31st May 2022

Outdoor Living Ideas

It's time to update your outdoor furnishings!

Get the Most Out of Your Outdoor Space

The season of grilling, cookouts, horseshoes, lawn bowling and outdoor dining is almost here! As the warmer weather begins to roll in, the temptation to host friends and family for some outdoor relaxation and recreation grows. If you plan on hosting some events this year that will involve outdoor gathering and socializing, you will want to consider updating and upgrading your outdoor furnishings. Cool modern outdoor furniture will impress your friends at the same time that it offers them a comfortable and stylish place to relax in the fresh air.

Well designed outdoor furniture can help you get the most out of your outdoor space. Beyond finding cool modern outdoor furniture you are excited about, there are some additional easy tricks you can use to help maximize returns on investments into your outdoor space.

Consider Views

If you are just beginning to lay out, organize and furnish your outdoor space, consider where the best views or most pleasant spots are. If there is a spot on your back deck with a better view than the rest of the back yard, consider putting your outdoor dining table or main outdoor gathering spot here. You will want to take advantage of the best views and spots in your outdoor space by locating the main areas of use in these places.

Create Gathering Zones

You are going to want to provide your guests with great places to sit and chat, perhaps around a fire. Think about the amenities you want to provide in your outdoor space, and then use them to create focal points for socializing. For example, if you have a fire pit you are excited about in your outdoor space, create a nice zone of seating around it for your friends to relax and chat around the fire. Have a new horseshoe pit, and can't wait to challenge your friends to a game? Provide some additional places to sit next to the playing area so people can hang out and join in on the fun - which leads us to the next tip...

Create Recreation Zones

Outdoor games, like horseshoes, badminton, lawn bowling and the like, are classics of back yard parties. Do you and your friends have a game that you love to play during the finer weather months? Create a great spot in your back yard to play, and then arrange your outdoor furniture to augment the activity - i.e. a gallery of seating and tables around the volleyball court, or an outdoor bar area next to your lawn bowling space. This creates a gathering zone at the same time that it enhances your favorite outdoor pastime.

Consider Existing Vegetation

It is easy to get wrapped up in upgrading your outdoor spaces without fully considering the impact of existing vegetation. The best and most prevalent examples are trees. Trees provide natural shade and shelter under their canopies, and should be utilized as such. Consider creating one of your gathering zones under the canopy of a tree, should you be lucky enough to have some nice, large tree canopies on your property. One easy and cool trick to getting the most out of your trees is to create a gathering zone under a tree, and then put up string lights throughout the tree canopy. This way, you get a free canopy of shade and shelter during the day, and a glittering canopy of fanciful lighting at night, for your social space.

Consider Night vs. Day

Finally, be sure to think about both night and day time events in your outdoor space. You will find a lot of potential interesting and fun outdoor design ideas by considering both. Things like torches, string lights and umbrellas will begin to enter your consciousness when you think about factors such as lack of sunlight and too much direct sunlight.