Patio Design - Expanding Your Home Outdoors

A patio can be just like another room in your house. Effective patio design can mean that your increase the floor space of your home, by adding an outside room that allows you to entertain like never before. A patio can just be a rectangular slab of concrete with some plastic chairs and griller, but it can also be so much more.

What comes to mind when you think of a patio?

Patio design gives you the opportunity to create an outside living area - an extension of your home - for entertaining and relaxing all year round. For instance, people who like to entertain may want to consider a patio with an undercover kitchen and dining area. By adding a barbecue grill, a built in fridge and some quality outdoor furniture, the patio can, in itself, become a feature of your home.

When commencing a new patio design, it is important to remember that your new outdoor entertaining area does not need to be expensive. There are a variety of different patio surfaces to fit a particular style or budget, including concrete pavers, natural clay stones and bricks. There is no need to stick to one type of paving or surface - experiment. Pebbles, gravels, bricks and tiles, can all be incorporated. A contrasting brick edge can also be effective. Similarly, patio shades need not be extensive, just enough to cover the main cooking and eating areas; after all, why block out the view of your gorgeous garden in the midday sun or the stars in the sky on a clear night.

Consider textures, colors, and materials before starting

One of the most important considerations of patio design is landscaping. Plants help to soften the hard surface of a patio floor by providing color, texture and fragrance and they set the mood for an outdoor living space. Further, you might also like to consider the use of a water feature and some soft low voltage lighting or candles, to create a stunning patio setting for night time entertaining.

Finally, selecting the right furniture is the key to the perfect patio design. There is no need to spend thousands of dollars on the right setting; more importantly you want to select items that are durable, basic in color and rich in style and sophistication. Consider resin coated wicker or rattan pieces that can be dressed up with different cushions and throw rugs. These items can be changed regularly to cater for a themed party or more simply, to match the changes in your flourishing flower beds.

A patio design can be as elaborate or as straightforward as you want it to be. Patios can be arranged in any shape and size and can be refreshed regularly just like the interior of your home. Outdoor entertaining is an increasing pastime - enjoy it with family and friends!

Nicholas webb is the owner of http://www.allabout-patio.com A site that providing user-friendly patio furniture and patio accessories consumer tips and buying advice for the outdoor lover. Check it out before parting with your money.

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Landscaping/Gardening Information:

Related Articles

Buying a Lawn Mower
Anyone with a lawn, no matter how small will at some point need to cut the grass, up root any weeds etc. Like most people, I normally manage to do this at weekends.
Plant Hardiness Zones
When selecting plants for the landscape, is important to select plants that will grow in your climate. The United States has 10 of growing or climate zones.
How to Grow Basil
Today there are sprays, scented candles, plug-ins, and even discs that promise to freshen your air by putting a variety of aromas into your home. However, when you know how to grow basil, you can have enough variety of fragrance to package your own potpourri! The most commonly grown basil is the annual, ocimum basilicum that carries a minty fragrance that smells like? well, it smells like sweet basil.
10 Tips for Successful Rose Planting
Planting roses isn't actually complicated, as long as you have some good advice and tips to start with..
Tuberous Begonias
If you appreciate plants that have no hesitation in boldly stating their presence with huge, almost artificially perfect flowers, then tuberous begonias are for you. While some may find them rather too overstated, downright brazen even, if you like colour, and plenty of it, with subtlety an option rather than compulsory, then look no further.
External vs. Submersible Pumps. Which One Should You Use?
For many people, it's never been a question of whether to use asubmersible pump vs. an external pump because most people havesmaller ponds and are used to just using a submersible pump.
How to Find and Work With a Porch Swing Contractor To Install the Porch Swing of Your Dreams
You've found a great Porch Swing and you know exactly where you want to put it, and it's not on the Porch. If you're a Do-it-Yourselfer, no problem.
Koi Pond Aeration
To achieve Koi pond aeration, there are some things you can do. One, you can go to your local hobby store or pet supply store and purchase one of those small air pumps, hook some tubing to it, along with an air diffuser or sometimes called an air stone, and place it in your pond.
Developing the Perfect Landscaping Idea
Using landscaping ideas can be an effective way to attract wildlife, such as birds, to your yard and neighborhood. Thoughtfully placing bird feeders or houses around your yard can make it an inviting environment for different types of bird species.
Fall Garden Chores for Spring Flowering Bulbs
As the school busses begin to rumble down the road again we are reminded that the gardening season is drawing to a close. For the gardener with an eye toward next spring, however, the season still promises plenty to be done in preparation of a showy spring to come.
Seeding Flowers Indoors: An Inexpensive Way to a Beautiful Summer Garden
Every year you plan that THIS will be the year you have pots and pots of lush plants on your balcony or deck. Then you visit your local nursery in the spring and reality hits -- the cost for your fantasy is just outrageous! Sound familiar?But you can have the planters of your dreams at a fraction of the cost and with a choice of varieties far beyond what the local garden center offers.
Roses and Juniper Rock Gardens
Wide circle driveways don't happen much anymore, but when they do, what do you do with them? Clear out the grass, mound up some soil, and park a few boulders in strategic positions and you've got the perfect spot for an artistic rose garden. Plant some dark green Juniper and a few golden-tipped junipers for background color before adding your roses.
Preparing The Garden For Winter
Are you like me? Sad to see the summer end but at the same time relieved that there is one less task to tend to. Weeding, watering, pruning, and more weeding is over for this year and with a few more chores the outdoor gardening year draws to a close.
8 Simple Tips to Keep Your Lawn Mower Running
1. If you have a non-electric mower which runs on petrol or gas have a look in the instruction manual to find out how to check and change the oil.
How to Create a Wildflower Garden
In today's gardens often populated by geraniums, roses, and zinnias, wildflowers can provide a simple and graceful flair. Almost any garden or landscape can be beautified by their presence.
How to Care for Your Outdoor Water Fountains
Garden lovers around the world love putting fountains among their flowers, plants, bushes and shrubs. And with the Christmas season upon us in the U.
A Bit About Bare Root Roses...
Scents from the rose garden filling the air as you walk by..
Making Memories with Flower Gardening
Flower gardening is not only about the present, but can be about the past as well. Although this article is ostensibly about flower gardens, it is really more about carrying memories forward.
How to Decorate your Outdoor Space without Breaking the Bank
Noted English clergyman Sydney Smith (1771-1845) is quoted as saying, "Economy in the estimation of common minds means the absence of all taste and comfort." But finding thrifty ways to decorate your outdoor living space doesn't mean you have to sacrifice either of those things.
The Rich History of Wild Roses
Wild roses, of the genus Rosa, are those naturally occurring natives found in Northern Hemispheres around the globe. Wild Roses can be found in forests, canyons, logged wastelands and thickets.