Crafting a Comfortable Patio Paradise

Patios and porches can be the most revered location in any home. They represent peace, relaxation, and unique comfort. And often they’re the most personalized section of the home, with obviously lavished love and attention. Patios are so exalted because they offer a unique blend of nature, comfort, personal space, and harmony that you won’t find anywhere else throughout the home. Something within the human psyche seems naturally drawn to these special places, and drives us to personalize them as much as possible. If you’re looking to design or establish your own patio, here’s some advice before tackling such a large undertaking.

 1)      Understand your own goals

The home improvement aficionado knows the first step to any large project is planning. A careless dash forward into the project often leads to unhappy results. Our own ambitious eagerness to begin can be a plague. It’s very human to think the sooner started the sooner finished. But alas, such is in fact not the case. The better planned, the more efficient a project will be.

So, before you rush headlong into the reorganization, redecoration, or complete redesign of your deck/patio, take the time to fully establish a list of goals and priorities. Some common patio goals:

·         A private place of peace

·         A beautiful outdoor space meant for hosting and entertaining

·         An au natural extra extension for the house

·         A fun and beautiful addition that increases house value

·         An area to sit and enjoy the scenic view provided by your home’s location

Understanding the purpose of your patio can help you better accomplish and emphasize your goals, so take a minute to plan and prepare.

2)      Create a theme

Once you understand your goals for your patio and have a specific purpose in mind you’re ready to determine the overall theme of your patio. There’s no need for rigidity here – allow your creative side to come to the fore and delve deep into your potential.

Again, don’t forget your goals; if you’re planning a private place of peace, including a garden and plenty of shrubbery can ensure privacy while adding an element of tranquility. If you’re looking to create a space meant for hosting and entertaining you’ll want to have the furniture facing inward, so that everyone will naturally face one another—the reverse is true if you want a space to admire a view.

Creating a theme will help you plan and shop for the appropriate patio furniture and patio pads, preventing an amalgamation or mish mash of random furniture.

3)      Scale your decoration to size

This is a golden rule when decorating and designing any section of the house. Scale your decoration to size. If you don’t, the entire room will suffer. Either it will feel overlarge, with too much space and a lack of comfort, or it will feel cramped and awkward. So, measure your space and plan accordingly.

4)      Add character

Often overlooked when initially planning a patio is a character addition. Often this is established overtime, but there’s no reason it can’t be planned and brought in right away. Some great things that help add and establish the character of a patio are:

·         Feature/accent lighting

·         Garden/heavy landscaping

·         A water feature

·         A fire pit

·         Personalized art

Build something that will help define your patio’s atmosphere. Something that will make your patio stand out as the special place it should be. Whether it is a comforting fire on a cold night, the tranquil whisper of your water feature, or the vibrant life of your landscaping, plan on making your patio a place that smacks of character and personality.

5)      Durability

Don’t forget that when all is said and done, your patio decoration and furniture will be regularly exposed to potentially harsh conditions. Durability should be a big factor in your consideration of decoration and furniture.

Luckily with the increasing trend of patios there’s a wide variety of specialty furniture specifically designed for outdoor usage. So, don’t feel limited in your choices – just keep in mind that you’ll be relying upon the durable nature of any patio furniture or decoration.

Following these five tips should put you well on the path of patio success. Create the perfect patio space you've been dreaming of by understanding your goals, planning a theme, scaling your decoration, adding character, and ensuring durability. Best of luck, and may you create the patio you've always dreamed of. 

Terry Potter is currently Customer Service Manager at Duralife LLC., an online retailer based in Florida. He enjoys helping people make their outdoor spaces more comfortable and fashionable with his website, patiopads.com.