Ideas to Elevate Your Outdoor Living Space

Spring is a season of renewal, rebirth, and fresh beginnings. What better way to embrace the budding energy of the season than to spruce up your outdoor space?

Whether you have a balcony, deck, patio, or an expansive backyard for entertaining, finding mindful ways to elevate your space can completely transform the look and feel of any outdoor living area. Follow these tips and create an outdoor living area that makes you excited to relax, entertain, and enjoy!

 

Spruce Up Your Decor

One of the simplest ways to breathe life into your outdoor living space is to add some new decorations. From elegant string lights to colorful pillows, updating your decorative accents can refresh your exterior hangout spots.

Find thoughtful ways to add color through pillows, place settings, and dishes. Start small with mindful touches like accent lighting, including lanterns and torches, or candles, which can set the mood and add a touch of elegance.

Don’t forget to embrace nature—potted greenery and flowers are a great way to naturally incorporate color and liven up your outdoor area!

Update Your Furniture

Furniture can completely transform the tone of a space. Think about your layout and the functionality you want the area to achieve.

Do you use this area mostly for relaxing, or do you often host groups where people are moving about? If you want your space to invoke feelings of calm, choose comfortable seating that you and your guests can enjoy lounging on. If you’re looking to frequently welcome guests, create a setup that invites mingling and allows them to easily move around.

It’s also important to consider the practicality of where your space is located. For example, if your outdoor hangout is in the open and subject to rain, wind, and the elements year-round, you’ll want to opt for durable options that will dry quickly and withstand the whims of nature. However, if the space you’re working with is partially or fully covered, you may be able to opt for materials that aren’t as rugged.

Lastly, think about the vibe you want to convey. This is the perfect opportunity to express your personality and style through the space you curate! Embrace uniqueness with locally sourced, one-of-a-kind vintage pieces. Or discover contemporary styles that add a touch of sophistication.

Experiment with chairs, couches, swings, tables, and more to suit your needs!

Enhance Your Space With a Stunning Centerpiece

Whether you are enjoying your outdoor living space yourself or welcoming guests, consider curating your area around a striking centerpiece like a fireplace or a fire pit.

This is the ideal way to add warmth—figuratively and literally. When the air cools in Carmel at night, cozy up next to the fire to have fun outdoors all night long. Gather around with friends and appreciate each other’s company by the warm glow.

In the warmer weather, you can still appreciate a stunning centerpiece like this. Let the flames dance from afar or simply admire the beauty of a gorgeous fire pit and how it elevates your space!

Explore styles that best suit your needs. From stone and metal materials to gas or wood-burning functions, there is no shortage of options to choose from!

Stock Your Outdoor Bar and Snacks

Fill your fridge with fun snacks and beverages to sip on all season long!

Wine, cocktails, mocktails, juice, sodas, and sparkling or flavored waters are great options to stock an outdoor bar. Grab a few bottles of local wine to sip and savor all that California’s vineyards have to offer. Snag mixers and fruit and herb garnishes to experiment with mocktails or cocktails! Center your drinks around a particular flavor or theme, and have fun mixing up new beverages to try.

Regardless of what you’re drinking, don’t forget to have some coasters to protect your furniture.

For snacks, consider how often you use this space. If you hang outdoors multiple times a week, you can stock up on fresh, seasonal snacks like farm-fresh fruit. However, if you’re not outside quite as frequently, more shelf-stable options like nuts, dried fruit, and the like may be better options.

When stocking your snacks and drinks, be sure to grab glasses, cups, bowls, and plates you can dedicate to your outdoor space to keep things simple and separate from your indoor tableware.

Put the “Living” in Outdoor Living

Reflect on what makes your interior home so cozy and how you can translate that into your exterior space to make it even more welcoming.

Outdoor rugs, for example, add a sense of comfort to concrete, brick, and wood outdoor flooring. They also send a natural invitation to gather around a certain area. Add a basket of blankets to store outside or just inside your home’s interior to stay snug when there’s a chill in the air. Beyond a fireplace or pit, explore electric heating options that can warm the space.

From a barbeque to a casual evening dinner, grills serve a natural purpose yet inspire get-togethers and shared meals. If you don’t already have one, this keeps meals interesting and simplifies enjoying a meal outside! There is a wide range of options suitable for any size of space, so you can find the perfect fit for your outdoor needs!

Can you cover part of your patio or deck to help shade it from the sun or rain? This can make your outdoor area usable no matter what the weather may be!

If you really want to transform your space, consider sprucing it up with some landscaping. Stone pathways, shrubbery, native plants, trees, and more can all bring bold personality to your home and make a space more inviting.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with your space and think beyond the basics to create a true “living” space outside.

Uplift Your Outdoor Living With a Touch of Something Local

The key to enhancing your outdoor living is by incorporating meaningful touches. Start small with something like decor or stocking your outdoor bar. Then, let inspiration take you away!

If you’re looking to excite ideas, explore local businesses to get your wheels turning.

Shopping local is an amazing way to find unique pieces to infuse personality into your home—all while showing support for your neighbors and giving back to the community! From furniture to garden essentials and more, explore local businesses at The Crossroads Carmel to incorporate artful and one-of-a-kind items into your outdoor space.