Have you been thinking about ways to get the most out of your backyard this fall? You can continue enjoying your outdoor spaces during the cooler months just by considering some of these ideas for your outdoor areas. If you’re not already set up for it, with a few considerations, you can change your outdoor living area to allow for year-round enjoyment.

Whether you are considering revamping your existing outdoor living area or are planning to build it from scratch, these ideas will help you create the perfect fall-friendly outdoor living space.

How to improve your fall outdoor living experience

By making some useful decisions for your outdoor living space’s design, you can maximize its functionality for use year-round. By adding some simple fresh design elements, your outdoor living area can be made to feel cozier too.

Backyard get-togethers with family and friends can continue throughout the cooler months. Use your outdoor living space as a spot to take a break from doing your fall chores like raking the leaves. Or just curl up beneath a blanket beside the warmth of a fire pit on a crisp fall day with a hot drink and a good book.

Here are some tips to improve your fall outdoor living experience.

Fire up the heat

An absolute essential to make your fall outdoor living experience more comfortable is a good heating source. When it’s chilly, nothing boosts the cozy feel of a space like adding some warmth to the area, especially if it’s generated by real flames. One such way is a fire feature, such as a fireplace, fire bowl, fire lantern, or fire cauldron.

Popular product choices to warm up an outdoor living area are fire pits (which also come in table and bowl designs), outdoor fireplaces, chimineas, propane patio heaters, and electrical heating appliances like infrared heaters.

You’ll naturally want to locate any heating sources as close to your seating and dining areas as possible.

A high-quality fire pit/table/bowl becomes the centerpiece of an outdoor room. It doesn’t only have a magnet-like effect on everyone because of the heat it provides, it also adds ambiance, a sophisticated touch, and visual appeal to an outdoor living space.

Before buying a heating product for your backyard, be sure to check on what your local laws allow for operating open fires. 

A heating source like a fire pit is essential for maximum comfort when using an outdoor living space in cooler seasonal times.

Enjoy your entertainment outdoors

An outdoor room with the right design can be used to bring the indoors outside and add another dimension to your home’s living space.

When coupled with a reliable heating source to help keep you warm and toasty, an outdoor living room can be used for longer into the year as an entertainment space.

Why not enjoy your favorite fall sporting events or a family movie night with your friends and family in the comfort of your backyard? An exterior entertainment space with an outdoor TV, a great audio system, and high-quality furniture creates a comfortable extension of your living space, bringing it from inside to outside.

To boost your comfort level, consider adding thermal outdoor curtains, or roller shade screens, which can usually be attached fairly easily to an outdoor living area’s overhead covering. They’ll help keep an outdoor living space’s heat in and are useful year-round for privacy, bug control, and blocking out the sun and wind. If you’re using a propane patio heater, just be sure the area has enough ventilation.

Have you considered an outdoor kitchen?

If you are planning on doing a lot of outdoor entertaining this fall, consider going beyond the BBQ and having an outdoor kitchen built. This can include a stove, sink, bar, and refrigerator, or just a grill and sink with seating for dining.

This not only encourages guests to stay outside and enjoy your backyard, but it expands your living space. The atmosphere that a pot of chili or steaming soup can add to the senses while enjoying a cozy fire is beyond words. And don’t forget the fleecy throws!

Any outdoor kitchen needs a good grill, so don’t cut corners when it comes to buying the most essential appliance in an outdoor cooking space.

Invest in a premium grill that provides a headache-free cooking experience. High-quality grills are more reliable and will:

• start up every time
• hold steady cooking temperatures
• cook food more quickly and efficiently than cheap grills
• allow you to grill foods at different temperatures with variable heating zones
• offer convenient features like smart tech and under-hood grill task lighting

Florida’s variable weather is a good reminder that your outdoor kitchen cabinet and countertop materials need to be of the highest quality to endure all weather conditions. Make sure to consult with me – I can help you find what’s most suitable for you and your needs.

Consider setting up a hot beverage station in your outdoor kitchen to feel cozier while spending time in your backyard enjoying chillier fall and winter days. Beverages like hot apple cider, hot chocolate, and pumpkin spice latte are perfect for autumn and will warm you up as you extend your fall outdoor living time.

