Create Your Perfect Outdoor Space

No matter the size of your outdoor space, you can turn it into an inviting area that you’ll enjoy year-round. You’ll find that it doesn’t take much to declutter your patio and maximize your outdoor space.

Pick a Theme

Your outdoor space should be a reflection of your taste. Picking a theme helps streamline your design options. Whether you're inspired by a Japanese garden with bamboo fences and evergreens or a cottage garden with wildflowers and cobblestone fire pits, it's all about making your outdoor space feel like a personal escape. Even a tiny balcony can embrace these themes by adjusting the greenery and furniture to fit the scale.

Divide Your Outdoor Space into Sections

Think of your outdoor space as multiple sections rather than a single unit. Dividing the area into sections makes it more functional. Carving out separate seating and dining areas can enhance usability. Benches are versatile for seating, accent tables, or even ottomans and are great for displaying planters and candles.

Incorporate Greenery into Your Outdoor Space

Using weather-friendly materials, fabrics, and furnishings designed to last is important, but a touch of greenery can instantly transform your outdoor space—no matter its size. Banana leaf trees and orchids can add a touch of nature, and high-design planters are a creative way to showcase your style.

Invite More Colors with Accessories

You can introduce color through accessories, even if you don’t have many walls for colorful elements. Patterned throw pillows that match your indoor color scheme can make your outdoor areas appear larger and more cohesive. Adding a water feature like a koi pond or waterfall can create a serene atmosphere with calming sounds.

Use the Seasons as Inspiration

Add pops of color in outdoor chairs, floral arrangements, and decor. For spring, bright colors inspired by nature can add interest to both small and spacious outdoor spaces.

Connect Your Outdoors with Your Indoors

Let your outdoor space be an extension of your indoor space. Pulling colors and textures from your interior into your outdoor furnishings and keeping the view between spaces open helps make both areas feel larger. This connection is especially beneficial for smaller spaces, keeping indoor conveniences close at hand while bringing natural light and views of nature indoors.

Take the Same Care with Your Outdoor Lighting

Outdoor lighting is just as crucial as indoor lighting if you want to enjoy your outdoor space after the sun goes down. Aim for a cozy, warm glow with pretty pendants, hanging lanterns, or string globe lights. Additionally, consider laying your outdoor flooring in an interesting pattern, whether it’s cement tile, concrete paver, or decking.

Plan the Outdoors as You Would the Indoors

Plan your outdoor space with the same care as your indoor space. Consider how you want to use the space, the size of the area, and the style you want to achieve. Draw a scaled plan and divide it into practical areas. For small patios or balconies, use plants and furniture to create separate areas for relaxing, dining, or cooking. For larger yards, create different zones for activities like relaxing, playing, or entertaining.

Activate Unused Spaces in Your Outdoor Area

Unused side yards, patios, or backyards can be transformed into functional outdoor spaces with a little creativity. Turn neglected or catchall spaces into useful outdoor living areas.

Remove All Clutter

Start by removing unnecessary items from your outdoor space to create the largest possible area. For example, if you have a large shed used for storage, consider removing it to open up the space for more functional uses.

Consider Your Interior Views

Design your outdoor spaces to support their use while also enhancing your interior views. Staggered plants in various textures can add visual interest and privacy while creating a calming view from indoors. Seasonal plantings and pollinator-friendly plants can offer dynamic, ever-changing views ideal for bird watching from inside.

Incorporate Different Seating Areas in Your Outdoor Space

Always include some variation of a seating area in your outdoor space. Even a small bistro table with two chairs can provide a comfortable outdoor space for entertaining or relaxing. Incorporating lighting and greenery, such as low-maintenance succulents, can further enhance the ambiance.

Add a Rug Area to Your Outdoor Space

Adding a rug can help define and cozy up your outdoor areas. It distinguishes different zones and provides a soft surface underfoot, contributing to the cozy atmosphere you expect inside the home.

Decorate the Walls

Just as you hang wall art indoors, you can decorate the walls of your outdoor space. A fresh coat of paint or stain on a fence and modern wall hangings can add dimension and interest to your patio.

