A patio filled with the right amenities can be a warm weather getaway, right in your backyard. Create an outdoor living you can enjoy with these tips from Lisa Melone Cloughen.

 

1.   Outdoor spaces are often very matched in terms of furniture and upholstery and that does not need to be the case. If you have a sofa and club chairs that are the same style, consider doing the chair cushions in a color or pattern that compliments the sofa. Feel free to mix a variety of pieces much like you would in an interior space. Consider adding a piece that you would normally use indoors, assuming it can withstand the elements. Choose a small table, chair, bench or accessory.

 

2.   I love garden seats and though they have become a bit of a cliché, they continue to be a great addition. Look for unique shapes, sizes and glazes and feel free to mix contemporary and traditional styles. Consider grouping them in a corner and surrounding them with a variety of plants, lanterns and or sculptural garden elements. It creates a beautiful and relaxing focal point and a great backdrop to your seating area.

 

3.   An outdoor space needs greenery. I choose to do a lot of container gardening on my patios and I mix a variety of urn and planter styles. I mix larger scale classically inspired urns with mid-century drip glaze pots and sleek glazed or zinc contemporary urns. Fill the larger urns and some smaller ones, too, with a variety of plants based on color, texture, and dimension. Consider mixing taller plants with ivy and moss spilling over the sides. Bold color combinations such as orange and purple look really great too, and for smaller, tabletop arrangements consider a mix of succulents, all of which add to the visual interest of the space.