I can help you design your outdoor kitchen so it’s available for convenient year-round use.

High-quality outdoor furniture is a must for your exterior living space

An outdoor living room’s furniture is another element where investing in higher-quality products will serve you better in the long run.

Changing and unpredictable weather conditions and harsh temperatures will take a toll on outdoor furniture, too, especially cheap furniture.

Spend a little extra to buy high-quality outdoor furniture that has everything you look for when buying indoor furniture, including comfort, visual appeal, and durability. The latter characteristic is a little more important with outdoor furniture, of course.

Prioritize buying outdoor furniture made with weather-resistant materials that will reduce the likelihood of the furniture rusting, developing mold, fading, and warping. These outdoor furniture materials are considered the most durable:

• powder-coated steel and aluminum
• wrought iron with a weather-resistant finish
• hardwoods such as teak, white oak, and eucalyptus
• polyresin wicker

Weather-resistant cushions are another essential for outdoor furniture. No one likes to sit on a hard surface at any time of the year and especially not when the weather is cooler. Metal furniture materials like wrought iron can feel ice-cold on a chilly day and cushions act as a welcome buffer.

Covering your outdoor seating area will not only provide you with much-needed shade from the Florida sun, but it will also help you keep in the heat when the temperatures start to drop. A cover such as a pergola or a large and sturdy umbrella will go a long way in keeping you comfortable while outdoors this fall. I’ll discuss more on this further down in the article.

Good exterior lighting is crucial for outdoor living enjoyment

As the days get shorter, the lights come on earlier. That makes having good lighting extra important for an outdoor living space that will be used during the fall.

Lighting that is dim and harsh can singlehandedly neutralize any of your efforts to make a deck or patio area feel cozier in the autumn with heating and some decorative upgrades. The look and feel of a space is hugely impacted by lighting and simply using more bulbs to brighten an area isn’t going to be a good strategy.

Incandescent and halogen lighting is considered by many to be outdated. Even relying solely on LEDs, today’s preferred exterior lighting choice, isn’t enough since there are a variety of bulb styles and colors that produce different results. Lighting also needs to be strategically located and thoughtfully considered.

I work with excellent lighting professionals who can help with your outdoor living area’s lighting. They’ll know how to achieve the best results so everything is well-lit for functionality and safety, as well as maximum enjoyment of your spaces. A pro will also know how to effectively highlight the best parts of an outdoor living space and its surrounding landscaping.

Cover your outdoor living spaces

Another of the essential fall outdoor living ideas to consider is adding an overhead covering for more comfort. A roof extension, covered pergola, cabana, gazebo, pavilion, or large awning are the most common solutions for covering an outdoor living space.

An outdoor living space should ideally have some sort of overhead covering to provide protection from the sun and rain during the summer, or any time when the weather conditions are enough to drive everyone inside.

An overhead covering also extends the life of your outdoor living products and allows you to continue using the grill year-round. When the weather won’t cooperate with your cooking plans, you won’t need to get out an umbrella before firing up the grill.

Lousy weather won’t limit the functionality of an outdoor living area if it’s got overhead covering.

It’s easy to add cozy fall touches

Cooler temperatures can make it harder to feel cozy in a space. Along with heating your patio area, add some decorative touches that incorporate fall-themed decor elements to infuse the outdoor living space with a cozier vibe.

It doesn’t take much effort to quickly change the look and feel of an outdoor space by getting creative with the décor. This can be done in several ways:

• switching out furniture cushions
• adding texture and softness to the space with outdoor area rugs, throw pillows, and blankets
• using fall-inspired colours on your furnishings to set a seasonal and festive mood
• adding seasonal accents like a table centerpiece and foliage garland
• light fall-themed candles to enhance the mood

Upgrade your fall outdoor living experience (for year-round enjoyment)

There’s no reason any outdoor living space shouldn’t be enjoyed throughout the year, especially in Florida!

All of the fall outdoor living ideas I’ve covered aren’t just practical in the autumn – they provide the same comfort and enjoyment benefits for whatever weather conditions come your way.

If you’re considering enhancing your outdoor spaces for year-round enjoyment, talk to me! Let me come by and see the areas you’re thinking of enhancing, and I guarantee I’ll have some ideas for you that will make your outdoor spaces delightful! 

