More Ralph Lauren in the Courtyard

If you have been reading The 2 Seasons for a while, then you know that I have a mini-fascination with the Ralph Lauren look in both clothes and decor.  Now, let me clarify.  That fascination doesn’t mean I can afford all of his looks that I love (I can’t), nor does it mean I dress or decorate exclusively in the Ralph Lauren style (I don’t.)  What it does mean is that I sure do love the clothes he creates, and it means I sure do love the rooms he decorates.  You can see what I’m talking about here, here, here, and here.  A few years ago, when I was on one of my solo trips to Paris, I had lunch in the courtyard of Ralph’s.  It’s the restaurant located in his shop on Boulevard St. Germain.  I loved the way the small area was decorated and wanted to bring some of the look home to our own decor.  I worked on that look on and off, and this spring I am proud to say that there is now more Ralph Lauren in the courtyard.

 

The first element to give this area of the courtyard the Ralph Lauren vibe is the teak Lutyen bench.  There happens to be a teak furniture business (Teak Closeouts) based here in Lexington, and they ship these benches all over the world.  They also have tons of teak tables, teak dining and lounge chairs, teak benches, teak coffee tables, and more.  If you are looking for some teak furniture, be sure to check out their website or better yet, visit their warehouse.

 

 

I selected a size that would fit right into this little nook.

 

 

Ralph’s in Paris had many of the Lutyen teak benches paired with wrought iron chairs and tables topped with stainless steel.  I thankfully already had the chairs in the same style as his and softened their look with the French-influenced pillows that I made last summer.

 

 

 Another step to getting the look was to have large fluffy pillows in RL fabrics.  I made a trip to my local fabric store (Rag Peddler) and found just the right fabrics for the look.  On a rainy day last week, I made three 24-inch pillow covers and stuffed them with down inserts.

 

I don’t yet have a stainless steel topped table so I pulled out this old work bench from my grandfather’s farm sale.  I think it does a fine job.  Don’t you?

 

 

Mr. Right scheduled someone to power wash the courtyard last week to get rid of the moss.  I asked him to cancel because I kind of like the aged/weathered look the moss is providing.  I might change my mind down the road, and if I do, it’s an easy fix.  We had the courtyard completely cleaned last summer, but the moss just comes back.

 

(source)

This photo has been my inspiration all along, and I think my watered down version is sort of close.  I am not having a pad made for the bench because I like the look of the natural teak wood, and I don’t want to deal with storing it when not in use.

 

 

 This is the eating area of the courtyard, and it will be getting a few tweaks soon.

 

This is the bar/potting bench area of the courtyard located beside the herb garden.

 

 

After looking at these photos, I think it’s time to remove the bottle tree.  I don’t think Ralph would approve.

 

Take care.

 

 

Thanks to Teak Closeouts for providing the bench.  All opinions are my own.