love being outside. I love summer! And, I love enjoying the outdoors in the nice weather. We enjoy immensely and use our front porch/deck and our fire pit area in the summer. On our front porch, which faces west, we have an outdoor sofa and chair set which is great for eating dinner or dessert on warm summer nights. We also have a little bistro furniture set on our east-facing balcony that is perfect for drinking coffee and watching the sunrise. We shall not speak of my garden area as it is still a work in progress (maybe they will be fit for public consumption next year?!?!).
This setup works great for us because this is how we use our space. I am excited that we have been able to redo our fire-ring area this spring as it helps us utilize a great space that we have, but sometimes fail to utilize, since it needs fixing up. What I have found is that while yes, my gardens still need lots of attention and I am slowly making progress on those, putting a little bit of work into areas we use most makes the biggest bang for our buck and is the most gratifying. In this post I am sharing some different outdoor setups that I have seen. My hope is that one of these will spur a take away for you of how you can tweak the space that you have to make it work for you. So often we think we need more, different, bigger spaces but I have found that oftentimes we have what we need, it’s just a matter of tweaking it and getting creative to turn what we already have into our own little paradise!
What Do You Need to Make the Space Work for You?
Do you need a big umbrella to provide some shade for you when you are outside? Is your deck or patio in need of some softness? Try adding an outdoor area rug to soften the area. Do you live in an area where the evenings are often cool? Add a throw (perhaps one you don’t care too much about) to that area so it is not one more thing you have to run inside to grab when you are trying to enjoy a few minutes of quiet on an evening.
Maybe you just have a tiny little outdoor area that isn’t big enough to fit a table and two chairs—can it fit one chair? Maybe a little garden stool too on which to set a drink or a book? Some of us have large areas, some of us have tiny outdoor areas, but if you have even just a tiny balcony, adding a chair and a plant can bring your space to life.
Rehab and Refresh
Does your outdoor area just need a refresh or does it need some rehab? If the side of your house is turning black and green, it probably just needs a good power washing. However, if your deck is turning black and getting splintery then it might need some rehab.
Power Washing
You can get your own power washer, you can hire professionals to do this, or you can scrub the side of your house by hand and then spray it down with a hose. No matter what course you choose to take, I think you will be shocked how much this can improve the look of your home.
Rehab
We have a wooden structure encircling our fire pit and from this structure we have hanging wooden swings. This year we had to reinforce this structure; while we were at it we realized how rough the chairs were getting. Not only was the stain starting to peel but the wood itself was getting rough. After talking with several people more knowledgeable about this than myself, I discovered that there are thick stains out there that will fill in the groves in the wood. The product I am using is Superdeck by Sherwin Williams, but there are similar products by other companies. My chairs are turning out great! (Stay tuned for a post coming soon on the step-by-step process on how I refinished my chairs.)
In addition to this stain, there is also a product called a deck resurfacer which basically does the same thing but is made for a little rougher wear. These resurfaces will leave your deck with a rougher texture, like sandpaper, so take that into account, but it might beat rebuilding your deck if the wood isn’t too far gone!
Add Flowers
Flowers are nature’s jewelry! Don’t underestimate what they can do for a space! Even just adding one flower in a pot on an outdoor table can improve the feel of your space and make you want to spend more time there.
Add More Outdoor furniture
Do you have a table and chairs outside? If you have a partially covered outdoor area or just live in a mild climate, consider adding a china cabinet outside so you have dishware and other items right at your fingertips!
Along those same lines, maybe you have found a piece of furniture at a yard sale or flea market that has seen better days; try refinishing it with a heavy duty stain or varnish such as Polyurethane, to make it suitable for outdoor exposure. Adding storage and making your outdoor space feel more homey will help increase its use.
Lighting
Stringing a few Edison-style lights or café lights outside can make it feel like you are at a cute beach-side bistro. Of course, they are lights which means you’ll have more light outside—perfect for reading at night. You can attach poles to your railings to add height to string the lights between. If you have a patio instead of a railing, you can pour cement into cute pots to secure the poles to give yourself something to string the lights to and from.
Lanterns
Lanterns are another source of adding light; using a decorative lantern with a battery operated candle will add some ambience, while using a working oil lamp or lantern will shed some serious light on your area.
Tiki Torches
For a more tropical feel, adding some Tiki torches will help to add some mood lighting to your outdoor area. Citronella fuel is one option you can use to keep the bugs away while lighting your area. Obviously though, you do need to be more careful around any source of light that houses an open flame.
Other Posts You May Enjoy:
Ways to Use Your Outdoor Space More this Summer
Centerpieces for Late Spring and Early Summer
5 Historical Fiction Reads to Kick off Your Summer