How to Add Style to Home Patios and Decks

Home patios and decks are great additions to any yard, providing an ideal spot for relaxing and entertaining. But there’s a lot to consider before starting construction.

The most important factors include the style and size of your house, the activities you want to accommodate, and your budget. This article will cover both deck and patio construction tips.

Built-in Seating

Whether you’re hosting guests or simply enjoying a quiet moment of relaxation, built-in seating can elevate your home patio into a comfortable and stylish retreat. From benches and banquettes to window seating in bay windows and lounge areas, there are endless ways you can add functional and aesthetically appealing built-in seating to your outdoor space.

– Straight Lines: Choose straight benches or built-in seating along the perimeter of your deck for a streamlined and sleek look. You can also incorporate them into retaining walls and as part of your landscape design to create a more visually appealing environment.

– Planters with Seating: Add flowering or foliage plants that can thrive in the weather conditions of your outdoor space to your built-in seating. Make sure your planters have adequate ventilation to prevent moisture accumulation and mold. If necessary, add drainage holes or slats to prevent water damage. For a more functional option, consider incorporating storage into your seating design.

Pillows

A patio or deck isn’t complete without comfy seating and cozy accents. Throw pillows in coordinating colors and patterns add a pop of color while providing support and adding an extra layer of comfort to any chair or sofa. Consider matching or contrasting the pillow color with your outdoor furniture, and don’t forget to consider the pillow shape — square pillows are better for back support while rectangular ones are ideal for sitting on the edge of the couch.

Regular cleaning is essential for keeping your outdoor throw pillows looking like new, and it’s as simple as mixing mild soap with water and scrubbing away stains or spills. Be sure to let the pillows dry thoroughly, as moisture can cause odors and mildew. Choose a pillow with a fill that’s resistant to fading, mold and mildew, like this 20-inch option featuring colorful woven geometric shapes and a rope border. It’s crafted from durable canvas polyester that allows water to bead up instead of soaking in, making it easy to clean.

Plants

Plants give a garden-like look to patios and add color to outdoor spaces. Choosing plants suited to your climate and growing conditions is crucial, but you can dress up your deck with flowers and foliage that reflect your style.

Marigolds, with their classic orange and yellow blooms, are hardy annuals that withstand summer heat and last until a frost. New varieties are available in creamy white, and you can even find thornless plants that repel mosquitoes.

Succulents add a tropical look to the patio, and you can choose from a wide range of leaf colors to complement your decor. Ornamental grasses are another option for your patio gardens, and you can find options that thrive in shade or full sun.

For a seasonal touch, replace faded annual flowers with harbingers of autumn. Mums in a variety of shades pair nicely with pumpkins and gourds, and ever-bearing strawberry plants produce plenty of tasty fruit. You can also grow conifers on your patio, including pine and juniper, but they require more maintenance than other shrubs.

Mismatched Pots

A deck can easily become a comfortable summer gathering space when you add a few plants and a shady spot for sitting. Creating a practical plant potting area outside your back door is a great way to add storage for gardening tools and to grow vegetables that need more sun than your garden soil can provide, such as tomatoes.

Standalone plant boxes can be a good option to visually zone your patio ideas or to optimize space for an herb garden so you have fresh sprigs of mint and thyme on hand. The color gray is one of the hottest colors this year, and you can use it in an endless number of ways in your home’s outdoor spaces.

Patios are often in shade, so the best choice for container plantings is shade-loving shrubs such as ‘Angyo Star’ Fatshedera and ‘Soft Caress’ Mahonia. For brighter spots, fill in with low-growing evergreens like ‘Oakland(tm) Holly’ or a low hedge of Baby Gem(tm) Boxwood.

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