My name is Heather Taylor and I’m thrilled to be guest blogging here on Coco+Kelley. In addition to owning an art gallery called Taylor De Cordoba, I also write about the charms of Los Angeles on my blog L.A. in Bloom. This regularly takes me outdoors as I love gardening, cultivating my exterior space and entertaining al fresco. Behold a tour of our deck along with pictures and recipes from our first outdoor meal of the summer…

Below is my favorite part of the deck. Accessible from our bedroom though french doors, this really functions as our outdoor living room. The Moroccan-style couch came with the house and this interesting carved headboard was sitting behind the garage when we moved in. My friend and landscape designer Tory Polone suggested we hang it above the couch to create a cozy little nook.

My ever growing collection of succulents and vintage pots decorate the space. I love how the environment is always changing as the succulents evolve and grow.

This is my new favorite – a vintage Italian pot from The Melrose Trading Post and a succulent that looks like lace.

I’m also obsessed with this little elephant, found at a swamp meet.

All summer long we eat outside in the “dining room” portion of our deck. I love decorating the table with Provencal linens from Lavender Blue, a beautiful linen boutique run out of the home of Catherine Giraud here in L.A.

One of my cooking gurus is Ina Garten and I look to her Barefoot Contessa cookbooks for much of my summer cooking. Last night we kicked off my favorite season with a summery menu – Endive and Avocado Salad, Asian Grilled Salmon, whole wheat orzo and grilled asparagus. No meal is complete without a pretty dessert so I turned to Bon Appetit for a little Chocolate Cake with Ganache and Praline. Pair it all with delicious vino and a table full of pink peonies and I’m ready for a delicious summer outdoors.