Our home hasn't seen a lot of exterior updates since we purchased it, but I'm happy to say that we finally were able to get one accomplished earlier this spring!
Welch House has an unique back patio and what makes it unique, is that it is tiled with marble tiles.
Through research I have learned that the marble patio was added on to the home by the Welch Family in the 1930's.
The patio was in sad shape when we bought the home, some areas were caving in, causing the beautiful marble to crack and break.
Our contractor got in touch with the previous owners to inquire about the marble tiles, so he could replace the broken ones.
Apparently the tiles are original from the 1930's, and were imported from Italy!
I was over the moon excited when I found that out! The story and history of the marble makes my home even more special to me.
Earlier this year I was able to purchase two lady statues made of marble for our patio. I actually found them on Craigslist and they had been laying in a field!! I brought them home, cleaned them up and they seem to love their new surroundings.
I have been collecting antique Peacock outdoor furniture for awhile now too. I have two regular chairs, and this spring I found two rocking chairs on Facebook marketplace. I love how unique and intricate they are. They are the perfect fit for this space.
I am still on the search for a matching table, but my husband surprised me with a metal table earlier this year. It works perfectly for now. He even bought me the black and white striped umbrella. I love it all so much!
Since our house is white, I painted two of the peacock chairs black, so they don't blend in with the house.
I might try painting them pink next year and see if I like that look. I also really want to get a black and white striped rug for under the table.
The back patio is my favorite place to sit, I love it more than our front porch! I have the perfect view of the moon sitting here at night. It is very peaceful and I enjoy watching the fireflies in my gardens.
Below is a photo of what the patio looked like before we had it restored. Ad you can see, it was in need of a makeover!
The next photo is an "in progress" photo. I wanted the patio to have brick pillars, (five in total) so I could have urns sitting up top of them.
This next photo is right after the patio was completed, but before I decorated and gave the house a good power wash. Next year I will need to landscape the flower beds in front of the patio. I did plant some lavender on one side a few weeks ago, and over the winter I will brainstorm about which plants I want to add to that.
In a few years I may lime wash all of the brick on Welch House. I love that look and I think it will dress up the house so beautifully and will look lovely with the marble tiles.
My contractor tried to discourage me from using the marble again for the floor of the patio. He said that marble wasn't practical for Iowa winters, lol, well I am not practical either! I love the history of the marble and its truly special to me. He was able to salvage a lot extra marble from this project and I am saving it to use on another back patio here at Welch house. We have another patio area on the other side of our house. It was torn up when we replaced the foundation a few years ago, it looks terrible now and I am eager to get it looking beautiful. Hopefully next summer we can start on that project!
I hope you enjoyed seeing our patio restoration/makeover. Having this done was a huge unexpected blessing for me! I literally feel like I won the lottery having our patio completed and I am so very thankful.
Thank you so very much for visiting!
-Larissa