Spring has officially arrived, and you know what that means… it’s time to tidy up your outdoor living space, whip out that grill (and make sure it still works), and lounge in the sun with a glass of wine in your hands. Or a dirty martini, if the day calls for it. No judgment here.
Outdoor living spaces are essential, especially here in the Midwest. It’s the place where we enjoy spring, summer, and fall. It’s where we connect with family and friends, making memories over brunch, a weekend cookout, or a evening with s’mores. (Our twins LOVE s’mores.) Last but not least, it’s where we unwind solo (if you’re lucky) after a hectic day or week.
Our outdoor spaces do a lot for us, and a well-designed space can go a long way toward meeting our demands. Today, I’m giving you my best tips for creating warm and welcoming outdoor living spaces that help you live better than ever this season. Grab your pen, because you’re going to want to take notes. ;)
Tip 1: Identify the Functional Needs & Draw the Furniture Plan First
The first question you should ask yourself is: what will this space be used for? What are the priorities? If you want a lounging spot and a dining area, you need to know what will fit in the space and how to divide it to meet your needs.
On the other hand, if your goal is to have either a lounge area or a dining space, that will change your furnishing plan entirely. Maybe now you can get an 8 person table instead of 4. Or you now have space for a full outdoor couch, not just a couple chairs. The goal here is to make the space work for you, not against you.
So jot down your ideas. Number them by priority. Pencil them into a space plan. And you’re golden.
Tip 2: Outdoor Furnished Spaces Need Plants to Feel Complete
In my opinion, this rule is applicable in any space, indoor or outdoor. When in doubt, add plants!
As far as your outdoor space goes, plants help connect the living space and outdoor furniture to the nature/landscaping in your backyard. If your outdoor living space is lacking plant life, it will look as if you’ve plucked the space from inside your home instead of it being an outdoor space that blends with its surroundings.
My fellow Midwesterners here will agree that this is especially critical for urban balconies and patios. Since there may not be landscaping within eyesight, plants help do some of the visual ‘heavy lifting’ to create the outdoor ambiance.
Tip 3: Moving Light Makes the Space Feel Alive
Now this is the fun part! Nothing sets the mood of your outdoor living space more than strategically placed lighting. Especially lighting with some moment. This could take the form of flickering candlelights, tiki torches, lanterns, or even fire tables.
Just remember, the key is to create a moody, balanced lighting environment — not too dim, but not too bright either. Trust me, it will make all the difference in creating an outdoor space you’ll love and cherish.
Tip 4: Mix Styles & Furnishings
This is the part where you start thinking about your aesthetic. Trust me, not all of your pieces should be from the same outdoor furniture collection unless your aesthetic is very spartan or clean-lined. I recommend more diversity for interest, playfulness, and conversation. A space looks more inviting when there is a little bit of visual tension.
When combining items from different furniture collections, be obvious about it. Too subtle and the eye won’t notice anything interesting. Then, be sure to repeat whatever styles you’re mixing more than once.
For instance, you might have a lounge chair that is very contemporary in bronze and a dining table with some floral motif in the same metal. Unless you have some floral element referenced near the lounge chair, paying honor to the nearby floral style, the pieces do not play well together. Just remember, good design has balance and cohesion.
What contrasting style could you mix in here for some interest?
Tip 5: There Are Easy Ways to Create Zoning
Outdoor spaces have the same variety of needs that indoor spaces do. Sometimes, you want a space that feels wide-open, perfectly ready for that big, backyard BBQ. Some nights you’ll only need space for food prep. Others you’ll want to snuggle with your lovey by the fire or perch on your porch to watch the world go by as you sip your coffee.
If would like to have multi-use areas and your budget doesn’t permit you to add pergolas or other structures, you can create divisions of space (“zones”) very easily.
To divide your space into visual zones, you could add large planters, rugs, canopies of string lights, or deck tiles. These can serve to imply walls or partitions, ceilings, even divisions on the floor.
Since these are easy and inexpensive manipulations, you could see how the space feels when the planters are nearer or further from the implied zone, for example. Or, perhaps how does it feel when the lights overhead are at 10’ above or 15’ above? These are the things that impact how people relate to the space… and even to each other!
Our Favorite Picks For Designing an Outdoor Living Space
Lechuza Cararo Self-Watering Rolling Planter in White Gloss
Remember when we talked about incorporating plants in your outdoor living space? This pick is grean option. It’s larger than it looks and easily movable, making it the perfect divider for outdoor (or indoor) spaces.
The rollers are hidden so it keeps the aesthetic really clean. Plus, it’s self-watering so you have a safety net if you can’t tend to your plants vigilantly or don’t have a green thumb. It’s available in a variety of colors, too. Love it!
Outdoor Flameless Candle with Timer and Remote
If you want to set the mood with candlelight, without the fire hazard, flameless candles are the way to go. In addition to the safety advantage, these electric candles use a small fan to create irregular light that bounces off a moving plastic ‘wick’.
You can set these on the 5 hours on / 19 hours off timer or use the remote. These are ideal for any low-level surfaces that could be easily bumped OR for a hanging lantern that is particularly difficult to reach. Click the remote and cue the romance.
Deck TileS from the Home Depot
For our urban clients, we tend to always recommend using deck tiles. Especially if you have a metal or concrete deck and need a way to warm it up a bit when temperature dips. This solution is so easy.
You simply click the tiles together and make a new surface. Bonus: the water can travel beneath the surface so, if you have any areas of pooling water, this works great for preventing puddles…or lakes.
Fire pit with White Cross Base
Nothing sets the mood in your outdoor space more than a fire pit, and I love this one for its versatility. It has a rare white base with black iron top — a piece that can cross over between styles is a rare find! You could pair it with white wicker, natural teak, and black iron in a tasteful way. This fire pit helps unite those elements, which makes it a hybrid style furnishing piece. Bingo.
Long Outdoor Bench
Benches are one of the most multi-functional items out there. It can serve as a coffee table, movable seating, partitioning, or even a plant stand.
Here’s a fun way to use a long bench: if you are entertaining, you could take this bench from a table area, move it to an open area, put some movable planters with large grass plantings behind it, thereby creating a sheltered area for guests to casually rest and a lovely visual break from a wide-open space.
What’s next?
Armed with all this information, you are ready to create the outdoor space of your dreams. However, if you’re looking for more than just a stylish revamp, give us a call. Our team would be delighted to design and renovate a peaceful space for your family to enjoy — inside or out.
Until next month,
Kathryn