Reader Help: Outdoor Storage

by Elizabeth

I don't think I've mentioned this yet here on Style Lush but my backyard of sadness recently underwent a TOTAL! EXTREME! MAKEOVER! thanks to the tv show Turf War and now it is a thing of amazingness.  (No pictures allowed yet but the episode will air sometime in July). Contrary to what you might think, having a gorgeous backyard instead of a sad patch of weedy grass just makes you want to spend MORE money to put MORE lovely stuff in your backyard because all of a sudden that collection of Rubbermaid bins you've been using as guest seating since 1998 doesn't quite cut the mustard. 

We did get new patio furniture - we chose the Applaro set from IKEA - the long table and four chairs. 

We also have some lovely red Adirondack chairs from Cost Plus.  

I'm hoping to buy the very reasonably priced Cost Plus Wood Outdoor Storage Box as a place to keep rogue plastic toys and dog food and firewood. 

And because I hope to spend every waking minute of this summer in my new yard, I was planning on buying some inexpensive plates and cups to keep outside so we could have lots of meals on the patio - but I can't find anything that seems like it would work to hold things like plates, napkins, candles, etc.

This Chesapeake Buffet from Pottery Barn is perfect, actually, but $899 dollars?  Uh, no thank you.

Cost Plus shows their Potting Bench styled to hold dining items, and it's only $99 dollars! But there's no way to store anything covered and I don't want to eat off dusty dishes.  

I was also considering just buying this Cost Plus Outdoor Wooden Storage Bench and keeping items inside the base, but something about the proportions feels unattractive to me, and I would much rather have a cabinet if I can find one.  

IKEA has the Hemnes Linen Cabinet which I've always liked, but it's not outdoor furniture, and the price seems high to me for IKEA furniture.  I'm worried it would look out of place. 

Target has an Outdoor Patio Bar which I like, but the back isn't covered, so that doesn't really solve my problem, and $300 is still more than I want to spend on this.  

Maggie suggested a DIY version like the one at The Pleasures of Homemaking, but then I have to find a suitable buffet, figure out how to get it home in a Jetta, and then repaint it, and the thought of all that just makes me tired.  And I'd be worried about how it would hold up outdoors year after year. 

Walmart sells this Country Club Storage Cabinet which is probably closest to what I'm looking for, and the price is right, but there's something almost bathroomy about it to me.  I'm  not in love with the color either. 

So, dear readers, what do you think?  Am I missing an obvious solution? (I don't have room in my kitchen for more dishes and cups.)  Do you have the perfect cabinet for me?  Do you think one of my rejected choices is the way to go?  All suggestions would be much appreciated!  

I am leaning towards just buying two of the Cost Plus storage boxes, or the storage bench and a storage box, and using one for extra seating and to hold dishes, and putting the other one in my driveway to use as dog food/toy/firewood storage, but I am open to any and all ideas!  

{photo credits:  costplus.com, walmart.com, target.com, ikea.com, potterybarn.com}

Comments

[Tara]

Have you considered combining the potting bench with some pretty covered baskets for storage? Or maybe some sort of outdoor storage boxes, instead of baskets? I'm sure they make something like that somewhere...

[auntie]

i think if you painted that last one from Walmart a fun color, it wouldn't look quite so bathroom-y. go with spray paint, super easy. it looks like it fits your other requirements: enclosed storage and budget-friendly. fun!

[Christina]

My fav is the red linen closet- Slap a coat or two of poly on that bad boy and you'd be set! It's just the best looking which if I'm being honest is how I always choose regardless of practicality. It's a problem.

[patio furniture]

Beautiful country style ideas. I love all of the different colors that help the simple designs pop.