One Saturday on a Slab I Did Not Choose
The house came with a bare concrete slab, a chain link fence and a single tomato cage leaning against the wall. That was six years ago. The easiest way to explain what Chloe Home Styling covers is to walk you through a Saturday out there, hour by hour, because every category on this site started as something that went wrong at a particular time of day.
My name is Lauren Griffin, and I write every post here. Come outside.
10 a.m., the beds
Coffee in one hand, I am standing over a raised bed and asking three questions at once. Can I use in-ground soil in it? Will the same soil work in pots? And should I cover it with plastic for winter, or will that cook the roots? This is where I learned that metal garden beds have real pros and real cons, that a garden box takes six steps if nothing warps, and that a trellis is easier to build than to keep upright.
On the site: Planter is the biggest category. It covers raised beds (soil, covers, wood versus metal), building a garden box and a trellis, a pallet herb garden, a wooden plant stand, window boxes, and how to keep outdoor plants warm in winter.
12:30 p.m., the table
By lunch the sun has moved and the table is in full glare. The umbrella is too small for the table, which is the only reason I know that umbrella size depends on table size and not on how big the umbrella looks in the box. The slab itself has taught me how to extend a patio, how a wood patio goes together from scratch, and how to make a small patio feel like a room.
On the site: Patio covers umbrella sizing, building and extending a patio, concrete patios on a budget, small and cozy patio ideas, apartment patio gardens, covered pool patios, sliding door coverings and cushion storage.
3 p.m., the chairs
The Adirondack chairs have gone gray and rough again. I have now weatherproofed them, refinished them and argued with myself about whether resin would have been smarter than wood. It would have been easier. It would not have been the same.
On the site: Furniture holds the chair posts: resin versus wood Adirondack chairs, weatherproofing, refinishing and building a modern outdoor chair from scratch.
5 p.m., the edge
The light gets low, and I look at the fence. The chain link came with the house, and I have spent years finding out what to do with it: decorate it, screen it, replace it, or plant something on it. Along the way I compared side yard fences, ranch fences, metal and wood, dark brown stains, dog ear tops, edging along the base and fruit trees trained flat against a wall.
On the site: Fence is mostly idea galleries, from chain link decorating and side yard fences to modern wood and metal, dog ear and ranch styles, edging and espaliered fruit trees.
8 p.m., the lights
This is the hour when the string lights either work or do not. I have learned the difference between solar and low voltage lighting, how to install an exterior wall light, how to keep a motion sensor light on, how to protect plugs from rain, and how to restore a fixture that has faded to chalk. I have also put Christmas lights on a tree more than once and regretted the ladder each time.
On the site: Ceiling is the category with a split personality, and I would rather say so. It covers everything overhead and everything that lights the evening. That means outdoor lighting how-tos (solar versus low voltage, wall lights, string lights, motion sensors, garden lighting design, weather protection for plugs) next to indoor ceiling ideas such as painted bedroom ceilings and wood panels.
And the category that is not my patio
Terrace is my smallest category, and it is not about a patio at all. It covers terraced houses and multi-level living, meaning narrow mid-terrace homes, terrace living rooms and duplex designs, which I write about because they are the same problem in a smaller space.
The paperwork I do not have
I am not a landscape architect, contractor, electrician or arborist. What I have is six years on one slab and one fence line, a raised box that I built and a set of chairs that I refinished. When I have not done a job myself, I say so and tell you where the information came from. I would rather tell you a cheaper option is enough than sell you the impressive one.
If a fact or a measurement in one of my posts is wrong, please write to me. I will check it and fix the post.
Outside the Saturday
I check the weather app before I check my email, and I have strong opinions about the difference between “weather-resistant” and “weatherproof.” Neither, in my experience, means what the box hopes it means.
Before you dig, climb or plug in
Everything on this site is general information from my own experience. It is not professional advice, and I am not a builder, electrician, landscape architect or arborist. Please treat these points as the minimum.
- Electrical work: use fixtures, cords and plugs rated for outdoor use, plug into GFCI-protected outlets, never use indoor lights outside, and hire a licensed electrician for any new wiring or wall fixture. Switch off the breaker before touching a fixture.
- Ladders and heights: hanging string lights, wall lights or tree lights means a ladder. Set it on firm ground, have someone spot you, and never lean out past your belt buckle.
- Building and digging: patios, fences and beds can be covered by building codes, permits, drainage rules, frost depth, setbacks and homeowner association rules. Check property lines before you build, and call 811 before you dig.
- Finishing and staining: sanding, stripping and staining chairs and decks produces dust and fumes. Work outdoors, wear a respirator and gloves, and lay oil-soaked rags flat to dry or soak them in water in a sealed metal container, because they can catch fire on their own.
- Pallet wood: use only pallets stamped HT (heat treated), and avoid any marked MB or stained with unknown chemicals.
- Soil and plants: growing conditions and planting times vary by region, so check your local extension service. Test in-ground soil before growing food in it, especially near an older house or a fence line. Look up any plant before you put it where children or pets roam.
- Ceilings indoors: anchor anything heavy to a joist, not just to drywall. In a house built before 1978, assume ceiling paint may contain lead and that old ceiling texture may contain asbestos until a test says otherwise, and do not sand or scrape it.
Affiliate disclosure. Chloe Home Styling is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy through one of my links I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change what I write or what I tell you to skip.
About Lauren Griffin:
- Full name: Lauren Griffin
- Role: Founder and writer, Chloe Home Styling
- Based in: Boise, Idaho
- Email: [email protected]
- Pinterest: pinterest.com/chloestyling
- Contact page: chloestyling.com/contact
- Background: Six years of hands-on work on one concrete patio, one fence line and a set of raised beds. No formal landscaping, electrical or trade credentials.
- Focus: Patios, planters and raised beds, fences, outdoor lighting and outdoor furniture
- Writing since: 2026
It is 9:40 p.m. The lights are on, the chairs are dry, and something in the bed is definitely still wrong. I will find it tomorrow.
