Deck dreaming

It's been a while since we've talked about mi casa.  (It's been a while since I've done much around here.)  How am I doing on my 2012 home goals?  Well, let's just say that so far, the list is in the crapper.  (Actually, that's what I thought, but I just actually looked at the list and I'm not doing so bad.  More on that in the coming weeks.)

In typical fashion, instead of completing projects that are within reach, I am, instead, dreaming up new ones.  Big ones.  The kind that require power tools and the help of my reluctant husband.

Here's the deal.

Our house in Boulder had a great deck with a big sliding door (as you might expect in such an outdoorsy place), and we ate many a meal out there (despite the bees.)

Even in NYC, where outdoor space is the holy grail, we were lucky enough to have a sort of little enchanted garden in our Brooklyn backyard.

Doesn't that look lovely?

But here in Minneapolis, we just don't got the set up.  Yet.

Here's the house from the back.

With a narrow little deck, not really big enough for a full-scale table set-up, and a sloped and tiny lawn.

I think this question has been percolating for going on 2 years, and as we enjoy an unseasonably warm and early spring, I realize that my summer happiness is predicated on having a place to eat out of doors.  (Apart from Sea Salt, the fabulous seafood eatery which is walking distance from our house but which also becomes an expensive habit.  And which, incidentally, opens for the season tomorrow night!)

I'm good under pressure, did you know that?  And so a solution has come to me when I need it the most.  A built-in corner bench seat, round table or pair of small squares.  Our little family of four can sit snugly on the benches, and if we have company, well, bring out the ghost chairs.  They're just gathering dust in the basement, after all.

Something like this.

Source: bhg.com via Heather on Pinterest

Or, okay, realistically something more like this. (Plus table)

Source: bhg.com via Heather on Pinterest

The design decisions may come down to budget (small) and skill level (meager). This might be one of those things where it is really ALL about the function, and then dressing it up with good outdoor pillows and a cute tablecloth.

What about you: do you have good outdoor living solutions? I'd love to hear about it.