Key Points
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Decorate your outdoor balcony to make it a comfortable space.
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Make your patio feel like another living room.
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Decorating an outdoor pool area is very similar to decorating an indoor area.
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Choose a color scheme to decorate with personality.
An outdoor space acts as a complement to an indoor space. Does your home have a balcony, patio, porch, pool, or a huge backyard? All outdoor spaces deserve decoration — an accent of your personality built right in. Your inside home will be even more appealing with an outdoor home that's just as comfortable.
When it comes to exterior design, many possibilities are available. The exterior design has more freedom than the interior design does. Decorating an outdoor space can range from landscaping and choosing garden gnomes to outdoor couch cushions and lighting options.
Try envisioning other people in the space to help you with outdoor decorating ideas. Ask yourself these questions when you start to think about decorating:
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How many people comfortably fit in the space?
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How might you use the space for entertainment versus leisure?
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Does the space need something to provide shade?
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Does the space need landscaping?
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Is there room for or a need for an outdoor cooking area?
When it comes to outdoor decorating, there are different approaches to different spaces. Delve into some options in this article.
Decorating an Outdoor Balcony
A balcony is one of the most common outdoor spaces. It's a perfect example of a small and confined space that, when undecorated, feels uninviting or uncomfortable. Decorating a balcony creates a welcoming, comfortable space to enjoy the outdoors in pleasant weather.
Seating on an Outdoor Balcony
If your balcony has room, adding furniture has all the power to spruce up the space. There are many different styles to choose from when furnishing a balcony.
You choose outdoor furniture the same way you choose indoor furniture. It's one way of setting a tone for the space. You might choose white wicker, patterned cushions, an outdoor rug, and small end tables. Choose select pieces if your balcony is too small for an entire setup. The best part about decorating is that you are in charge.
The power of two chairs and a small, single table goes a long way. This setup can be used for anything: morning coffee, a nighttime cocktail, reading a book, or catching up with an old friend. Having two chairs outside on your balcony gives people a place to sit and relax. Chairs invite relaxation, conversation, and connection.
Once you've decided on a seating arrangement for your balcony, decide on smaller, more detailed decorations.
Miniature Decorations To Spruce Up Your Outdoor Balcony
Adding lights is one of the most popular trends for decorating an outdoor space — string lights, lanterns, decorative lamps, or even something unique.
Picture the sunset on your balcony. When it starts to get dark, people want to go inside. However, what if it's the first warm night of the year, you have company over, and everybody wants to stay outside? Lights have the power to invite people to stay outdoors. Lights encourage company.
Add string lights around a balcony railing, a balcony ceiling, or even along the perimeter of the entire balcony. Include a few lanterns along the edges of the walls, a unique lamp on a side table, or lights that change color.
When adding string lights, choosing a warm white tone has the most relaxing effect. It's gentle on the eyes, and it feels more natural.
Other than lights, you could add many other decorations to a balcony.
Throw pillows are always a fun touch to an outdoor space. Consider finding outdoor throw pillows if your outdoor seating furniture has room for them. These pillows help people feel more comfortable and add personality to your furniture.
Finding art made for the outdoors is another popular way to decorate an outdoor balcony. However, be careful in choosing this art because not all art is durable enough for the outdoors. When choosing, keep in mind that you need an outdoor-specific piece. Make sure to pick something you like! Displaying your taste in art is vital to creating a unique and decorative space.
Candles have an intimate touch on any space, especially outside. If you live in a buggy area, adding citronella candles to your space can help keep bugs like mosquitos away. You get the unique ambiance of a small dancing flame from a candle and stay safe from bug bites.
An outdoor carpet for a balcony is another small piece of personality you can add to the space. Choose a plain color, a pattern, or a unique and picturesque carpet. Just like art, choose a carpet explicitly made for the outdoors. This carpet could be the finishing touch a balcony needs. It could also protect feet, providing a space that does not require people to wear shoes.
Decorating a smaller outdoor space, like a balcony, can be tricky. However, less space to work with doesn't necessarily mean less space for possibility and personality.
An Outdoor Patio Is Like Another Living Room
When decorating a patio, you essentially decorate another room of your house, apartment, or townhome. There's space for more than one or two people, space to walk around, and space to hang out all day.
