In our Style Challenge series, we ask some of our favorite bloggers from around the web to surprise us with their ideas for creating a stylish and functional space using Home Depot products as a starting point.

For our Adirondack Challenge, we asked Mandy of Fabric Paper Glue to share her small patio decorating ideas using an Adirondack chair as the basis of her space. Read how she transformed an otherwise boring small balcony into a beautiful outdoor space with color and purpose.

For me, an Adirondack chair elicits thoughts of relaxation — whether I imagine a pair of them facing a serene ocean view or a set of four surrounding a cozy fire.

You know what absolutely doesn’t make me think relaxation? My friend Jillian’s small balcony.

Exhibit A:

Sure, a balcony around Washington, D.C., is a luxury, but like most of the balconies in this city, it’s small and bland. My mission? Bringing purpose and style to this space.

Luckily, I had ideas brewing just waiting for a blank slate like this one. The first of these percolating ideas was a reading nook — a perfect use of an Adirondack in a small space, if I do say so. It’s one of those home features that warms my little book-lovin’ heart, but unfortunately falls off the list of must-haves in my own 600-square-foot floor plan. My second idea was stripes. My veracious love of bold, black-and-white striped fabric shouldn’t surprise a soul who follows my blog (see my posts about a striped tote, a striped document envelope, another striped tote, and a striped clutch), yet it’s simply not a pattern that would work with my own home decor. You can read some more about my inspiration in a post I wrote about an urban bookish balcony.

Well, folks, not only is this balcony everything that my stripey-reading-nook dreams were make of, it’s also got some other pretty fantastic patterns, a little luxe lighting, a few lush greens, a handful of pretty pink flowers and … GOLD!