I went through something similar about a year ago. Ended up spending around $8k total, but I did a lot of the smaller stuff myself (painting, fixtures...

Totally agree with the idea of atmosphere over high-end materials. I recently helped a friend set up their backyard bar area, and we went fully eco-fr...

Totally agree about snaps—they're reliable and subtle. Another option I've found useful is tying cushions down with decorative ribbons or fabric ties....

That's a great point about perspective—I've noticed the same thing on several projects. Sometimes we get tunnel vision, focusing so much on the immedi...

We went the DIY route too, and I remember that feeling of relief vividly once it was finally done. Took us a good two weekends because we ran into une...