Practical Advice: Patios and outside furniture

Patios are more than a place to simply spend time outdoors, they can be extremely multifunctional and deserve to stand proud as an extension of the home.

When the doors of your garden room extension are opened up wide, the surrounding patio area creates an immediate and seamless connection from the soft furnishings inside of your home to the leafy garden outside. Helping to really ‘bring the outside in’, the patio plays an important role in how this part of your home looks and how it is used, particularly in the summer months, so it’s important to ensure the area is well thought out.

Furnishing the patio

An ideal place for socialising in the sun, the patio should offer somewhere for people to sit and relax. If you plan to eat outside from time to time, you could move your main dining table and chairs out onto the patio if space allows. Alternatively, you could invest in a lovely outdoor dining set that exclusively matches to your existing decor and style preferences. For a smaller area or for more intimate gatherings, a simple bistro set will help to maximise the space when dining.

Depending on how you wish to use the space, you may consider including alternative seating options into your patio layout, for example, a pair of elegant loungers with side table, a stylish daybed, or even a hammock or swinging pod will create the ultimate secluded space for putting your feet up with a good book and unwinding outside.

A space for entertaining

If, when entertaining guests, you plan to primarily use the garden room for dining, the patio can function as a sort of overflow area for guests to mingle with one another while you are cooking and serving the food. This way you can still be involved in the socialising, buy hydrocodone online topix without guests being under your feet too much. Create the zone by setting up a drinks table or bar area outside, along with some seating.

Alternatively, if the weather is good, you may wish to make the most of the patio and space outside, hosting a BBQ or garden party with friends. The patio will offer an ideal space for serving canapés or gathering to chat and play games. As the sun sets, you may need to consider switching on a patio heater, or for a particularly cosy atmosphere, you could all gather around a log burner or fire pit.

Finishing touches

To ensure the patio functions well as a connecting space between your home and garden, you can include some finishing details that will help to define the space while making the area look beautiful.

If your garden is well landscaped, it makes sense to mirror some of these features onto the patio area, fill the corners with pretty pot plants, and consider creating an area of interest with a small water feature or statue. To tie the patio to the inside decor, you can use lanterns or festoons to highlight the space, lay cushions on the seating, and hang small mirrors or ornaments on the surrounding fences or facades.

Patios are so much more than a place to simply spend time outdoors, they can be extremely adaptable, multifunctional spaces for accommodating dining, cooking, relaxing, socialising, enjoying family time, and much more. Therefore, this area really deserves to stand proud as an additional extension of the home.