Let's Get Ready for Outdoor Living

Creating excellent outdoor living begins with great planning. May is the perfect time to start planning so you are ready for summer. We love our summer nights! There is even a John Travolta song about summer nights and how much fun they are. But how do you create the space that will help create the summer nights you will remember forever?

There are really only a couple of elements that are needed no matter where people will be gathering:

1. Location

2. Lighting

3. Seating

The rest will fill itself with great flowers and sound, and if you build it, they will come!

Your location can be a deck, porch, balcony, or backyard. You can add a gazebo; this can be wood or metal. It's all about a place to gather. Be sure to check out the options! I built a gazebo a few years ago and every year I add to it with something. Maybe new cushions, an outdoor fireplace, or market lights to make things bright when the sun goes down.

This year I added new pillows to my seating. Always look for indoor/outdoor fabrics when working in your outdoor space. When you use a fabric that is not indoor/outdoor safe, it can fade in the sun, but also the colors can run when the rain comes.

True story! I came onto the scene of a show house late in the game. The only thing left was an outdoor space that was a complete mess. I brought on a contractor to help with the pergola options over the windows, I found outdoor furniture to borrow, and I made accent pillows for the furniture NOT made of outdoor fabric and trim. Of course, it had to rain the night before opening and all my fabric's color ran and made a huge mess. Lesson learned! Always use outdoor fabric and trim.

There is a happy ending to the story, my space turned out amazing and everyone hung out and enjoyed the space. Please do not ask for photos, long before cell phones!

Lighting

Having outdoor lighting is important when creating a beautiful outdoor space. Because you are going to be in your space long after the sun goes down, you're going to want to have great lighting when the stars come out.

Market lights are a great way to create overhead lighting. Just like in a house, you will need all 3 levels of lighting: overhead, task, and ambient lighting. Market lights, if you are not familiar with them, are the strings of lights you see on porches and patios that create this wonderful feeling of fun being just around the corner.

Task lighting can be lighting attached to columns or wonderful LED tabletop lights that turn on and off with a touch. These can be used both indoors and out, and some even come with sound.

This is a great example of outdoor lighting for entertainment. You have overhead lighting, task lighting, and ambient light in the plants out front. I know this may be a bit over the top for some people, but look at the options you can bring into your own outdoor space.

Let things build! All great spaces take time to build. Look at how you use the space and what works and what does not.

Another great option for outdoor lighting is solar lighting. It is affordable, easy to find, and has lots of options. Solar lighting is a great way to define a space or area. It is often soft in color, making it a bit romantic. Check it out!

Seating

Finally, there's seating! The key to good seating is to understand the location it will be used in. If you have a patio with no cover and love cushioned furniture, you are constantly going to be storing the cushions and then bringing them back out every time it rains. And we all know there will be that one time when it rains, and you want to have people over, and bingo, everybody's seat is wet.

A great option is sling furniture. Kingsley Bate makes a very comfortable line of furniture that is sling, which means it will dry super-fast after a rain and is very comfortable.

The most important part of outdoor seating is using the right style. We love outdoor living, and keeping it simple and easy is the key. If you have a covered patio, porch, or gazebo, go for it! Cushioned furniture is a great option. If you do not, look for options that are quick-dry and low maintenance.

Creating a beautiful outdoor living space is all about planning. Take it one step at a time, and build a space you love to be in. All of these great tips will be in my upcoming book Homeworxs, the perfect guide to maintain your home one month at a time.