Like a balcony, finding the right furniture for your patio is essential. Look at how many people can comfortably fit outside in this space and consider how much room people need to walk around. Do you want a table for dining? Do you want a few lounge chairs? Do you want a couch?
Furniture Ideas for Your Outdoor Patio Living Room
Consider getting a table with a few chairs to go around it. Providing an outdoor dining area allows people to enjoy their food while taking in the nice weather. There are all sorts of tables to choose from: a high table, a low table, a round table, a square, or a rectangular table.
Remember: Choosing a table for your patio is nothing like a camping table — this table is here to stay. It will not get packed away. Your patio table is more than just functional.
Choosing a table is like choosing a couch. Pick something useful, but also choose what you like.
When choosing chairs around your table, remember that you don't want people bumping elbows as they eat. You want people to be comfortable. You want the chairs' height to match the table's height, and the chairs should match. Usually, chairs sold with the table from the store are the best option.
An outdoor couch gives a patio a more "homey" touch. Like any outdoor furniture, ensure the couch is durable enough for an outside space. If there's room, try to picture two couches outside. Would that make it more comfortable? Would there still be enough room for people to get up and move around?
An outside couch can come in many different styles. They can come as a loveseat, a long couch, or even an "L" shape. Get a feeling for your outside space and pick the best couch for the area; you don't want your patio to feel too crowded.
Lounge chairs go a long way, especially if there is not enough room for a couch. Lounge chairs are perfect to sit in and enjoy the sun while reading a book or relaxing. Try not to buy just one lounge chair — if there is room, get at least two. Buying seats in pairs creates a friendly atmosphere.
An Outdoor Living Room Deserves Decoration
Aside from furniture, there are many things that you might add to a patio that there is not necessarily room for on a balcony. As an extra room, a patio gives you space to decorate uniquely.
Some ideas for this extra space range from small art pieces to larger and more important things that may grab more attention.
A small art piece might be something like a little statue. Statues are an excellent way to spruce up an outdoor space. Not only are they fun to look at and admire, but they are incredibly durable. Adding a statue to an outdoor space is always a win because you will never have to worry about damage.
Statues can be anything from fun little garden gnomes to unique works carved in stone. They can be as "classy" as you want them to be. Look in your area for local art festivals or markets — those are always the best places to find statues. Plus, it gives you a fun story along with the art.
Another decorative piece that can help tie together a patio is a fun light fixture. This could be an outdoor lantern, a vast outdoor floor lamp, or fun string lights. Adding lights to any outdoor area is always guaranteed to add energy.
The Power of a Shaded Area
While fun little decorations are an excellent way to make a patio more aesthetically pleasing, you may also accomplish this with more significant projects.
Have you considered a large umbrella? Think of all the design attributes this piece brings to a patio. Pick the pattern of the fabric. Choose a striped, floral, polka-dot, tie-dye, or patterned fabric design.
An umbrella can go in a few different places. You might put one in the center of your table, offering people a shaded place to eat food. Alternatively, you could choose a standalone umbrella. A standalone umbrella may be placed next to a couch or lounge chair, allowing a relaxing person to roll it up and bask in the shade.
Aside from an umbrella, there are other ways to achieve shaded areas. Of course, these may be slightly more significant projects, but the outcome is worth it.
Installing a lanai into your patio offers shade and privacy. A lanai can either fully wrap around a patio, making the entire space screened in, or hang from the side of the house, covering part of the outdoor area. Either way has its pros and cons.
Installing a complete wrap-around lanai keeps bugs at bay. People can hang out on the patio at nighttime without worrying about mosquito bites or bugs landing in their drinks. During the day, a lanai reduces the sun's rays by up to 80 percent, resulting in less sun damage or heat. A complete wrap-around lanai gives your patio more privacy during the day because it's more difficult for others to see inside.
A partial lanai hanging from the side of the house allows people to bask in the sun. It can be a nice decoration and even a fun photo opportunity. Choose the lanai's design, color, size, and shape. Although it will not keep the bugs away at night, you can feel the breeze and the outdoors more under the minimalistic design of this style.
As an extra living room, a patio is a virtual outdoor space. It's another hangout spot, a dining spot, or a quiet place to enjoy a book. No matter its use, it deserves the decorative touch that makes you feel at home.
