With great weather at this time of year, it makes sense to make the most of your outdoor area! Creating an inviting and usable outdoor area is so important to your home, particularly for the rising percentage of urban dwellers amongst home owners. You may not have a big backyard, but no matter what size your outdoor area is, you can make the most of the available space to extend your living space. Here are 5 quick tips for making the most of a small outdoor area:
1. Make it Green
Even a small outdoor area needs greenery. Green is the colour of balance and harmony and also the colour that signifies renewal, rebirth and growth, so it’s a positive energy colour to have throughout your home. Adding greenery to a small outdoor area can be as easy as adding some potted plants, hanging pots or vases of greenery. It doesn’t take much to make a space greener, but if you have a small outdoor space, then adding some greenery will make a huge difference to the feel of the space!
2. Make The Space Work For You
It may seem simple, but making the most of a small outdoor space is important. The easiest way to make the most of your small outdoor area is to decide how you want to use the space. Do you want an entertainment space, a serene retreat or something fun for the kids? Making a decision about what you want to use your outdoor space for, makes it much easier to decide what furniture and decor you want to buy for the area.
3. Set The Tone
Creating atmosphere in an outdoor space is a great way to make it even more inviting! Creating atmosphere in a small outdoor space can be easily achieved by adding different textures and lighting. Lighting is such a simple and effective way to create atmosphere in your outdoor area, whether it’s wall lights, pendants, down lights or string lights, there are plenty of affordable choices to take your space to the next level. Adding texture, in rugs, cushions and throws will also make an outdoor space feel inviting and give it a finished look.
4. Create Privacy
Often a small outdoor area and neighbours close by go hand in hand, so creating privacy is at the top of the list of must dos. There are plenty of ways you can create privacy in your outdoor area, without too much work. If you have the time and budget, building some kind of screening to block out any nosey neighbors is a great option and you can find lots of inspiration online for different types of screening. There are pre-cut budget friendly screens available at hardware stores too. Greenery provides another great privacy option, whether its lots of large potted plants, a vine or even a hedge and these will look beautiful at the same time.
5.Inside Out
When looking for outdoor furniture don’t feel like you have to limit your options to just ‘outdoor’ styles. There are plenty of indoor styles that will work outside too, so long as they can weather the outdoor conditions, or are undercover. So, think outside the box!
Have something to add? Please feel welcome to do so in the comments.