These ideas are just the beginning of possibilities – let’s talk about it! Message me here, right below this blog post, or click this “contact” link, or you can email me at: carmen@sohointeriordesign.com You can call me anytime at (407) 743-2399.

A pergola draws people in with its beauty and shade, creating a central location for friends and family to gather.

Homeowners who have discovered the joys of relaxing and entertaining in their backyards are often thinking about the next enhancement they can add to their outdoor space. 

Backyard enthusiasts crave continued improvements, as each one adds beauty, visual appeal, and an opportunity for enjoyment. Enhancements to your outdoor spaces help create a mood or personality for your home and they are an extension of your family’s warmth and hospitality. 

If you are considering the next addition to your landscape, consider installing a pergola. Here’s why:

A Pergola (further) Extends Your Living Space

If you have already installed a deck or patio, you likely added it to extend your living space beyond the walls of your home. If you have found that you love your outdoor living area but that it’s not quite so useful on a summer afternoon when the sun is beating down or if you wish you had protection from inclement weather, a pergola may be right for you.

A pergola extends your living space and increases the amount of time you can spend outside. Designed and oriented correctly on your lot, a pergola can cast enough light shade to make even a warm afternoon enjoyable or if you still need additional protection, you can install a retractable shade cover for even more shade. Some shade covers will even protect you from light rain, perfect for those unpredictable summer storms.

Design Options Abound with Pergolas

If you choose to add a pergola to your landscape the first thing you’ll need to decide is, “custom or kit?” A design professional like myself can help you design a pergola from scratch and can have it custom-built right in your backyard, Or you can purchase a kit from one of the many well-known manufacturers in the U.S. With a kit, you won’t have the same design flexibility—you’re typically limited to rectangles and fixed dimensions—but all the parts will be delivered to your home for you or your design professional to assemble and install.

Your next decision will be materials. There are a variety of materials to consider and all come with advantages and disadvantages:

Pressure-treated wood: A pressure-treated wood pergola is often your least expensive option. They’ll have a reasonable lifespan but pressure-treated lumber can warp, crack, and split over time. This type of pergola generally looks best if painted or stained.

Cedar wood: Cedar (typically Western Red Cedar) is a popular choice for pergolas. It’s naturally insect resistant and looks beautiful right from the sawmill. You can leave it untreated to turn a soft silver gray, or stain and seal it to hold its color. A cedar pergola is more expensive than a pressure-treated pergola, but you’ll typically get a longer serviceable lifespan from cedar.

Vinyl: If you’re looking for a pergola that requires very little maintenance, vinyl is certainly worth consideration. You cannot easily paint a vinyl pergola, however, so your color choices are limited.

Fiberglass: Fiberglass pergolas are generally the most expensive way to go, but they come with significant benefits. Because fiberglass is so strong, you can span much longer distances without posts, (in some cases, about 20 feet) giving you a cleaner look). Fiberglass can be painted any color you want, and the paint will hold up better than on wood. Finally, fiberglass pergolas are perfect for adding to either a deck or an existing patio. Due to their light weight, fiberglass pergolas don’t require the same deep footers as other materials dictate.

A Pergola is an Entertainer’s Dream

The real magic happens on many a pergola once the tools are packed up and it begins providing both form and function to your outdoor living space. Pergolas provide support for everything from chandeliers and ceiling fans (consult with an outdoor designer like myself first, please!) to small speakers, strings of lights, and even fabric. You’re only limited by your imagination.

Pergolas extend your outdoor space, offer a variety of design options, and can be tailored to fit even a modest budget. If you’re in search of a way to create an outdoor oasis, one that offers energy or tranquility (or both), a pergola might be the perfect enhancement to your deck or patio.

If you’re excited about the idea of adding a pergola to your outdoor landscape experience, don’t hesitate to contact me, and I can show you what would work best (and where) for your specific situation. Just message me here, right below this blog post, or click this “contact” link, or you can email me at: carmen@sohointeriordesign.com And you can call me anytime at (407) 743-2399.

Here are some idea starters from what’s trending now.

Are you looking to spruce up your backyard or outdoor area? Maybe you want to do more entertaining or add a pop of personality to your outdoor spaces. 2023 has arrived with exciting outdoor furniture trends that are stirring excitement. 

