Ways to Jazz Up Your Outdoor Living Space

One of the easiest ways to jazz up your outdoor deck or patio is by using splashes of color. Sometimes it only means investing in a few accent pieces that make a bold statement and your outdoor living space perks right up. You don't always have to buy new – with a little elbow grease and some creativity you can make second hand items look brand new.

Before you begin though, clear everything off your deck or patio and give it a good wash. I don’t recommend power washing but there are some good washes you can add to your water and then scrub it clean. If it needs staining, all the new patio furniture in the world won't help. Bite the bullet and give it a new coat of stain or paint. This is actually a great place to get started with your colorful accents. Now that your deck is ready here are some colorful ideas to help you get started.

1. Try painting your fence posts a bright, coordinating color such as teal, or. Or paint or stain a pattern or border around the edge of your deck.

2. Your deck is for socializing, so show that you are ready for company. The addition of a new patio table is a great place to start. Place a colorful bar cart in the corner and load it up with bright acrylic glassware.

3. Give your old wicker furniture a facelift. Paint it in bright sunny colors, or if you're feeling adventurous, use a stencil and add flowers or other patterns. Just use acrylic paint, but seal it with varnish to protect your paint job.

4. Add a fancy ice-bucket by getting hold of a galvanized bucket or oblong container. Paint it bright blue or orange and add a vine pattern on the outside. Voila, now you have a fancy ice-bucket for all your coolers. Remember, use a rust inhibiting or food-safe paint, or the surface should not come in direct contact with food.

5. Use themes such as the seashore, by incorporating fish, sea shells and beach balls in your accents or stencils. A citrus theme works well by using pale greens, oranges and yellow as colors for chairs or bistro tables. Try painting a slatted table top with two or three different corresponding shades.

6. Your garden shed doesn’t have to be brown and boring. Add colorful window boxes, gingerbread trim and some wild stripes on the walls.

7. New outdoor lighting goes a long way to perking up a patio area. Colorful lanterns or strings of lights can be hung from overhanging trees or beams providing a fun, economical source of lighting.

8. Now what about that white vinyl furniture that's still in great shape? Don’t worry, with paint specially formulated for vinyl furniture and some new cushions you can make your old chairs look brand new.

9. Use your color wisely though by tying everything together with your accessories. For instance take four chairs each painted in a different primary color and add a cushion in a common color such as red or green, and place them around a neutral table top.

Jazzing up your outdoor living space “by the yard”

New Outdoor Furnishings that Help Create a Relaxing Oasis

Outdoor living is exploding at all levels of interest and price. Even in urban areas (maybe even more so there) where there is precious little outdoor space. People want more than a few potted plants. Consumers are finding stylish and functional designs suited for a compact little place in the sun. Two-seater café sets, small drop-leaf tables and even a mid-height bar with bar stools that elevate a person's sight line just above the typical balcony rail are especially designed for urban outdoor living.

People are increasingly looking to the outdoor spaces around their homes for a tranquil retreat. Research shows, 42 percent of all homeowners think of their outdoor space as "an outdoor room." When asked to list the most important attributes for that space, 86 percent said it should be "relaxing." 60 percent said it should be a place for family and friends to "hang out" and 57 percent wanted "a sanctuary."

The gazebo is one of the most sought-after sanctuaries. They are now more affordable than ever. Today they come with features including removable screens and elegant canopies, plus windows that can be opened and closed.

Our outdoor spaces abound with a soothing palette of spa blues and earthy greens and visual references to Asian symbols of serenity. This look is elegant, tranquil, and harmonizes with our desire for a retreat.

Generously sized sun loungers are a more mobile option that can offers a retreat for one or an intimate oasis for two and coupled with a canopy can provide shade and privacy. The cozy corner of a covered porch is a great spot for that nostalgic symbol of tranquility, the porch swing. When a porch isn’t available there are Pergolas with swing to turn any spot in the garden into a place for peaceful repose.


Other Innovations include:

High-tech cushions which retain their plump looks yet provide excellent support. New filling blends that add softness without sacrificing water resistance.

Innovation in outdoor fabrics also includes a new breathable polyurethane that looks and feels like leather. It's anti-fungal and resists mildew, stains, scratches and fading.

Portable propane fireplaces created for the outdoor living space are extending the season for outdoor entertaining and relaxation. Some have slate or marble tops, as well as faux stone materials. With coordinated seating you have the ability to create comfortable relaxed conversation groups around the fireplace.

If the warmth of a fire doesn't draw guests to gather round, perhaps an outdoor bar or a table with an ice bucket full of cool beverages in the center will.

Provide sun protection for your lounge chairs, swings and hammocks with protective awnings or canopies. Some come with canopies attached. As for the umbrella, new designs rotate and pivot to block harmful rays throughout the day.

There may be more innovative products that are new to outdoor furnishings. Some companies use recycled plastic bottles destined for landfills and remake them into amazingly strong and durable polymer products crafted to look and feel like wood. These poly-resin products won't mildew, crack, splinter, rust or fade. Nearly as durable but without a hint of modern plastics are furnishings made using recycled teak wood products collected in Thailand. Old teakwood yokes, plows, sugarcane grinders and wagons are all finding a second life in outdoor accessories for your outdoor living space.

Outdoor Furniture “by the yard”