasons so that’s what I tried to find. I think all of the above pieces look sharp and chic and while they aren’t cheap, hopefully they won’t break the bank!

- Adrienne

A-Listers Need to Know:

Price & Purchase(clockwise from top left):

Home Rolston Chaise Lounge, $279.99 Target.com

Del Mar Armless Chaise $899, cushion $249 – $319 RestorationHardware.com

Ibiza Chaises, Set of 2 $999 SmithandHawken.com

Lexington Loungers (Set of 2) Today’s Price: $1,109.99 Overstock.com

ARHOLMA Corner section brown $120.00 Ikea.com

ARHOLMA Cushion beige, $40 Ikea.com

Resort Outdoor Sectional $249.00 – $1,396.00 cb2.com

ARHOLMA one-seat section brown $90.00 Ikea.com

Greno Cushion Assorted Colors, $14.00 Ikea.com

**Update** You’ll see in the comments section that one of my readers was curious about the quality of the CB2 resort collection. As you’ll see from my response, I saw the collection in person today and was impressed with the quality and comfort. Also, while I was at the Cb2 store I tried out the Bask Sun Lounger and found it to be really comfortable too. It’s not soft (as you can see it has no cushions) but it feels supportive and sturdy and if you were to add a back pillow I think it’s a great lounge option especially for the price ($299)!