From luxurious interior brands taking on the outdoors, using mixed materials, larger dining and seating groups, to bold pops of color, these new furniture styles are perfect for updating or creating a new and exciting space in your backyard or patio. Here’s a look at some top outdoor furniture trends making waves.

Mixed Materials and Collections

Outfitting your outdoor patio with mixed materials and collections is a great way to create a practical and stylish space. This year, we’re seeing the use of complementary mixed materials in outdoor furniture, such as teak wood with aluminum, ipe wood with wicker, rope with aluminum, and natural materials. 

Don’t be shy about mixing outdoor collections as well. Integrating different colors, accent tables, and chairs from various collections provides an eclectic designer look.

Lighter Frame Colors

Lighter frame colors with neutral, natural finishes are another hot trend that gives your outdoor space a modern and breezy feel while adding a touch of sophistication. Light gray, off-white, and taupe are all popular tones for outdoor furniture frames that are perfect for making both small and large furniture groupings look chic and inviting. These lighter colors are an excellent backdrop for vibrant outdoor accessories like cushions and pillows while taking cues from the natural environment.

Interior Styles and Brands are Moving Outdoors

Luxury interior brands are expanding their collections for outdoor environments, allowing consumers to bring the same looks and styles they have inside of their homes outside as well. Bernhardt, Vanguard, and Lexington are just a few higher-level brands offering outdoor collections that boast quality, durability, and longevity. With these luxury outdoor collections, you can seamlessly extend your interior design into your outdoor spaces for an inviting space that truly reflects your personal style.

Larger Dining and Seating Groups

Now that gathering and socializing are back in full swing, we are seeing larger dining and seating groups as a hot trend to accommodate more entertaining outdoors.

Make your outdoor living area comfortable and inviting with chaise lounges for extra seating around the pool, rockers by the fire pit, extra-large or modular outdoor sectional sofas, and counter-table height bar stools for outdoor kitchen areas.

Bold Pops of Color

Outdoor furniture is moving away from traditional all-grey or neutral schemes to bold and brightly-colored choices for cushions, pillows, rugs, and accessories.

Geometric shapes, abstract designs, and stripes on umbrellas and pillows add more pizzazz, especially in tropical Florida.

Modular and Stacking Furniture

Modular outdoor furniture is gaining popularity as more people look to optimize comfort and convenience. This creative design approach gives you versatility and functionality as pieces can be rearranged and styled with multiple seating options, interchangeable components, and optional custom pieces to fit your needs and accommodate guests.

Quality and Warranty Guarantees

The outdoor furniture industry has moved to prioritize quality and warranty guarantees. Since more and more customers are investing more in high-quality, durable outdoor furniture made to last, we are also seeing an increase in the use of maintenance care products and replacement cushions due to the longevity of frames.

Sustainably-Made Furniture

For outdoor furniture connoisseurs looking for reliable and luxurious pieces to add to their outdoor living space, sustainably-made furniture is a trend worth keeping an eye on. Brands are now utilizing marine-grade polymer material—known for its strength and durability—as a more sustainable approach to outdoor furniture.

Take Seaside Casual furniture, for example, created from EnviroWood®, an all-weather marine grade recycled HDPE polymer composed of the same material used to construct milk jugs.

Are You Ready for Some Elegant Outdoor Living?

What’s currently happening in the outdoor furniture market is providing us with high-quality, durable, sustainable, and eclectic designs that are made to fit your space and style. 

If you’re ready to incorporate some of these exciting trends into your outdoor living area, let me know, and I can help you determine what will work best for your outdoor spaces, situation, and needs.

I’m easy to reach – you can choose a contact method right below this blog post. You can also click this “contact” link, or you can email me at: carmen@sohointeriordesign.com And, of course, you can always call me anytime at (407) 743-2399.

One thing COVID has done is force most of us to re-focus on our homes and how we spend time in them. And this new focus has led many to consider how to turn their backyard into a staycation paradise.

Lockdowns – and even a hesitancy to leave our property – had us spending more time away from others besides our immediate family, and seeing the pros and cons of how we’re set up at our homes.

I know many people who have actually decided to look for a new place to live, once they realized their home wasn’t providing them with the comforts they desired.

