Raj tents cure cancer and make you thinner

I want to keep things reasonable on this site because I’m on the type of budget where in order to have a dinner party, I usually have to eat ramen one night of the week. But alas, I’m a dreamer. And when I see Raj Tents, I drift into a world of personal chefs, weekends on my yacht in the Mediterranean, and Jonathan Adler on speed dial.

I don’t want to rent a Raj Tent for a special event. I want to own one. Okay two. One custom-made for elaborate outdoor picnics and another for my poolside cabana.

I’ve wanted one ever since I saw this cover- Domino May 2006

This picture (I believe Domino May 2007) made me think it was all within reach- she made her canopy with saris and ribbon.

And then this month they did another article where they credited Raj Tents (the picture isn’t a Raj Tent, but they credit RT as a place you can buy one similar to the one shown). Please excuse the poor quality scan- it’s really bad, but you get the idea!

So I tried to come up with a crafty way of making a DIY project out of the Domino cover style tent. I mean, it’s not that different from an EZ pop up tent; it just has a custom top/lining and fabric-covered poles. I came across this article by a renaissance festival vendor on how to instill some old world charm onto an aluminum framed tailgating mainstay. If you scroll past the tacky wannabe castle pattern, there’s a section on how to make a pattern for a tent canopy. Bonus: the article is titled “Get Medieval on Your Pop-Up!”

Or if you want to go the fabric & ribbon route, you can go the way of Martha Stewart.

She shows a couple of ways of forging your own, and they’re much less of an investment of time or resources. Of course the price tag goes up from there! You’ll need some great textiles first. I’d try these (all outdoor fabrics from Lewis & Sheron):

Once you get your cover in place, don’t forget to accent it with indoor luxuries like romantic lighting, a soft rug, and seating.

Low seating like Urban Outfitters floor cushion platform is both rustic and refined (add some lumbar pillows and it looks alot like the swanky seating in the Raj tent in the first picture). There are more cushion colors & patterns on UO’s site.

Hang some of these lanterns or birdcages (if you have power) for lighting (from The Home Port)

And pick up a rug from Dash & Albert’s collection of indoor/outdoor polypropolene collection

And finally, you’ll need a place to put your drinks, so pick up a cute end table from West Elm like these: