As we put the finishing touches on Oh Joy! Builds A House, it’s been so fun to start getting the outdoor areas ready for Spring! I’m so excited to finally have an outdoor area to invite all my family and friends over that I couldn’t wait to get a jump start on these spaces. So today, in partnership with Target, I’m sharing a peek at our deck area for the whole family and a balcony space for the kids! Come take a look…

I can’t tell you how much it means to me to finally have an outdoor space to entertain. When designing our house, there was a big emphasis on outdoor areas where we could have friends over, host summer barbecues, have spontaneous dance parties, and a place to sit back and relax on any given day. We’re lucky that the weather in Los Angeles is pretty temperate all year round, so our patio space is really an extension of our kitchen, dining, and living rooms. We divided the large deck into two main areas—a lounge space for sitting and relaxing and an outdoor dining area for meals of all kinds. In order to provide lots of seating in this larger deck area, I combined a mix of love seats, individual lounge chairs, and an epic egg chair.

Since the deck is separate from the house, it feels like a super casual and cozy place to entertain that’ll always be prepped and ready for spontaneous get-togethers. It was really important to us that the space be inviting and cozy, so we piled pillows on every seating area, threw in a fun egg chair that is so comfortable I could curl up there all day long, and packed in the faux plants to help remind us spring is near. Faux plants have never looked better (seriously, several people asked me if this banana leaf tree was real as I walked to checkout in Target!). Faux plants are great for adding texture, life, and color to any space—indoor or out—without having to worry about constant watering and upkeep.

Here, we have an outdoor dining area that seats 6-10 people (the table extends!) which is perfect for having other families over for dinner or when we want to entertain friends at our house. I also love that it easily flows to the lounge space for when you’re having a party, and the dining table serves as food or snack central for people to hang around. When we’re not actively entertaining, some items to always keep here include outdoor lanterns to light up those spring and summer evenings as well as plants (even faux!) to keep the area looking alive and inviting.

Sources shown: Love seats, Egg chair, Gold side tables, Coffee table, Club chairs, Floral lumbar pillows, Yellow pillows, Striped rug, Dining table, Dining chairs, Umbrella, Umbrella base, Gold lanterns, White lanterns, Faux fiddle leaf fig, Faux bird of paradise, Faux grass, Aqua gray rug, Metal side tables, Floral square pillows, Aqua dots pillows, Blue lumbar pillows, Blue square pillows, Black pillows, Faux banana leaf tree, Faux billy ball plant, small faux succulent, Faux string of pearls succulent, Faux cactus, Faux rosemary.

In addition to our deck patio, our kids will have their own small balcony space off of their rooms. It’s an enclosed area where they can hang out and read, chill, and just get outside. I’m always happy for them to have space to do a wide variety of activities outside to help limit their screen time. Since their rooms aren’t big, we think of it as an extension to their space where they can have a mini retreat away from mom and dad ;).

Since we wanted this space to feel like their own little oasis, we brought in tons of pillows and faux plants. Their balcony is a relatively small space, but just the perfect size for a love seat, coffee table, a side table with plenty of room on the floor to play. Since my kids LOVE hanging around on the floor, we added a durable rug and lots of floor pillows to make their lounging extra comfy. I love imagining them coloring, reading, chatting, and hanging out with their friends here! Really giving yourself a functional and playful balcony is such a fun way to extend living space even in apartments or other urban spaces where the balcony may be the only outdoor area.

Sources shown: Love seat & coffee table set, rug, side table, LED fairy lights, Party floral round floor cushion, Yellow pillows, White lanterns, Dotty round floor cushion, Party floral lumbar pillow, Coral round floor cushion.

Spring is calling my name already!

*This post is in collaboration with Target. All words are my own.

{Photos by Lily Glass. Design and Concept by Joy Cho, Production/Styling by Julia Wester, Production and Styling Assistance by Jess Hong. Written by Joy Cho and Traci Michael.}