That’s a pretty drastic response, in my opinion, although in the real estate market it’s an excellent time to be selling your home…but remember you have to then buy one as well.

All of this new focus on our existing abodes has given me a reason to expand my own business into what I call “Outdoor Living” and how to help my clients basically reinvent their backyards, whether it’s a deck or patio area (or what some people might call a porch), as well as their backyards beyond the immediate rear of their home.

Depending on your situation, you may have a lot of area to work with or a very limited space…but either way, I’m here to tell you that any situation can be customized and upgraded to create a special environment for your personal comfort and enjoyment.

While we’re all easing back into the mainstream of our lives, getting back out there to shop, dine and connect with friends, many people have also looked at their backyard situation through new lenses.

There are many opportunities to enhance what you have and turn it into a permanent “staycation” – and why not? We live in Florida, a tropical environment that many envy as paradise or the perfect vacation to begin with.

Most people feel it’s important to have an outdoor space they love. Their backyards need to be a place to escape to, and unwind, and relax.

The pandemic has made our outdoor spaces more important than ever, and many people have already started sprucing things up.

Maybe that’s you?

Maybe you’re looking for ways to tie it all together or find that key element that says “staycation” to you.

Whether you’ve invested in some big-ticket items already, or not, many people are finding that it’s often also the smaller things, those finishing touches, that can turn their backyard spaces into environments they love to spend time in.

Here are some tips to turn your backyard into a staycation paradise:

Seating

Probably the most important thing is to decide how you want to use your space.

Do you want to dine, lounge, entertain, outside more?

Many of my clients want their patio to feel like an extension of their home, with a little “we’re on vacation” thrown in, and they typically purchase a large sectional set.

When the weather is nice, they’ll use that area as an outdoor living room. I know it’s summer, but there are ways to make Florida’s summer months enjoyable.

Seating decisions should be tied to your overall desire of how you want to use the space, and I can help you map out the best way to arrange things for your specific goals, desires, and needs to turn your backyard into a staycation paradise.

Shade

The summertime in Florida is hot and humid. One of the most important things my clients desire is having adequate shade.

Consider a pergola over your patio or a freestanding cabana or pavilion or even outdoor shades or awnings to cut down on the heat, allowing you to greatly increase the time you spend outdoors. Even umbrellas can be an excellent and stylish alternative.

Speaking of pergolas and cabanas, I’ve had the pleasure of teaming up with Orlando Outdoor Living, a company that is the Central Florida representative of StruXure, which manufactures the finest pergolas and cabanas I’ve seen!

These structures are changing the way people are enjoying the outdoors. These wonderful structural products ensure that outdoor family gatherings, parties, and cookouts can be successful in any weather conditions, rain or shine.

To whet your appetite with how nicely they can enhance your outdoor living experience, all of the covered structure photos appearing in this post are created by StruXure.

If these images capture your attention (and the creative ideas are flowing), I would be glad to meet with you to show you all of the ways that these products can transform your outdoor spaces!

I place a high value on creating functional and beautiful designs tailored to each home environment. This is only possible through my close collaboration with my select partners.

Lighting

Sometimes lighting is overlooked when designing an outdoor space. Adding the right type of lighting can really increase the amount of time spent outside and help create a nice mood.

It is often not terribly expensive, and easy to install. With so many choices available,

I can show you which ones would make the most sense for your environment and your needs.

Consider A Poolside Pergola or Cabana to turn your backyard into a staycation paradise

If you already have a pool, it’s always a great idea to add a structure that turns your backyard into that staycation paradise.

It gives you space to enjoy quality time with your family and friends and gives you the opportunity for even more relaxation by your poolside.

And you can build a bar in your pool house or create an outdoor kitchen or a lounge area with a grill to complete your personal backyard pool house retreat.

Add a Fire Feature

There’s nothing like an evening sitting around a fire roasting marshmallows and having a cocktail.

A fire feature is perfect for those evenings under the stars when it is chilly, or after popping out of the hot tub or pool.

Choices range from a full-blown fire pit to a fire table…or even some torchieres.

Entertainment

An outdoor movie theater might become one of your favorite additions! What about a screen that pulls down from your pergola and a projector mounted from the rafters.

