Your To Do List – Patio Planning

patio planning ideas

If you are in the midst of pinning endless garden and patio related inspiration on Pinterest, this post might just be of help. I’m about to share my best ideas for a pretty neat patio update. Perfect for those rare but oh so appreciated British summer days and long evenings.

Our outdoor area is in desperate need of TLC. Luckily for us, it is pretty easy to maintain as there is only a couple of flower beds and a patio. No grass. Thank god.

The problem I have had is that it’s a reasonably sized space. There is a lot one could do with the space, which is also a little bit overwhelming. For this reason, I decided to think of it more as a little outside room, rather than a daunting garden (I don’t even do gardening!). This is how I created a plan for my own perfect patio space.

Create a New Layout

Our patio is rectangular shaped. Splitting it in to 2 halves allows us to create a better sense of an outside room. I am keen on using a trellis or two, and dress them nicely with greens and hanging plant pots. This trellis from IKEA is only £30 and would be perfect.

patio and garden divider

Choose Practical Pieces & Outdoor Furniture

The minimum I would want is a outdoor furniture set. This would fulfill our requirements for al fresco dining. I do like the rattan ones, but I reckon these would look a bit too chunky for the space I want to create, so I would go for something a bit more simplistic (maybe cheap is the word I’m looking for?). As I would also very much like to go on a summer holiday this year, this furniture set from B&Q ticks all the boxes for a bargain price.

Ideally, I would want to invest in quality furniture rather than cheap and cheerful. At this points though, I know I would value a quick update more than quality, so we will save that for later.

I would also consider some sort of storage for cushions, blankets and and accessories you don’t want to get wet. I like the idea of this storage bag from Ikea. It protects the cushions when they are not in use, and the bag can be folded up and stored away when empty. Winner.

Add Outdoor Accessories & Colour Schemes

This is the best part, right? We’re talking all the things that will really up that cosyness. Decide on a colour scheme and then let your self loose. I would personally look for seat cushions, throws, lanterns, flower pots etc in neutral colours and interesting textures. I want our outdoor space to work as an extension of the living room in the summer time, and would therefor keep it quite simple, yet welcoming.

Also, don’t forget to make use of the walls. Free up floor space by getting your smaller plant pots and shelves off the ground.

 

Don’t Forget – Outdoor Lighting

I love lighting and nice ambiance. We go through a lot of tea lights in this home. Lighting is probably the one thing that will require a little bit of planning unless you want to rely on battery lanterns and lamps.

I’m on the lookout for string lights as I like the idea of draping and hanging them.


I would love more inspiration, so please do leave a comment sharing your own ideas or plans.

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