Entertaining: Backyard Glamping

I am not a hike-up-the-mountain camper, but I do love all the friendly banter, campfire food and sta

By: Kelley Moore | July 2010 | FROM THE PRINT EDITION

Backyard Glamping

Set fold-up canvas chairs around a vintage trunk table so friends and family can play cards, gobble whoopie pies or enjoy some great wine. A fun DIY project: To create the pine-knot effect on the chair canvas, I found a tree-motif roller stamp at Daly’s Paint & Decorating in Wallingford and painted the plain canvas with a contrasting charcoal gray color.

Pops of gray, scarlet and raspberry fabric accent a simple canvas tent. Inexpensive tree-patterned window panels add a rustic, chic feel—as do round cuts of logs from the yard, for use as coasters or décor elements. Rather than drag a mattress outdoors, I placed gray linens on top of simple camping cots, pushed the cots together to make a bed and polished it off with a fabric headboard hung by fishing line. (The cots can be pulled apart for families with children prone to flailing in their sleep.)

Tent exterior: canvas 10-by-12-foot Centennial wall tent, $1,115, Rainier Industries; “Damast” lantern for block candle, $24.99, Ikea; white vintage trunk and brown travel chest, Fremont Sunday Market finds; binoculars, Deluxe Junk find; hardcover books, Goodwill. Interior: "Anno Unni" tree-patterned canvas window panels, $29.99, Ikea; “Knappa” pendant chandelier lamp, $29.99, Ikea; red and raspberry headboard fabric wrapped around plastic frame, Seattle Design Center. Bed: folding cots, $69.99 each, REI; gray sheets, $29.99, shams, $19.99, Target; heather gray duvet cover, $220, Inhabit "Field Grass in Arctic Sky" pillows, $60 each, Velocity Art & Design; scarlet velvet throw and fuzzy pillow fabric, Seattle Design Center. Bedside tables: wooden box side tables, Fremont Sunday Street Market find; red lamps, Goodwill. End table: white vintage trunk, Fremont Sunday Street Market; papier-mâché peace bird, $45, Revival Home & Garden; log cut from tree in yard; vintage book, Goodwill; Roost ceramic vase, $75, Tonfisk Designs warm gift set in oak with cork lid, $168, Velocity Art & Design; scroll green tray, $9.95, CB2; zebra and sisal rugs, Goodwill.

Seating area: Bali club chairs, $59.98/set of two, matching canvas, $20/set of two, Cost Plus World Market, painted with faux-bois pattern roller, $5.99, Daly’s Paint & Decorating; Thomas Paul Perch violet linen bird pillows, $60, Velocity Art & Design; “Alseda” stools, $29.99 each, Ikea; large vintage trunk, Deluxe Junk find; Jordan wine glasses, $4.95 each, Crate & Barrel; whoopie pies, Snoqualmie Vineyards Naked Merlot, $12.99/bottle, Snoqualmie Vineyards Wine Shop.

Store Directory:
*Stores with multiple locations; check website for more information

CB2
cb2.com

Crate & Barrel*
crateandbarrel.com

Cost Plus World Market*
worldmarket.com

Daly’s Paint &
Decorating*
dalyspaint.com

Deluxe Junk
Fremont
3518 Fremont Place N
206.634.2733

Fremont Sunday Street Market
Fremont
400 N 34th St.
fremontmarket.com

Goodwill
seattlegoodwill.org

Ikea
Renton
601 SW 41st St.
425.656.2980
ikea.com

Rainier Industries
Tukwila
18375 Olympic Ave. S
425.251.1800
rainiertents.com

REI*
rei.com

Revival Home & Garden
Capitol Hill
1517 12th Ave.
206.763.3886
revivalhomeandgarden.com

Seattle Design Center
Georgetown
5701 Sixth Ave. S
206.762.1200
seattledesigncenter.com