Decorating a Pool Area is Like Decorating a Kitchen
A kitchen is a space where people hang out a lot. There are all sorts of essentials in a kitchen: the oven, the microwave, a toaster, the sink, a dishwasher, towels, and even a drying rack. Some cabinets store dishes, cups, silverware, and other utensils needed to cook. After we cook, we like to enjoy that food — often in the kitchen.
A pool area, like a kitchen, requires much upkeep. There are places to store its tools and things that make enjoying the pool more accessible, like floaties or pool noodles. Like decorating a kitchen, decorating a pool area involves incorporating the essentials.
Pool Essentials: Decoration Style
How do you make a pool shed look decorative? Start with the outside. There are many places to buy a pool shed. Get one that's rustic, retro, beachy, or even one that's custom-built. By choosing your style of pool shed, you are choosing the ambiance for your pool area.
Think you don't need a pool shed? Think again.
Here are some of the positives that people with pool sheds have noticed:
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It offers one spot for all pool tools, toys, and essentials.
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Nothing ever gets lost.
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If you have furniture cushions, it offers a covered and dry spot to put them when it rains.
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It's a great place to keep towels for when you forget to bring them outside.
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The pool shed keeps clutter from gathering or collecting around the pool.
Some people may see a pool shed as an eyesore, but it can be a main decoration attraction. With all the available shapes, colors, and styles of pool sheds, it's easy to choose one to fit the atmosphere and tone of your pool area. A pool shed is both practical and decorative.
Another essential pool area item is a grill. Grills are super popular around pool areas — especially in the summertime. However, make sure your grill is in a bare spot. Ensure there is nothing flammable near the grill. You don't want your barbeque to be too big.
When choosing an area for your grill, try not to make the grill the center of attention. This should be easy because grills should be in an uncrowded area. An excellent place for a grill is off to the side, further away from the pool, the furniture, and where people gather to hang out.
Placing the grill further away allows the person grilling room to cook and keeps them out of the way. You don't want a kid running to the pool near the grill. Think about safety and accessibility.
If your backyard is big enough and has an outdoor counter, try to place the grill somewhere on that side of the yard. Keeping the grill near a counter is reliable and safe. Regular, at-home grills are nothing like camping grills — they require more space and can't be neatly packed away. Just like in a kitchen, the oven can't be put away. It's there to stay.
Furniture in a Pool Area: Decorative But Durable
Steer clear of indoor furniture when shopping for outdoor pool furniture.
Not all outdoor furniture is durable enough for the pool area. Consider the chemicals in the pool and how they may mix with the furniture. You want dependable furniture.
Whether you shop for lounge chairs, regular chairs, or even chairs that float in a pool, you should find a durable product before deciding on specifics, like the design.
Reliability then design.
The best way to get a feel for a product's durability is to check its reviews. Search the internet, find where it's sold, and click "reviews." Reviews are beneficial regarding the practicality and functionality of products — especially around a pool.
Once you have found a product that will work for you, consider the color scheme you want around your pool. Remember that a pool is a sunny place.
Dark-colored furniture gets hot in the sun, but lighter-colored furniture won't get as hot. Not only does the color of your furniture make a difference in the ambiance of your pool area, but it also determines whether or not you need to lay a towel down before sitting in a chair.
Decide on Your Color Scheme
Color is essential when decorating a living space — especially if it's yours. If you love purple, maybe don't buy completely purple chairs, but don't feel afraid to buy purple throw pillows. Small accents of colors can go a long way.
Another helpful tip for color is to find colors that go well together. Often, a neutral color pairs well with a more vibrant color. When you plan the setup of your decorations outside, think about how that neutral color will go with its surroundings. Once you find the perfect neutral color, your time for vibrance has come.
Try not to let the idea of finding a color scheme stress you out. Decorating an outdoor space should be fun! Focus on what you like, and build on those ideas.
If you want to be super unique, you can always find your favorite color lights. That way, when the sunlight disappears, you can turn on the lights and be surrounded by purple, blue, green, pink, or any other colors you may fancy. During the day, nobody will know about your nighttime color-filled outside oasis. Decorating gives you the room to do that, and you should take advantage of it.
Make All Your Spaces Feel Like Home
Decorating an outdoor space of your home is your chance to add your personal touches. Don't get overwhelmed: Think about the outside like you do the inside. Personalize your space with your favorite colors, patterns, and special artistic touches. Always keep safety and durability in mind.
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