Some businesses begin with a business plan. Others begin with a moment of conviction. 

For Bunny Merchant, the inspiration behind Patio Spaces was deeply personal. 

 

When she learned that The Patio Place, the Bakersfield showroom she had managed for more than a decade, might close its doors, the news didn’t sit well with her.  “I just couldn’t let that happen,” Bunny recalls. “We don’t have that many locally owned stores anymore that focus on quality.” 

 

For ten years she had helped customers transform patios into places where families gathered, dinners lingered into the evening, and quiet mornings were spent with coffee and sunlight. The thought of losing that kind of store, one built around craftsmanship, service, and lasting relationships, felt like something the community shouldn’t lose. 

 

“My husband and I prayed about it,” she says softly. “And then we decided to buy the store.” 

In March 2025, Bunny purchased the business and reintroduced it to Bakersfield as Patio Spaces, a showroom dedicated to elevating the outdoor living experience. 

 

Today the store serves both residential and commercial clients across the region, designing outdoor environments that are as comfortable and beautiful as the interiors of a home. 

 

For Bunny, outdoor design is about more than furniture. It’s about how people live. 

 

One recent project included refreshing the balcony dining area and poolside spaces at Bakersfield Country Club. With updated furnishings and thoughtful design adjustments, the once-familiar space was given new life. It was elegant, welcoming, and ready for members to enjoy again. 

 

“That’s what we love doing,” Bunny says. “Taking a space that people already enjoy and making it even better.” 

 

Patio Spaces has also maintained a long-standing relationship with Castle & Cooke in Highgate, where the outdoor furnishings were originally installed during Bunny’s time managing The Patio Place and continue to receive ongoing care.   

 

“We’ve replaced slings, installed new cushions, and cleaned the furniture over the years to keep everything looking like it did when it was first installed,” she explains. 

 

That kind of long-term service has become a defining part of the Patio Spaces philosophy. 

 

Walking into Patio Spaces feels less like entering a store and more like stepping into a beautifully designed garden home. 

 

Instead of long rows of furniture, the showroom unfolds through a series of styled outdoor environments. Each vignette tells its own story, a comfortable seating arrangement perfect for conversation, an inviting outdoor dining space, or a cozy lounge designed for quiet evenings under the stars. 

 

“We want people to be able to picture themselves in the space,” Bunny says. “Some people have a hard time visualizing. When they walk through the store, they can see how everything comes together.” 

 

The showroom also includes a carefully curated gift boutique filled with decorative accents, seasonal pieces, and lifelike “real touch” floral arrangements that bring elegance to both indoor and outdoor spaces. 

 

Bunny intentionally purchases small quantities of each item to maintain a sense of discovery. 

“I only buy a few of each piece,” she says. “That way it stays unique.” 

 

Seasonal displays evolve throughout the year as well. During the holidays, the store transforms into a full Christmas experience, filled with ornaments, greenery, and festive décor beginning in October. In spring, the showroom shifts to Easter accents, decorative garden pieces, and outdoor plants designed specifically to withstand the Central Valley climate. 

 

Many of the decorative plants and materials are UV resistant (similar to those used at Disneyland) allowing them to maintain their beauty despite Bakersfield’s intense sun. 

While the displays are beautiful, Bunny is quick to point out that the true value of Patio Spaces lies in the quality of the furniture itself. 

 

“We want our customers to know this isn’t furniture that will last just a few seasons,” she says. “It’s built to be enjoyed through generations.” 

 

Each piece is designed to withstand real outdoor conditions: heat, rain, and the powerful sunlight that defines Central Valley summers. 

 

Frames are crafted from high-quality iron or aluminum that is significantly stronger than mass-produced alternatives. 

 

“The metal itself is stronger, and the finishes are designed to hold up,” Bunny explains. 

Cushions are another area where the difference becomes clear. Patio Spaces uses specialized outdoor foam engineered to resist mold and maintain its shape. 

 

“Our cushions are guaranteed not to fade for five years,” she says. “But in reality, they last much longer.” 

 

Many of the furniture collections also carry warranties of up to twenty years, a reflection of the craftsmanship behind them. 

 

“When I first started working here years ago, I had never seen furniture built like this,” Bunny says. “I’ve visited the manufacturing plants. It’s real craftsmanship.” 

 

Helping customers create the right outdoor environment is one of Bunny’s favorite parts of the job. 

 

Before recommending anything, she asks thoughtful questions. “How will they use the space? Are they entertaining often? Do they want a dining table or a comfortable seating area for relaxing?” she explains. 

 

Sometimes that honesty means recommending something smaller than what a customer originally imagined. She remembers one client who fell in love with a large patio set displayed in the showroom. “She said she absolutely had to have it,” Bunny laughs. “But her patio was tiny.” Instead of completing the sale, Bunny asked her to bring in measurements first. 

 

“I could have sold it,” she says. “But we want to make sure it really works for them.”  

For Bunny, long-term satisfaction always matters more than a quick transaction. 

 

At Patio Spaces, the relationship with customers doesn’t end when furniture leaves the showroom. The company offers white-glove delivery service, placing and arranging each piece so the space feels complete the moment it’s finished. 

 

The team also provides repair and restoration services for existing furniture. “We have customers who bought furniture 10 years ago,” Bunny says. “They’re ready for new cushions, so we help them choose fabrics and refresh their pieces.” 

 

Patio Spaces also offers in-home and in-office consultations, visiting properties to evaluate outdoor areas and recommend layouts tailored to the space. 

 

Among the many pieces in the showroom, one has quietly become a customer favorite: the Monterra chair. “At Christmas we place them around the store, so husbands have somewhere comfortable to sit while their wives shop,” Bunny says with a laugh. 

 

The chairs are so comfortable that customers sometimes fall asleep in them. “And then they come back later and say, ‘I want the chair I fell asleep in.’” 

 

Bunny’s vision for Patio Spaces has been shaped by years of observing some of the country’s most beautifully designed retail spaces.  One of her biggest inspirations is Roger’s Gardens in Southern California. “I studied how they laid everything out,” she says. “It fascinated me.” 

 

She brought that inspiration back to Bakersfield, carefully designing a store that feels immersive and ever-changing. 

 

Today many visitors stop by simply to see what’s new. “I love when people come in just to walk through,” Bunny says. 

 

Her ultimate goal is simple: to create a place where customers feel inspired the moment they walk through the door. “I want people to feel calm and happy when they’re here,” she says. “A place where they can imagine the space they’ve been dreaming about.” 

With its focus on craftsmanship, thoughtful design, and genuine service, Patio Spaces has quickly become a destination for those looking to elevate outdoor living in Bakersfield. For Bunny Merchant, preserving that experience for the community made the leap of faith worthwhile. 

 

Because when outdoor spaces are designed well, they become more than patios. They become the places where life happens; dinners shared with friends, conversations by the firepit, and quiet mornings in the sun. 

 

And those are the moments that last.