8 Tips for a Perfect Porch & Patio
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8 easy decorating tips to cozy up your porch & patio. Use these ideas to create an outdoor room that your friends and family will love!
Today’s post kicks off a week of porch & patio inspiration that will be filled with new, budget-friendly ideas. I’ve invited seven of the most talented bloggers I know to join me in sharing their best tips for a cozy porch or patio. Next up, on Tuesday, is the sitting area of our front porch, and it’s also 20 Minute Decorating. Following that will be the front door area on Thursday. I purchased new planters online…but that’s it. The rest of the front porch was decorated with items I already had, except plants of course! If you aren’t already on my email subscriber list, now is the time to sign up…so you don’t miss a thing. Click {HERE} for more information.
Enjoy!
Use Pillows & Throws
from Ann at On Sutton Place
One of my favorite things to do to cozy up our porch & patio is to add soft furnishings…specifically pillows and throw blankets. Our front porch is covered, so I use pillows year round. For our patio, which is not covered, I keep pillows in our family room, and bring them out when needed. Use colors that coordinate with your home, or use the colors of the season. Adding a throw blanket to chairs and sofas during the cooler months of the year makes your outdoor space comfortable and inviting, and adds some extra color too. I’ve been asked many times what I do if my porch pillows get wet…and the answer is that I don’t do anything! I simply wait for them to dry out…which they eventually do. To get more information about the porch decor pictured above, click {HERE.}
Use One Element to Tie Everything Together
from Lory at Designthusiasm
Add a Wreath
from Yvonne at StoneGable
Bring the Inside Out
from Rhoda at Southern Hospitality
Outdoor spaces are my favorite, and I’ve found that it’s easy with just a few tips to make an outdoor space comfortable, cozy with the feel of a real room and extension of your indoor spaces. Adding cozy outdoor rugs, cushions and pillows to a space is a definite must for an outdoor space. Plants also add life and texture, as well as artwork, side tables to place a drink, hanging lanterns for cozy ambient lighting. If you add all those elements to your outdoor rooms, they will instantly feel like home.
Add Some Shade
from Janet at Shabbyfufu
Summer is a long season here in the south! We often use our outdoor areas as an extension of the home, and strive to ensure that they are comfortable. Not only do we want to keep ourselves and our guests cool, but it’s essential to shield everyone from the sun and provide protection from the rain. One of the most budget friendly ways to add shade is with a patio umbrella. There are so many color and size options available and currently many are on pre-season sale. If you have a yard or small garden space, consider a pop up cabana or canopy. Another great option is a pergola to create the feel of an outdoor room and fill with seating to enjoy. For more ideas on freshening up your patio for the warm months, click HERE.
Outdoor Lighting
from Sheila at Maison de Cinq
One of the things I love about French farmhouse style is how it really captures that romantic feeling – even when those spaces are outdoors! Last year we revamped our outdoor living space, but since we don’t have electricity out there, and I didn’t want to spend money to add it, I decided to go the European route and add romantic outdoor chandeliers. After all, what’s more romantic than eating by candlelight? It’s amazing how different it looks now, and how much cozier it feels! Come on over to Maison de Cinq to see how much ambiance they add, as well as lots more French farmhouse inspiration!
Add the Element of Sound
from Diane at In My Own Style
When choosing how to decorate your patio, deck or porch for outdoor living in style this year, don’t forget to add the element of sound in the way of wind chimes. Think all sound alike? Think again. Find out where you can listen to audio samples to choose just the right sound and design that will not only add some pretty, but also add a relaxing effect on the energy and mood of your outdoor living space.
Achieve a Collected Look
from Cindy at Rough Luxe Lifestyle
Achieving a collected look on your porch or patio is easy if you mix and match styles, finishes, and textures for interest. Add character and charm by combining the old and the new. Mix in your found treasures for personality and fun. Please come over to Rough Luxe Lifestyle to get the rest of my tips, and to see our porch!
Thank you so much for joining us!
Until next time…
I have a full front porch, and I love changing it up for the seasons. I own many wreaths, hanging in my basement, but this year I really outdid myself with a very large spring wreath hanging on my storm door. One morning my husband went to look out the front door window, and he had a robin sitting on the wreath staring back at him. I had to take the wreath down because the robin kept sitting on it, I presume to try to make a nest on it. I put it back up for a few hours yesterday, and I didn’t see a robin all day so I kept it up. I opened the door last evening to pick up an Amazon order that had been left. There were long wet strands of old plants hanging on the top of the wreath and on the entry rug. That darn robin – well, the wreath is now hanging in my garage on an old garden gate I kept when we replaced a fence. I thought by waiting a few days the robin would have moved on to build its nest in a tree, but no luck. Disappointing – as I spent quite a bit on this year’s wreath, but amusing at the same time. We all need a good laugh right now.
Thank you for sharing! This made me smile…
Hi Ann
Thank you so much for inviting me to share my porch. I am looking forward to everyone’s tips!