For much of the year, a patio can serve as an extra room for a home. It can become a private retreat, a cozy nook in which to entertain your closest friends or even a place to cook and dine. You may have overlooked this spot as a space requiring your personal decorative touch, but fortunately, it is easy to transform a patio into an inviting, fresh air locale.
Color Strategy
You can unify even disparate furnishings with touches of a single shade or a few coordinating hues to tie things together. Try painting furniture, adding a durable rug, or utilizing throw pillows in the same color theme. Flowerpots and planters that coordinate well with the other pieces add a breath of life to static furnishings as well. You can even select plants that will blossom into blooms that complement your patio’s overall look.
Window Dressings
Window dressings are an important part of any room; the fact that the patio is an outdoor room makes it no different. Select outdoor blinds of a color or design that fits in well with the rest of your décor. They will help shield your room from the elements while tying into your chosen themes of colors and patterns. Block the blazing sun and errant winds with this outdoor accessory.
Wall Decorations
You can make the patio feel more like an extension of your home if you add touches of artwork or decorative items to your walls. Bring them into the overall theme of the patio by following your color scheme or by using shapes and symbols that appear elsewhere. For example, if you particularly favor dragonflies, a pair of large metal dragonflies on the wall can echo the inclusion of those insects in throw pillows or garden stakes in flowerpots.
Layers of Comfort
Your patio can become an inviting hideaway when you heap up comfortable items in layers. Why have a single rug, when you can layer several for exceptional comfort and lush luxury for your feet? From bottom to top, when you focus on layering levels of indulgence, even the smallest patio can be a bastion of soft comfort. Be liberal with your use of throw pillows, add a throw blanket or two, and illuminate the space with soft lighting.
Patios can easily be kept looking nice when you follow some basic design tips. Remember to coordinate your colors and allow your choices to complement each other. Use blinds and rugs made for the outdoors. And do not forget to give yourself plenty of leisure time to enjoy the relaxing space you have created.
