Update your patio in a day
Summertime is the perfect time to appreciate the outdoors. There’s barbecuing, celebrating holidays and simply enjoying the weekend or occasional evening outside. If your patio has been ignored over the winter months, you can whip it into summer shape in just one day. Done on a Saturday, you’ll have all Sunday to enjoy it. Give your patio some TLC with these quick and easy pick-me-ups.
From the ground up
Your outdoor space starts with a designated patio area. That may be a simple slab at the back door or a nearby balcony. For drab patio slabs or plain wood decks, toss down an indoor-outdoor rug to create some visual interest. If you don’t have a defined patio, draw out a design in the grass, outline with bender board, then clear grass away, lay down landscape fabric, then add decomposed granite and tamp down. For something faster, put down large pavers or replace decomposed granite with pea gravel. This will take you an afternoon, but you’ll have all summer to enjoy it.
Getting vertical
Many patios lack anything that creates a balance of the horizontal plane of the patio with something tall. Some easy ways to add vertical interest is with a grouping of high planters or urns filled with a tall plant. You can also build a privacy screen that will work as a backdrop for your patio while giving you a sense of seclusion and adding height. If you have a pergola over your patio, add two or three strings of patio lights to dress it up at night. Looking for something simpler? Anchor a tall wood or metal post inside a planter. Add dirt and fill with plants, then string lights to your post.
Survey for seating
Look at designing your patio area the same way you would a room. Create a seating area that includes lighting, a table to hold drinks and garden stools that can double as a cocktail table or extra seating. A ceramic pot with a wood top also makes a nice outdoor stand-in for a table and has a rustic appeal. Or, maybe you want to use your patio more for alfresco dining. In this case, add a table and seating, and look for a good spot to anchor the grill.
Go the extra mile
It’s the little touches that will bring your patio update together. Add lush plants to give the patio a nice fragrance, and consider also adding container plants with some herbs to use in cooking. Place a console table against a wall or your privacy screen for entertainment to hold drinks or ice or to serve food. Add a hurricane candle in the center of the table and some tall candle lanterns to add a romantic glow on evenings out. Throw in a water feature made from a tall urn, and the sound of bubbling water will be as soothing as the evening crickets. Be sure to look for some small outdoor accents too. Those small items will round out your patio’s decor.
(For more information, contact Kathryn Weber through her website, www.redlotusletter.com.)
(c) 2018 KATHRYN WEBER. DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.
