R&R in your Back Yard with Movie Night

It's great to travel, but sometimes its nice to stay home and have a fun movie night at home. Theater rooms are great, but if its a beautiful night and the stars are out, what better way to have movie night but in your own back yard. Invite friends, neighbors, and family and relax and enjoy.

I love the way Pottery Barn has put together their version of movie night with a huge queen size sheet as the screen and awesome futons as chairs. Add pillows, soft lighting in the trees (or stars in the sky), and big bowls of popcorn and you're ready to begin a wonderful evening.

Pottery Barn's Version of A Backyard Movie Night. See their Create a Backyard Movie Screen DIY.

I also came across Katie and Incredibly Strange Movie Nights in Niagara. They find areas to set up a screen and invite a group to watch. Have everyone bring their most comfortable deck chair and make it BYOC - Bring Your Own Chair.

Recipe for success: 1. Set up a screen on large chain link fence.  2. Add dog. 3. Wait until dark and enjoy.

A backyard movie night is also a great way to share family photos and home movies. Invite family and friends to see your wedding movie or maybe old family movies from when you were kids. We have some footage of our family from the 50's and 60's that is awesome to watch and would really make a great movie night. So make it more nostalgic and show home videos.

Festoca calls this Roller Box in the Backyard.

Although most people are only looking for a quick and less expensive option to create an outdoor movie night, there are some more affluent options I thought I would show:

Colorworks studio created an awesome outdoor entertainment area.

A projector inside designed for both day and night viewing shoots the picture onto the back of a 9-foot-wide glass screen. Small speakers are strategically placed to distribute the sound evenly to the seating areas only, so that any neighbors beyond the large lot aren't disturbed.

Campion Platt Interiors has designed a beautiful poolside movie experience at a 1926 Palm Beach home.

DIY Movie Screen

Aside from the fun and romance of watching a movie outside, some people would like to build their own and yet keep the cost down. I found a couple of websites that provide options on building movie screens and provided them below:

From WIRED: A 5′ x 9′ screen constructed of blackout cloth stretched over a 1.5″ PVC frame. Blackout cloth was a great solution, offering nearly-perfect color and texture for viewing movies.

From Hum-Dum: Stretch a tarp or duckcloth between 2 x 4s that have been anchored into the ground.

In search of the... Quintessential Barstool

At first I was excited about replacing the counter stools from my last home with "awesome" new ones for our current home. And now over a decade later, I still have the old counter stools. I spent a lot of time looking both on-line and in brick and mortar stores, but never found what I wanted within my budget. (Or maybe that was within my husband's budget?) Either way, I never found something that was enough of an improvement over what I had for the amount of money required to spent on them.

Since we had very functional counter stools, we never had the "I need to buy something" pressure. So when the quintessential counter stools never materialized, I just kept using the old stools. I still would love to find something, but now I am even more particular.  I'm not wanting so much to make our home a showplace, but to find pieces that I love. I'm totally against trying for the "showroom" home. This is where I live and spend my time. I made a decision a few years ago that everything in this house would be something I loved and that I would want to take to the next house. Of course, for me the next house is a retirement villa of some sort. (Note to self: do a feature on retirement housing options, or lack there of.)

Back to bar and counter stools...

I don't want a designer telling me what the current color trend is or what the current style trend is. I know what colors I love and want to be surrounded by. I don't care if they are popular or not. And in the same way, I know if I like a particular style of chair. Again, I don't care if its currently deemed "chic".  Some people discover their style early in life and for others their style evolves over time. My style is evolving and I find that I generally like clean lines with a nod to tradition.

Certain islands are conducive to the backless stool that slips right under the counter and is out of sight while out of use.  This is what my sister-in-law has and for her home it works great. She has a huge island and six counter stools. If she didn't do the out of sight look, her kitchen would be overpowered by chairs, six around the island and six around the table.

I actually want a back, something you can lean into if you relax at the island. I've been looking at hundreds of pictures, trying to determine what I feel is the quintessential look for me and my kitchen. A lot of stools with backs are really overpowering for most islands. In fact, some stools only work for the heavy "bar" look.

Although the back can be fabric, the seat itself must be leather. Since the old stools are wood, I am done with a wood seat. I'm too old not to be comfortable. And since we have teenagers still and then nieces and nephews, I'm still worried about clean-up. So I say no to fabric seats.

Below are some examples of islands and chairs that I have found throughout the internet. Although not quite what I am looking, they may be just what you what. Everyone's definition of "quintessential" is different.

I like how these stools tuck nicely under the island and out of the way. The rush seat would be more comfortable than a solid wood, but I can't help cringe when I think of a family with kids who drop food. (From Home Bunch.)

This style of chair has a nice comfortable back, however, all fabric and again I wonder about care and maintenance. I like how the back isn't too high and doesn't overpower the island. (From Home Bunch)

I love how this kitchen has both traditional and contemporary elements. These contemporary counter stools are low profile, have a modern edge and make a nice accessory to a black and white kitchen. Source: Homester

I love this contemporary kitchen on Russian Hill in San Francisco. It's not for me, for for someone who does contemporary...I also like the contrast of these rustic stools with the clean lines of the island. Source: John Maniscalco Architecture

Although I find the drum pendant lighting less than desirable, I love the Plexi-Craft stools on wheels with the copper cushion. The cushion looks comfortable, the wheels are practical and the lucite keeps the counter stools from overpowering the island. Source: its jello blog

Same Lucite chairs as above, but from a different perspective. Source: Design Manifest Blog. 

Although from The Lodge at Doonber Golf Club in Ireland, commerical settings can provide awesome ideas. I love the plaid and leather bar stools at the clubhouse. Gorgeous legs!!  Source: Jacquelynne P. Lanham Designs, Inc. 

These bar stools are also used in a clubhouse and by the same design firm. With the solid color they achieve a totally different look. They are definitely one of my favorite looks!

Sources:
http://bjdhausdesign.blogspot.com/2012/04/in-search-ofthe-perfect-barstool.html

http://www.homebunch.com/inspiring-homes-interiors/

http://www.designmanifest.com/inspiration/lucite-bar-stools/

http://itsjello.com/add-lucite-to-all-room/

http://www.m-architecture.com/work/russian_hill/index.html

http://homester.com.ua/design/apartments/kuhnja-v-cherno-belom-cvete/