With summer right around the corner and everyone sprucing up their homes these days, what better time than now to think about an outdoor addition to your home? Don’t worry, we don’t mean building one; we mean furnishing and decorating your patio, balcony, or deck so that it functions as additional outdoor living space! We love designing outdoor spaces, so we’ve gathered up some of our best tips for you to use to bring your outdoor living space to life:
- Create a sitting and/or dining area. Creating a conversation space, dining, or sitting area is so easy, and it’s pretty much essential for any outdoor living space. Decide how you’ll use your outdoor space, whether for eating, entertaining (pandemic-safely of course) outdoor lounging, or a combination of all three! Once you make this decision there’s a world of patio furniture at your fingertips online, in home improvement stores, and even in designated patio furniture stores. Just be sure you have a consistent color scheme and theme in mind, this way no matter which furnishings you’ve got, everything flows together.
- Create a garden. Gardening makes for a great relaxing hobby, and greenery makes for excellent outdoor decor! Whether you’re an award-winning green thumb, or if you’ve never kept a plant alive in your life, your patio/deck space is a great place to try your hand at small-scale gardening. You can buy or build deck planters, hanging planters, and even wall planters — the options are virtually endless! Just make sure that when you’re plant or seed shopping you take into consideration how much light your new plant friend will need to thrive, and which season it’ll grow best in.
- Build (or buy) a fire pit. There’s seriously no better way to bring family together in the warmer months than by sitting around a warm fire telling stories and roasting marshmallows, fruits, even cheeses (or, if you’re a true kid at heart, starburst candies… give it a try, it’s really sweet!) Adding a custom fire pit to your patio, or a store-bought fire pit to your deck, creates a focal point for guests or family to sit around. Trust us, you’ll love it!
In the warmer months when the weather is perfect for hanging out outdoors, having an outdoor entertaining space, even just for family and close friends, can help facilitate some unforgettable summer memories. Give our suggestions a try and let us know how things worked out! And remember, if you’re ever stuck or need help bringing your patio, deck, or balcony (or any other space in your home) to life, give Joshua Allen Design a call! We’d love to help!