Modern Rooftop Deck Makeover

Denver weather is unpredictable in the spring, so I knew it was risky to take on an outdoor project for the One Room Challenge. We’ve had snow no less than 3 times during the five weeks of this challenge, and rain and thunderstorms everyday this week leading up to reveal day. On Monday, I had resigned myself to the fact that I likely wouldn’t be able to take photos of our new rooftop deck in time to meet the end ORC deadline. Fortunately, a brief break in the rain gave me the hour I needed to quickly stage everything and snap some photos before another downpour began.

My quick photo session was gray, dreary, and damp… and I definitely plan to retake the photos on a warmer, blue sky day. But for now, I’m just so excited to share this space with you. Almost as excited as I am to start enjoying our new outdoor living room when the weather finally decides to cooperate.

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ROOFTOP DECK: BEFORE

To fully appreciate the transformation, let me remind you where we started. Our home is built on three levels with just our master bedroom and bathroom on the top floor. Off of the master suite is a wrap around deck. When we first bought our home, I was so excited about the rooftop deck. I envisioned Scott and I spending our summer evenings out there entertaining friends and enjoying the mountain views. We bought a few lounge chairs (it turns out were not really lounge chair people) and a small table and chairs (why? we would never carry food up two flights of stairs when we have a patio right off the kitchen!).

Fast forward eleven years and two kids, and that deck has become nothing more than an abandoned space that we’ve never once used as a family. My goal for this One Room Challenge was to create a comfortable outdoor family room where our family can relax on summer evenings.

PLANNING FOR AN OUTDOOR MOVIE THEATER

I initially assumed we’d put new seating in the same spot where the lounge chairs used to be, but as I worked on the plans, I decided I wanted to take advantage of the large, white stucco wall to turn this space into an outdoor movie theater when the sun goes down.

I love the idea of projecting movies onto this white stucco wall on warm summer nights, but if I was going to orient the seating toward this wall, it needed to also be a focal point by day as well.

I chose a large piece of Agave canvas art in vibrant blues and greens. The colors tie in perfectly with the treetops and blue skies {wishful thinking today} surrounding this rooftop deck. I used a simple DIY hack to weatherproof this canvas art for the outdoors.

Even at 35″ square, alone on the wall this canvas would have felt very small on this large white wall. To balance out the scale, I hung black and white striped outdoor curtains on either side of the art. I chose a black powder coated curtain rod that will also hold up well in the elements.

When the sun goes down, we can simply take the canvas down and push the curtains a bit further to each side, and the white wall will transform into our movie screen! I’ll be sure to photograph this when the weather is nice enough for us to watch our first outdoor movie, but it will look something like this…

ROOFTOP DECK SEATING

The two lounge chairs we had on this deck previously weren’t practical for our family of four, and certainly didn’t allow room for us to invite friends over. Our new, cozy outdoor turn couch is big enough for the whole family and then some.

We bought this couch from AtHome and I especially love the built in side tables on each end, which are perfect for drinks and popcorn. Since the kitchen is two floors below our rooftop deck, I bought a black and white striped galvanized beverage tub that we can fill with ice and drinks to keep us refreshed on summer nights.

If you don’t have an AtHome near you, I found a very similar grey outdoor couch with lots of configuration options, including matching side tables that could be used in place of the built in side tables on my couch.

For even more seating, I added two low profile, modern outdoor chairs. These chairs are extra wide, and pitched back in a way that will make them very comfortable for relaxing and movie watching.

These chairs are made from a woven, weather-resistant wicker, and they are light-weight and easy to move around as needed to get everyone a great view.

Since the evenings cool down in Denver, I tossed an outdoor blanket over the back of one of the chairs. I bought this blanket at a boutique in Breckenridge last year, but I recently spotted a very similar one at another store – so I’ll probably pick up another couple to make sure we can enjoy this rooftop retreat from the spring all the way through the fall.

ROOFTOP DECK DESIGN

I initially tested out a rectangular coffee table in this space, but the proportions just weren’t right. The round outdoor coffee table I ended up choosing was super affordable, and fits so much better in the space. As a bonus, the round coffee table has no corners for me to bang my knees on when we’re watching movies in the dark {since I’m notoriously clumsy}.

Two round, bright green garden stools next to each chair add additional spots for drinks (and accessories). These stools are currently out of stock, but you could get the identical stool in white and paint it with green outdoor spray paint for a quick and easy DIY.

The vibrant outdoor rug is one of my favorite parts of this space. I purchased it a couple of years ago {it’s been in storage until now}, and unfortunately it’s no longer available. I’ve been searching for similar rugs to share with you, and I really love this black and white medallion outdoor rug. It doesn’t have the same bold colors, but it is similar in style.

I purchased the outdoor lanterns on the coffee table from AtHome (white ceramic lantern |

metal & wood open lantern), but you can find tons of stylish lantern options at your favorite stores. In the open lantern, I added two mini potted faux plants (mini potted grass | mini potted succulent).

Like the rug, the green pillows were purchased a couple of years ago, and no longer available. But these modern green and white outdoor pillows paired with these graphic black and white outdoor pillows are a great alternative.