Choose Your Own Patio Design

Just as you take pride in the design of your home’s interiors, so, too should a patio design be the showcase of your outdoor area. A patio is practically an extension of your home or a transition area between the home and the garden, so a lot of planning should go into patio design.

First of all, you have to create a theme for your design. If your home makes use of decor using natural or earthy materials, then your creation should also reflect this theme. It’s disconcerting to move from the inside of your home through a patio using modern materials and then on to your garden which again consists of natural elements.

It’s best for your patio to serve as a segue between these two areas. If you have a preference for wood, don’t hesitate to plan your patio around it. Wood can now be treated to withstand different weather conditions and is timeless in terms of design.

It can also be easily combined with fabric to soften its look. Wood naturally blends with the outdoors, so if you want the vegetation outside to connect to a home with modern furnishings, then you can create a design using large wood furniture or a wooden patio cover accented by modern pieces of decor.

Another natural material that you can utilize for your design is wicker. Although not as resistant to moisture as hardwood, wicker is preferred by some for outdoor furniture use because of its look, its lightweightness, and its inviting appeal.

Wicker furniture, when combined with comfortable cushions in your design, can be very inviting. Its natural colors of ochre and light brown mirror the hues in your garden and its designs reflect the natural patterns of plants, such as intertwined vines and twisting branches.

Using wicker furniture also echoes a traditional because these were used during the colonial period and therefore also exude an old world charm.

Wrought iron is another popular choice. Although furniture made from wrought iron can be quite heavy, they can be left out in the patio despite sleet, thunderstorms, or strong winds, so there’s really no need to carry the furniture inside when the weather isn’t fair.

The hardness of wrought iron can be softened by other elements in your design, such as curtains, delicately-patterned cushions, vases of freshly-cut flowers, or soft lighting at night.

How about a patio design to reflect your fondness of le vive moderne? Aluminum is associated with a contemporary theme, and so is glass and plastic, such as resin. Using these materials will satisfy an art deco design, and you can have fun playing up on this theme because most modern decor can be affordable, compared to natural materials which cost a lot due to their scarcity.

Aluminum can last for several years and is low-maintenance. Plastic, though, can fade over time and could be damaged by extreme heat. Furniture made from it are thus best kept out of direct sunlight.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 8th, 2008 at 7:17 pm and is filed under Patio Furniture. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.