During any sort of decoration project involving your home, it can be easy to forget about the outdoor part of your residence. However, when pulled off correctly, you can extend the interior of your home to the outside and make it quite cozy and charming.
So read on our patio design styling ideas for tips on how to create an inviting patio for family and friends to enjoy.
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Patio Design Styling Ideas
As spring is right around the corner and soon after summer will be here. As the weather starts to warm up and the flowers begin to bloom, you’re likely looking forward to spending more time in your backyard with friends and family.
Sure, you’re certainly ready. But what about your patio? After a season of wintertime neglect, your patio has probably seen better days.
Luckily, there are a few easy — and affordable — ways to make your patio a place where everyone wants to gather and hang out. Here’s how you can create a little slice of paradise at home.
Layer Your Patio Styling
There are various ways in which you can use the same styles and motif from inside your home to transform your backyard and/or patio. When decorating your outdoor patio, consider all the different types of layers you have at your disposal.
Layer décor items like outdoor rugs and throw pillows for a luxe lush aesthetic. Doing so will complement the twinkling string lights and beautiful greenery throughout your outdoor entertaining space, making your patio feel like an inviting retreat.
Go Green in Your Patio Design
Lush green plants can bring texture and color to your patio space — and potted plants can certainly do the trick.
Then again, a DIY vertical plant wall can bring even more color, interest and style to your patio. Not only does going vertical work great for small spaces, but a handmade plant wall can also create privacy as the draping plants begin to grow.
Use Comfortable Seating
When it comes to the seating on your patio, you’ll always want to have plenty of it in the form of dining chairs, outdoor recliners and/or couches.
Doing so will ensure everyone who attends your next backyard soirée has a place to sit. Now, your seating options don’t have to be restricted to chairs and chaises.
Indeed, colorful floor pillows and poufs can play double-duty as decorative accents and extra seating options. Plus, these items can be tucked away easily and stored between parties.
Create a Serene Outdoor Atmosphere
Using neutral tones and color palettes for your outdoor space can make for a serene and relaxing setting and atmosphere.
Then again, a splash of color can add a touch of vibrancy to your otherwise neutral patio space. When choosing colors, designers say to opt for hues like greens and blues.
These two shades, which are commonly found in nature, complement neutral color palettes and natural surroundings effortlessly.
Hang Some Privacy Shades
Nosey neighbors? No problem! You can make your backyard patio feel like a faraway secluded oasis by adding a stylish privacy screen, which can help block a bad view or those nosey next-door neighbors.
You can also create a temporary wall by hanging flowing, vision bedding curtains in a neutral solid shade or print.
It's a simple and inexpensive way to create some extra privacy as well as a great idea for renters or homeowners who might feel just a little too close to the neighbors.
Inexpensive Patio Furnishings
When you are planning your outdoor space, you don’t have to feel as if you should limit yourself to simply a sitting area and table.
You can certainly get creative when it comes to designing your space, such as a lounge set near your fire pit or patio heater, a swing under a favorite tree in your yard, and even a few chairs placed in your garden.
Here is our review on the best patio heaters available on the market.
Small spaces and small patios can benefit from some stylish, multifunctional furniture. While you may be envisioning furniture items like under-bed storage, multifunctional furniture spans beyond just, well, function.
There are plenty of stylish options to consider, from chic ceramic garden stools that can double as tables to handsome outdoor benches that feature hidden built-in storage space.
All you really need to be focusing on is what will give you more incentive to spend time in the planed area. Use your imagination when it comes to your furnishings.
Since a lot of the outdoor furnishings you can find for sale are on the pricey side, it can feel daunting to get good deals, especially when it comes to sofas and lounge sets.
However, there are clever ways to find inexpensive furnishings that will be budget-friendly as well as lovely in your outdoor space.
It’s a good idea to browse estate sales, sites such as Craigslist, antique stores, and consignment shops.
And don’t forget that you can add a little DIY love to items to make them appear new, such as spray painting furniture that is made of metal a fresh color that will look amazing outdoors. Don’t forget to add throw pillows!
Innovative Outdoor Decorating
Sometimes what makes a room, whether it is indoors or outside, comes down to the little touches. Don’t forget to add a splash of charm using planters, lighting, small furniture, and even photographs and rugs to really make the space pop visually.
You can be on the lookout for these decor items at a decent price, or you can even engage in some DIY projects and make them yourself!
For example, holding on to any wine bottles you come across can give you the opportunity to come up with lovely lighting ideas.
Inexpensive Curb Appeal
The first impression you make is always the most important one, so why not dress up your curb appeal where you can? Fortunately, you can do this without spending much money at all.
Little things, like a fresh coat of paint on a door, swapping out the numbers on the front of your home, and updating your lighting can make a world of difference.
Another thing you can do is give your landscaping some work and add new plants or flowers if that appeals to you.
Build a Brick Patio
Brick is not only reliable but is also classic. It has adorned homes and public spaces for centuries and, over time, has shown fantastic versatility when incorporated into modern designs.
