With summer getting closer every day, now is the perfect time to start thinking about how you might want to revamp your home’s outdoor spaces for entertaining, relaxing, and fun times once the weather warms.
Don’t think you have to have vast external spaces to enjoy the great outdoors at home, though. Even compact zones can become a place you want to retreat to or gather around in with your friends and family. Consider the following tips as you think about ways to freshen up your property’s outdoor area in 2021.
Choose the Right Furniture
One of the most vital parts of setting up a limited entertaining zone in your yard is choosing the right furniture. When space is at a premium, avoid decorating with too much furniture or with too-large pieces. Stick with smaller, smart options that will give you the function you require without cluttering up the patio or deck.
A bench set up along the wall of the house works well as a space saver. Buy a pre-made one or build in a customized creation made from wood or concrete or another material suited to the outdoors. A personalized option works well if you have an area too small for standard off-the-shelf products. It pays, too, to choose or make a bench with room inside for hidden storage. Pop cushions, throws, entertaining products, and other bits and pieces in there when they’re not in use.
Utilize a storage ottoman if there isn’t enough room for a longer bench. Add a table and some stools or chairs, and you’re ready for outdoor dining and relaxing. Plus, buy some large throw pillows made from weatherproof fabric to act as additional seating, cushioning when you want to laze about on the grass, or for more comfortable bench seating.
When it comes to outdoor furniture, consider going modular, too. For example, if you don’t have room for a full dining table, put two compact bistro table sets together. This configuration creates enough space for four, six, or even eight people, potentially, but you can fold the sets up and store them when they’re not needed and you desire more space for relaxing, playing, or exercising.
Draw the Eye Up
When you have a limited area to work with, keep in mind the interior design trick of drawing the eye up to make zones look and feel bigger. For a patio or deck, you can do this in a few ways. For example, research elegant outdoor ceiling fans and drapes that you can use to give the illusion of more height and space while also dressing things up and providing helpful functionality.
Plus, you could plant a hanging wall garden. Vertical gardens not only give you more greenery (and potentially fresh herbs and produce) but also free up floor space, add visual interest, and draw the eye up. Search online for DIY tutorials for creating your own hanging garden, and you’ll find many simple yet effective ideas.
Focus on Accessories
If you want to turn your outdoor area into a welcoming, appealing space, no matter its size, turn to accessories. These dress up an area and can help to tie all the décor together. In particular, it pays to invest in a quality, durable outdoor rug that adds some nice color to your patio or deck and makes it more comfortable.
You might also want to add accessories such as plush pillows, lanterns and candles, blankets for those chillier days, and some backyard games, such as quoits and horseshoes. Furthermore, you could add a compact fire pit or water feature for extra ambiance. A mirror can help to reflect light and make your outdoor spot seem bigger, too.
Add Potted Plants
If you don’t have much other garden area in your yard, why not turn your patio or deck into somewhere that lets you get back to nature? You can bring in potted plants to do this.
No matter the size of the space you have to work with, you should be able to fit in at least some greenery, such as succulents, fresh herbs, pretty flowers, grassy shrubs, or lavender or other plants that encourage native wildlife.
Other ideas for making the most of a minimal outdoor area include creating an indoor-outdoor connection, streamlining the color palette, and adding a patio heater for the colder months. No matter how much space you have to play with, you can turn your external square footage into somewhere you and your family want to be year-round.