Sounds fancy, doesn’t it? But something like that can be very affordable.

A large mounted TV is also a great way to set the kids up outside while the adults get some alone time indoors. And everybody loves watching movies outside under the stars!

Add Some Color

There’s a reason outdoor furniture is designed to be extra-durable: Exposed to the elements, it must withstand harsh sun, rain, and wind. But over time, it does eventually get weathered.

A fresh coat of an unexpected color of paint is a great way to revive weathered patio furniture.

There’s a saying, ‘When your rattan gets ratty, just paint it and it looks new again,’ and that’s not an understatement.

To capitalize on injecting a splash of a nice, new color, you might also consider painting other outdoor furniture, sofas, tables, and shutters, and/or picking up some of that color in fabrics or accents.

Anything that’s looking bad, give it a coat of paint and you get another couple of years out of it.

Declutter

You know that wonderful feeling you get when your house is clean and organized?

You can also get that same feeling when everything is decluttered and cleaned up in your outdoor space.

The key is to make sure the things you keep out and visible add joy to your life and won’t be yet another thing you need to maintain.

These are just a few things that help people make their outdoor spaces more enjoyable.

I would love the opportunity to help turn your backyard into the staycation paradise of your dreams. Just contact me for a consultation. You can message me here, right below this blog post, or click this “contact” link, or you can also email me at: carmen@sohointeriordesign.com And, of course, you can always call me anytime at (407) 743-2399.

Happy Summer, everybody!

If you’re looking into a cabana or a pergola for your backyard, you might at this point be wondering, what exactly is the difference? 

The biggest difference between the two is the coverage, or, the amount of shade provided. 

While a pergola will give you about the same effect as if you were sitting under a large oak tree, a cabana will provide you with complete shading from above. 

For the ultimate outdoor living experience, consider a cabana or pergola for your backyard.

Pergolas are large structures, typically with beautiful and innovatively designed architectural features. 

When built into a home, pergolas are great for extending the living space while also gaining an outdoor seating area, or depending on what you like, even an outdoor cooking area, or an outside bar.

Since summer is here, many of you are trying to escape the Florida heat while still enjoying your outside area. 

To help with that, the shade and comfort of a cabana might be what you need. 

Whether you are wanting to enjoy the sun without the sunburn, watch the kids swim in the pool, or even if you just love sitting outside and listening to the rain during a summer thunderstorm, then a cabana might be perfect for you. 

No matter what time of the year, cabanas can give you a cozy, shaded outdoor area that will help you get the most out of your backyard. 

Cabanas are freestanding structures that are built on even sets of columns, with a full-coverage roof. 

They are great for adding outdoor living space, kitchen, fireplace, bar, dining area, etc. 

Many times, they are accented with light fixtures, ceiling fans, heating features, fireplaces, TVs, refrigerators, grills, etc., to enhance the beauty and usability of your outdoor-living feature. 

To offer the best option for cabanas and pergolas, I partnered up with Orlando Outdoor Living and StruXure, which manufactures the finest pergolas and cabanas I’ve seen! 

These pergolas and cabanas are definitely changing the way people are enjoying the outdoors. 

StruXure pergolas and cabanas both have louvered roofs that are motorized to close fully when needed for changing weather conditions. 

When it comes to your covered outdoor living area, you want a stylish but also trustworthy roofing system. 

Manufactured entirely in the US, the StruXure system is engineered to withstand high winds and comes in a wide range of colors, materials, and finishes. 

No matter what sort of unit you are looking for, free-standing or attached to an existing structure, the StruXure system is bound to enhance any area and compliment any architectural style to give you perfect sun and weather control. 

Cabanas and pergolas are both beautiful and useful additions that add value to your home or your and enable you to enjoy your outdoor spaces for many more months out of the year. 

StruXure is also great to extend dining areas for restaurants and bars. Create outdoor seating areas for Airbnb properties and vacation rentals.

What about a cabana or pergola for your backyard? I’d welcome the opportunity to meet with you and show you how these stylish and functional StruXure products can transform your outdoor spaces! If you’re interested, you can message me here, right below this blog post, or click this “contact” link, or you can also email me at: carmen@sohointeriordesign.com And, of course, you can always call me anytime at (407) 743-2399.