Outdoor Living Space Ideas

There are countless ways to update your outdoor space, no matter the size. These include creating an outdoor living room with furniture on your deck or patio, adding a small dining area to a balcony and simply changing a backyard's ambiance with strategically placed pillows, rugs, lighting, decor and plants. Here you'll find tips and ideas for making your outdoor space the place to be!

Turn Your Backyard Into A Living Room

Encourage outdoor gathering during the warm seasons by making your backyard space open, inviting and comfy. Try adding a fire pit, hammock, swing chair or even setting up an outdoor game for friends and family to play. Even a small backyard can be a classic outdoor living room with comfortable chairs and sofas, side tables for drinks and decor touches like plants and lanterns.

Create A Poolside Lounge

Give your pool area a resort-like vibe with modern outdoor seating and decor. Choose at least one lounge chair that reclines for stretching out and taking in the sun. Surround the area with comfy chairs in materials like all-weather wicker and acacia wood, and be sure to add thick, weather-resistant cushions and pillows to really make your outdoor "room" feel luxurious. Chic little side tables hold drinks, phones and books, while a bold indoor-outdoor rug helps define the area and protects bare feet from the heat.

Anchor Your Outdoor Space With Nature

If you've got a backyard space filled with trees, grass and other foliage, you can use that to your advantage! Place your outdoor furniture underneath a big tree for shade. Add more planters with greenery on walls, tables or on the ground. Hang solar lanterns from your tree branches to add fantastic ambiance at night. Choose modular furniture and configure the sectional and chairs according to how much seating you need and how much sun or shade you want.

Design Multiple Seating Areas

A great way to break up your backyard space is to create multiple areas for people to sit. Not only can it make your patio or yard seem bigger, it also creates separate spots for entertaining, dining and conversation. Group a row of lounge chairs along one side of the pool, while keeping the sectionals and sofas, cozy chairs and coffee table together next to the house. Plants, umbrellas and outdoor rugs also serve to keep a seating area both distinct and beautiful.

Add An Outdoor Kitchen For Easy Entertaining

For easy alfresco dining and entertaining, build your own kitchen right on the patio! Stock it with a grill, an outdoor pizza oven and a cabinet with plenty of drawers for BBQ tools and dishware. Keep your eyes on the outdoor action while you prep and cook without having to run back into the house for supplies.

Create A Welcoming & Functional Front Porch

Don't forget the front of the house! Make your front yard or porch a place to hang out and observe the neighborhood comings and goings. Consider a couple of modern Adirondack chairs on the front lawn, with a small table in between. Place a bench or two by the front door and add some cute, seasonal pillows, creating an inviting place to wait for a ride or read a book.

Provide Shade With Pretty Umbrellas

Add style and protective shade to your backyard with a few outdoor umbrellas. With colorful canopies constructed from weather-resistant fabric, umbrellas are easy to clean and can be stored during the colder seasons. There are cantilever umbrellas, canopies with stands, and those that can be tilted against the sun. If you need several, try mixing and matching colors and patterns with your patio seating's cushions.

Define An Area With Decorative Walls

Give your outdoor living or dining area the illusion of a room with a textured wall or curtain! A brick, stone or wood-patterned wall adds interest to the area and can be decorated with outdoor art or plants. Go for a tropical resort look and use linen or sheer cotton curtains to give a space an air of romance and privacy.

Give Your Outdoor Dining Area Easy Kitchen Access

Design your patio dining space closest to the kitchen and make entertaining easy! Define the area with plants in gorgeous planters or a bold outdoor rug. Offer multiple seating options around the table, such as benches that can seat lots of kids at once and can be easily switched out for dining chairs.

Throw Backyard Movie Nights

Make your patio or backyard the TV watch party destination for the neighborhood. Create an outdoor den with couches or modular sectionals, comfy chairs, rugs and pillows - and fire up the TV or projector. Invite everyone over to watch the big game or your favorite movies, serve drinks and snacks and have a blast!

Warm Up By The Fire Pit

For a beautiful and functional focal point, add a fire pit to your backyard. A gorgeous steel or concrete fire pit makes your outdoor space inviting in the evenings, providing a cozy space to gather on those cool nights. Surround it with Adirondack or patio chairs and you've got a spot to tell ghost stories, roast hot dogs and toast marshmallows for s'mores!

Invest In An Outdoor Modular Sectional

Modular outdoor furniture is a terrific multifunctional option for your patio. Enjoy the best of both worlds with a sectional that goes from personal lounging spot to dining or conversational seating for several people. With a few pieces, you can configure your space according to your desire for sun, shade or plans for the day. For an upscale pool cabana vibe, make a covered outdoor living space and arrange your modular sectional beneath an overhead canopy and curtains!

Pick Multifunctional Furniture

Like getting two useful pieces in one, multifunctional furniture is a wonderful solution for small space and indoor / outdoor living. An accent table with a removable tray top can travel from living room to patio for handy drink serving, while a set of nested coffee tables magically transforms into a brunch buffet or pizza party station in seconds!

Give Your Dining Space A Designer Look

Want a chic outdoor dining space but not sure where to start? Choose sleek, neutral furniture with seating that blends in with your surroundings and that can coordinate with your chosen decor. Go bold with all black and white decor or choose throw pillows in bright pops of color. Don't forget wall decor as an option! If there's a large, blank wall close to your setup, put up bold outdoor art to add interest and make the space feel like an upscale dining room!

Utilize Decorative & Hidden Storage

Keep your backyard space organized and looking gorgeous by choosing furniture that doubles as storage. From an umbrella that folds into its own side table to comfy benches that open to store anything from gardening supplies to picnic blankets and pillows. A potting bench is a great option whether you have a green thumb or not - they can easily double as a drink station, decor display or alternate storage option!

Add Beauty & Greenery With Plants

Growing plants in your outdoor space adds color and contrast to a plain backyard or patio - especially if you opt for colorful or patterned pots! Decorating with large-leafed plants near doors or placing flowering plants near windows overlooking gardens can help create a seamless connection between indoors and outdoors. If you're limited on space, you can build a vertical wall garden to add color and texture to your outdoor living area.

Embrace Sustainable Decor

Nowadays, you'll find a huge selection of stylish decor made from recycled materials like rPET, recycled PET plastic bottles. Bottles are washed, shredded and spun into a soft, wool-like fiber that can be used again and again, making them a great option for the eco-minded decorator. Consider an outdoor Rio rug or one of our throw pillows made from rPet and other recycled fibers, such as decor made from a factory's leftover cotton or leather scraps.

Make It Easy With Chic Neutrals

If you're not sure how to design your outdoor oasis, think about starting with neutrals! Cream, beige or gray go with anything, and reflect the hues of surrounding nature. With neutral patio furniture and cushions, you can go for anything from a desert vibe to a sleek contemporary look. Choose coordinating neutral rugs and pillows if you like things monochromatic or decorate with bright pops of color.

Experiment With Outdoor Lighting

Brighten your space and enhance safety at night with unique and creative outdoor lighting. Make small covered outdoor living spaces cozy with inexpensive string lights. Get creative and hang them on a fence, in a tree, under the roof - anywhere you can think of! For eco-friendly solutions, line an outdoor pathway with solar lights or use flameless pillars on your patio tables.