It’s no wonder that a brick patio remains a favorite among contemporary homeowners undertaking landscape renovations.
Here are a few ways to enhance the look of your brick patio in the context of the aesthetic theme you are using, so that it looks more anchored within the landscape.
1. Material Pairings
Source: LandscapingNetwork
There are various materials that pair well with brick and can be used to declare the aesthetic theme of a patio. Concrete, for example, is frequently paired with brick in contemporary landscape design.
Poured, cast-in-place concrete acts as a neutral counterpart to brick, allowing its colors and patterns to appear more vibrant in contrast.
Natural stone can be paired with brick for a rustic result, the success of which rests on selecting stone of the same or complementing undertone. For example, golden bricks can be paired with sandstone while salmon-toned bricks can be complemented by gray-green stones.
Cool granite is often used in conjunction with brick to create modern hardscapes with an industrial touch of luxury. Glazed tiles can add pops of color to a bohemian brick patio and help to develop its unique character.
Cobalt-blue tiles pair particularly well with red brick.
Check out our guide to types of patio pavers for more options.
2. Unified Color Schemes
Source: LandscapingNetwork
A brick patio can be made more captivating by utilizing bricks in different colors.
In order to retain harmony in the design, these colors should all complement one another and, ideally, pair well with colors found in the exterior of the home and other prominent hardscaping features.
Light and dark neutrals, including gray, tan, and sand can be combined to introduce highs and lows into the expanse without overwhelming the eye.
A monochromatic color scheme can also have a powerful impact, however, so don’t shy away from using all-red bricks for your statement patio.
3. Laying Patterns
Source: Pinterest
The way in which you arrange your brick pavers can have a significant effect on the appearance of your patio. It can influence the style, as a linear running bond pattern may look more modern and minimalistic compared to an interlocking herringbone design.
It can also create optical illusions that transform the shape of the patio.For example, a running bond design can make a patio look longer or wider, depending on the direction in which it is laid.
Either way, a running bond layout emphasizes the rectilinear shape of a patio while a circular paver pattern highlights a patio’s rounded shape.
Refer to our guide on laying pavers and the benefits of driveway pavers here.
4. Smooth Transitions
Source: Pinterest
Your brick patio may look more “finished” if you smooth out the transitions between brick and the surrounding landscape.
Echoing the color and texture of your chosen brick paver elsewhere in the hardscape or in the exterior of the home can help to tie the entire landscape design together.
Brick is an excellent material option for edging, and incorporating brick into surrounding plant beds, walkways, and driveways can help to anchor your brick patio within the overall landscape.
Invest in Outdoor Kitchen
If you’ve considered adding an outdoor kitchen to your property, it’s likely the size of the investment that is making you reconsider.
After all, it can be expensive to add an outdoor cooking area to your property – and a barbeque is more than good enough, surely?
Well, there are actually a number of reasons why you may want to go ahead with an outdoor kitchen anyway. It’s almost always worth the investment, no matter how much it costs to build. Here are three reasons why.
1. It Increases the Value of Your Home
In a recent survey by Casual Living Magazine, 49% of homeowners said they had already added either an outside cooking area or an outside kitchen to their home.
Of the 51% who hadn’t, just under 25% said they planned to do so in the upcoming year. It’s very clear to see that the trend for outdoor living spaces is on the rise.
By investing in an outdoor kitchen, you’ll be showing buyers in the future that you’ve made an effort to make your home more modern.
You’ll also position yourself favorably in the real estate market, and it may even make the difference between a buyer choosing your property over another one in the area.
Outdoor kitchens are expected to return at least 100% of the cost invested, with some adding as much as 200% of the cost to the real estate price.
2. It Will Expand the Size of Your Home
Lots of homeowners enjoy cooking and entertaining friends and family, but many struggle to do so in an indoor kitchen, especially if their home is on the small side.
An outdoor kitchen easily expands the size of your home, and can also be a much better place to socialize. It’s also much cheaper to add an outdoor kitchen to your property than it is to remodel your current indoor one.
In addition, outdoor kitchens are sure to be a people pleaser. There’s not much better than relaxing in the hot summer months outside and enjoying time with your friends. Your social group may like it so much that they’d rather visit you than go out to eat too!
3. It Can Improve Your Health
There are lots of articles online that talk about how the outdoors can make you feel happier and rejuvenated, and this also applies to the exterior of your property.
Spending time in your outdoor kitchen can help to restore your mental energy, improve your creativity, boost your mood, and even improve your memory and concentration.
Isn’t your own health worth investing in? Plus, if you add an outdoor living area to your property too, all of your family will receive these benefits.
While an outdoor kitchen may cost a few thousand dollars to build, the rewards are more than worth it.
Time to Entertain in Your Stylish Outdoor Patio
Whether you're searching for ways to add privacy or want to add a little pop of color to your patio, these patio design styling ideas will have your backyard patio primed and ready for spring and summer entertaining in no time.
All of these things will help you create a fantastic patio that looks great and will make your garden all the more enjoyable.