HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF A TINY PATIO IN NEW YORK CITY

Guys! I recently wrote an expansive piece for Style Girlfriend on transforming my small patio space attached to my East Village apartment. It's really fun and helpful, and I want you to read it. To whet your whistle, here's an excerpt:

Have you ever wondered, “How can I turn the prison yard attached to my apartment into a paradise?” Well I have! That’s right—your girl has finally reached one of New York’s golden rings. I have outdoor space. But when I moved in, it looked more like an elevated cage than a coveted patio space beckoning to host a sunset happy hour or cozy spring nightcap after a perfect third date.

But no amount of chain link fencing, pigeon poop or mysterious detritus could dissuade my dream. I was determined to She’s All That the space—hoping that taking off the glasses (so to speak) would reveal a beauty that had been there all along.

Now, as with any good cinematic arc, the transformation has been a journey. I learned… A lot. For example, if you do not use a base, your beautiful 6-foot-wide bistro umbrella will, during a particularly windy storm, levitate out of it’s hole in the middle of an outdoor table, take flight over a 6-foot-high fence and fling itself onto the roof of a dim sum restaurant four stories below.

Are you curious now or what? I'm really proud of the progress I've made in this little dream of an outdoor space, so I hope you go read the story! Plus, if you want to see the "before" photos (and trust me, you do) you're only going to see them on SG with the full piece. Ha! Clickbait!

Read the whole piece here!

See more photos below!

Listen to the playlist too!

Again, if you want to see the full transformation plus my recipe recommendations and best tips for how to throw a truly great "peak outdoor season" party in your outdoor space, you gotta read the full story over on Style Girlfriend.