Bring Different Elements Together in Your Outdoor Space

Take advantage of various elements to add interest to your outdoor space. A fire pit, for example, is both aesthetically pleasing and functional. Outdoor fountains come in a wide range of sizes and can enhance any outdoor setting, regardless of its size.

By incorporating these tips, you can make the most of your outdoor space, no matter its size. Ready to transform your outdoor area? Let’s get started!

Ready to Enhance Your Outdoor Spaces?

If your outdoor areas could use a makeover – or if you want to create a backyard oasis from scratch, please let me know and I can consult with you on how to create the outdoor space perfect for your vision and needs. The ideas shown here are a good start, but still just the beginning. 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.

Now that the sun is setting later and the ideal weather is settling in, it's the perfect time for open-air cocktail parties and lazy afternoons. 

But first, and being spring, you likely need to do a patio makeover to create that backyard oasis.

Not sure where to start with your patio makeover? I hear you.

Check out this handy guide, which has everything you need to know to get your outdoor space in shape in no time.

Start Your Patio Makeover with a Deep Clean

Give your deck or patio a good clean. Sweep up leaves, cobwebs, and debris with a broom that has outdoor-grade bristles, then wash away the winter with your hose.

Note: Don’t power wash stained wood — only concrete, brick and stone. (No power washer? Most big-box hardware stores allow you to rent them for the day.)

Refresh Your Outdoor Furniture

Instead of investing in new pieces, try restoring them. Hearty woods like teak and acacia are meant to survive harsh weather; however, if the woods start to turn gray and muted, give them a facelift with a fresh coat of teak cleaner.

Wash your table with soap and water, sand the gray spots and apply two coats of cleaner. Scrub pieces made of plastic or composite materials, such as Polywood and Trex, with liquid dish soap and water.

Add Color to Enhance Your Patio Makeover

Most outdoor furniture pieces come in wood styles and neutral colors, which makes for a palette that blends in well with the great outdoors.

Layering in a few pillows in bright colors and fun patterns will give your patio a fresh look.

Brighten Your Space with Rugs in Your Patio Makeover

Rugs are a fun and easy way to brighten your outdoor living space. If you spot a stain, vacuum up the dirt and dust, then give the rug a good wash with a hose.

These days, stylish designs that will also hold up to outdoor living should be pretty easy to find.

Prep the Grill

Use a stiff wire brush to clean your grill’s grates before inviting the neighbors over for a backyard feast.

If you’re ready for an outdoor kitchen upgrade, let me know and I can steer you in the right direction for your outdoor cooking inspiration.

Add a Few Side Tables for Spring Sips

Freshly squeezed cocktails and chilled glasses of Sauvignon Blanc deserve to rest on a chic side table.

Consider a ceramic stool for easy maintenance and cleanup. The right color or pattern will add some pop to your patio makeover.

Create Ambiance with Lighting in Your Patio Makeover

Create ambiance for your al fresco dinners with twinkling lights. Wrap them around trees, line them along your pergola roof, or string them from tree to tree for an instant mood lifter.

Choose bistro lights with bigger bulbs for more impact.

Hanging string lights from tree to tree is an instant mood lifter for any outdoor space.

Mulch and Refill Pots for a Fresh Patio Makeover Look

Late spring is the best time to mulch your planters, pots, and containers. Add a fresh layer to discourage weeds and keep your plants nicely hydrated.

Depending on where you live, flowers like pansies, marigolds, and petunias add beautiful seasonal color, while plants like cacti and succulents add texture and greenery.

Consider hanging baskets filled with hearty begonias to add dimension.

Create Seating Vignettes

Keep the conversation flowing with cozy arrangements. Arrange Adirondack loungers around a fire pit to encourage a warm chat, or take your patio to new heights by adding a whimsical hanging chair or hammock.

Throw Some Shade

Shaded spots are necessary for a respite from the Florida sun. If your deck or patio isn’t covered, add a stylish umbrella to the mix. From freestanding styles to patio tables with umbrellas, there are plenty of options.

Take it one step further and add a gazebo to your backyard’s scheme. Talk to me first, I'll steer you in the right direction for an incredible patio makeover!

If you're considering sprucing up your outdoor patio or deck for spring – and year-round enjoyment – talk to me! Especially if you're considering an upgrade. 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.