Such amazing finds and transformations! Well not found on the curb but I am sooo happy with my first CL purchase! I have been looking and looking for furniture for my sunroom. I figured I would never find anything.... $300 for a like new super sturdy set (the pic is at their house) I am picking up the rest friday. It was in such great shape (one seam needs to be fixed) that it didn't even seem worth haggling. It will fit perfectly in our sunroom so we will have more seating for visitors this summer coming over for a dip in the pool. I currently have nothing in the sunroom for seating. Of course now thanks to Aunt Jen I want to paint it some fun color. :) Here is a link that might be useful: CLad

VERY cool!!! The whole area turned out great, and what a neat use of the space and orphaned furniture! And you can't beat the price! For that radio table, I'd dust it thoroughly with a soft cloth, or use the brush attachment for your vacuum to get in all of the nooks and crannies. I'd go over the whole thing with a good quality furniture wax, and see how it cleans up. Probably you could use that Restore A Finish, but I've never used it myself, so don't have any opinions. I kind of like the gently distressed look of the piece as-is, though. If you have any of that curtain fabric left, you could make a little runner for the top of the table, or pick up a remnant that has those colors or the rug colors.

Lots of stuff, but one thing that comes to mind is an old garden gate. I had seen some in magazines and wanted one...the kind with the hooped wire insert and curlique gate topper. I priced one at an antique architecture place for $88 and one for $55 at the flea market. Was driving down a road and saw one leaning against a patio table in someone's yard, and I was thinking..."Lucky dogs. They got a gate just like the one I want." A week or so later, I was driving past the same place...and it was SITTING OUT WITH THE TRASH ON THE CURB!!!!! What can I say? Some people have no taste. I stopped and loaded it in my car before you could say "Don't." I find a lot of stuff in dumpsters too. This was in the dumpster behind the thrift shop. It's a McCoy vase...perfect condition.

I think you could easily get a table with 2 chairs back there, or two lounge/Adirondack chairs with a fire bowl. Ikea has some very inexpensive patio options. I agree with handmethathammer that some planters with brightly colored flowers and maybe some herbs if you're a cook would have a huge impact. Get a couple of fairly sizable planters of different heights. Estate sales and thrift stores often have good prices on these. If you get big ones you can put styrofoam in the bottom below the likely root depth to keep the weight and the cost of soil down. Make sure you get plants of varying height (google "thriller, filler, spiller" for an easy rule of thumb) and your local garden store can point you to some plants that do well in your climate. I don't mind the color of the fence--it doesn't look particularly red in the picture. I think it would look great with some wall planters on it with, again, some brightly colored annuals.