Alfresco meals, twinkly lights, verdant gardens—Italians know how to do summer nights right. But living la dolce vita can be yours for less than the cost of a ticket to Rome. Take this patio, which designer and fervent DIYer Heather Chadduck, the style director at Southern Living magazine, put together in back of a house in Birmingham, Alabama.
Using an overgrown pergola from the movie Under the Tuscan Sun as muse, she added a simple iron structure and let wisteria grow wild. A long copper-topped trestle table edged by a medley of metal and woven chairs begs guests to sit and stay awhile under the glow of lights she fashioned from pickle and okra jars. Wicker-wrapped bottles act as vases and wine decanters; a fireplace supplies needed warmth on cooler evenings
Products for a Tuscan Style Outdoor Space
Here are a few items that you can use to create a Tuscan-style outdoor space.
Demijohn
An oversize glass vessel is an eye-catching holder for leafy greens—a great way to bring nature farther into the space. About $30; Amazon
River-rock tile
The homeowner got a custom patio for a fraction of the usual price by laying mesh-backed stone tile in large diamond shapes and having a mason pour concrete in between. About $9 per square foot; Home Depot
Outdoor hearth
The homeowner’s stuccoed cinder-block fireplace sends a glow down the copper-topped table. This wood-burning steel version offers an easier setup. About $193; Home Depot
Wick-wrapped wine jugs or carriers
Enterprising oenophiles have long used wicker-wrapped bottles to prevent breakage. About $20; Amazon.
Jar lighting
Outdoor cord kits and black paint turn pickle and okra jars into rustic pendant lights. Or just purchase a fixture like this one. About $120; Home Depot
Tub chair
The homeowner’s mismatched seating adds a lot of charm; it includes 1930s-style armchairs like this one, which looks even better after a few storms. About $150 (set of 4); Amazon.
Climbing vines
Grapevines grow more quickly than wisteria, but they provide the same shade and bear fruit to boot. About $40; Home Depot.
Pro Tip: Horticulturist Sue Pfeiffer, who guided a This Old House segment through an arboretum’s collection of over a hundred vines, explains the growth pattern to expect: “What typically happens with wisteria is it tends to grow upward, and then once it reaches the top of the structure, it tends to grow outward.” Keep this in mind when sizing your pergola—the canopy will eventually spread well beyond the posts.
Designer Heather Chadduck, the style director at Southern Living magazine, took a similar approach when creating a Tuscan-inspired patio in Birmingham, Alabama. As described in This Old House Magazine, she “used an overgrown pergola from the movie Under the Tuscan Sun as muse” and “added a simple iron structure and let wisteria grow wild” to achieve that romantic, leaf-covered look.
Structural Note: If you choose wisteria over grapevines, plan for beefy construction. As noted in This Old House Magazine, one vine-covered pergola project required pressure-treated 6×6 posts supporting a grid of 2×10 beams and 2×6 rafters fastened with through bolts—because the thick, twining vine “will pull apart nailed boards and crack” lighter structures over time.
Leafy prints
Upholster a chair in lush-looking outdoor fabric that can take the sun. Or adorn the table with a few prints. About $13; Amazon.
Choosing the Right Outdoor Fabric: Not all outdoor fabrics hold up the same way. According to This Old House Magazine, acrylic-coated cotton — woven cotton printed with a pattern and coated with PVC or vinyl — is ideal for tablecloths and place mats because its water-repellent plastic coating makes it a breeze to clean. However, that coating can wear off over time in sun and rain, so it’s best for items that won’t sit outside permanently. Printed polyester, on the other hand, resists mold and mildew since it’s nonorganic, but colors fade over time with exposure, making it better suited for seasonal throw pillows.
Copper sconce
Cast a wide glow over the party with this copper-finished steel fixture that has an old-world look. About $96; Home Depot.
Wicker chair
Treat this chair, made of hand-woven rattan and bamboo fiber, with an outdoor-use polyurethane to keep it in top form summer after summer. About $114; Amazon.
