Outdoor Rooms: The Evolution of Our Patio Decor and What Comes Next
In this post: If you enjoy treating your exterior spaces like outdoor rooms, you will be inspired by the evolution of our patio decor and where it’s headed next.⇒
Has this ever happened to you?
You move into a new space. You pick a room and decorate it from top to bottom in one go. Upon completion, you step back and look at it and think, ‘yep, that’s perfect’. Then you live with it exactly as is for years and years.
Yeah, me neither.
Now, for those of you who said yes, that has happened to you, this post may seem curious. But for everyone else, it will be quite familiar.
This week is 8 years since we moved into our townhouse. It’ll be the 9th summer here and I’ve changed my patio at least that many times. Well, sort of.
In reality, the planning I did that first year was exactly what I needed it to be. I got the bones right. I laid the foundation for a comfortable outdoor space that would make the best use of our limited area and function in the various ways we wanted it to. I also left room for versatility, so that I could easily update the decor each season, winding up with outdoor rooms that looked different each time I was itching for a change.
In the photos above and below, you can see the empty patio we started with, as well as the very first pieces we bought. Hardly a decorated patio, that first summer, we were happy to have a place to sit and to have a chance to get to know our space.
Given that we live in a townhouse, this is our main outdoor space and hence it needs to serve several purposes, from eating to sunning to entertaining. What follows is how it has evolved over the past several years leading up to my current plan for the upcoming summer. I’ve finally gotten to the point where I can rifle through my collection of pillows and outdoor decor and come up with something a bit new, without necessarily buying much to create the fresh look.
But that wasn’t always the case.
Outdoor Rooms
The most important decision I made for our patio was that it would be dominated by a sectional couch and coffee table. This would allow for a conversation area for entertaining and we could always lay on the cushions for sunbathing. We could also eat a casual meal around the coffee table.
That first year I chose an off white rattan sectional and a teak table. These were my investment pieces so I went completely neutral. I did get a few blue and white pillows, but that was the extent of my color commitment.
Later that summer I added a small bistro table and chairs to the opposite corner of the patio. I wanted to have a proper table for having our coffee outside, as well as small meals. Again I went neutral with the furniture pieces so that I could dress the table any way I wanted for a given event.
We also added a whitewashed bench for additional seating, which has since been moved to our front portico.
The second summer I was determined to add accessories that would lend a hint of rustic character to the patio. I used grain sack pillows and chambray accents, a galvanized tray and lavender plants. I also added white drum side tables to hold the planters framing the couch.
I enjoyed using vintage pieces with an English country feel, but I began to wonder whether the space, in its summer iteration, had been consistent enough with the French-style of the inside of our house.
I used shellfish plates for serving, as well as vintage soda bottles, and the effect was very cute, but the net result was more New England beach cottage than French farmhouse.
Find the details here: Preparing The Patio For Summer Entertaining.
The third summer I was still wrestling with the identity of the patio decor and tried some new accessories in another color feeling. Inspired by lilac season I experimented with lavender and buttery yellow accents, using serving pieces and antique bottles. I loved this color feeling, but when the serving pieces were put away, there wasn’t much left to tell the story.
This was the summer I finally realized that to truly finish my outdoor spaces properly, they needed to be treated like outdoor rooms. I needed to commit to more than just a throw blanket and a few serving pieces. I talk about the one piece that finally pulled it all together in this post: How One Piece Can Pull Your Patio Decor Together.
Spoiler: the outdoor rug made all the difference in the world!
Once I was committed to the blue and white, it became a matter of using different pop colors when the seasons changed. That fall I added rust as a pop color in pillows, flowers and a throw blanket. In Outdoor Fall Decorating Ideas: Serving Hors d’Oeuvres on the Patio you can see how lovely this outdoor room turned out.
The next summer I added fuchsia and yellow pops to the blue and white patio, for a vibrant and refreshing touch. It was both pretty and very upbeat. (See it here: Updating The Patio With Summer Color and in the photo above.)
But I also felt I had moved further away from the French vintage look I so love.
I seemed to be alternating between embracing neutrals and adding back vibrant pops of color. I guess the beauty of my neutral base is that it allows me to change on a whim. And so my next direction was to reign in the color, but not obliterate it altogether.
I replaced the blue rug with a neutral beige and tan, softened the palette of the plantings using pale pink and lilac, and mixed a subtle chambray in with my neutral pillows. Texture became more important, as did the rustic aging of my planters.
As another year went by, I stayed faithful to the neutral rug, added a classic French bistro set and livening up the color of my florals. The richer tones in the plants led me to add vibrant green throw pillows. These looked lovely with the summer greenery.
The following summer, I went all in on color and I’m sure I completely overdosed on it. I brought the blue rug back, doubled down with blue and white chinoiserie planters, but used citrine and fuchsia accents to set the look apart from the past.
I added a white concrete coffee table to replace the teak one that didn’t age well and this further underscored the vibrant brights.
The combination of three bright colors was simply too much. By the end of the summer, I couldn’t stand looking at it anymore. It was perky, yes, but not in the least bit tranquil. I knew my next look would be a big change.
Which brings us to this past summer, my favorite look so far. My motto was rustic chic and it brought with it a new neutral rug, textured natural pillows and other rustic accents. I replaced the round coffee table with a better sized rectangular one and enjoyed adding color only via the florals.
This year, I’m thinking I’ll stay with this general look and add only a few touches of blue. I plan to shop my own closet first before purchasing anything new, as I want to add only enough color for dimension, but I love keeping the patio looking serene. I’ll be sure to share the new look when it’s done, along with some soft and elegant plantings.
Resource Guide
To get the look, click on the items below for direct links to the products. Where actual items were no longer available, I’ve provided similar options. If an item is out of stock but may be restocked, I left it on the list.
(This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.)
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Your patio is so inviting! How do your cushions fair in the weather? I have been looking for new chaise lounges for the pool but most of the ones that look good have cushions. I am not going to drag them in every time it rains! Have you come across any that are a good price and look nice? You have a wonderful style.
Thank you, Cecilia! We only bring the cushions in when there will be a huge storm or a week of rain. Most of the time they stay outside and get wet. They dry quickly in the sun, but not always quickly enough… 😉
I read each blog. Loved the evolution of the changing of the padio…so beautiful and inviting, wish I could come each season and have a cup of earl gray tea my favorite to, with you…
Thanks for sharing
Daphne
Ahh, thanks, Daphne, my fellow Earl Gray fan… 🙂
Love all the styles as all are inviting. I’m swooning though over the bistro table…..pink…..gorgeous china…etc.
Thanks, Candy!! I tend to lean toward feminine style, too… 😉
I love your blog. I am interested in purchasing the Mercury Mirror Vase, can you help me find one like it. I think putting the napkins in it works well with a small group.
Hi Sue! Here is the original Pottery Barn link: https://rstyle.me/+Jj5tmgK73WxmQa38kYcEgg It’s been out of stock for some time. They do similar shapes from time to time but I don’t see any in stock now. After much Googling, I was able to find this on eBay: https://rstyle.me/+t4DNKnNJWl4oj2dXu0otLQ
Hi Lori,
Your blog has given me so much inspiration, I’ve been looking for ways to ‘pay you back’!
I looked for your previous post about adding flower pots to your patio, but I couldn’t find it, so I’m posting this here since it’s sort-of related. Unless you’re planting succulents, flowers in pots need water more often than flowers in the ground. In our last house, I had to water them twice a day! This prevented us from ever taking a vacation so we set up a drip watering system on a timer. I LOVED it! You do need a faucet close to your patio/deck though….
The other thing you could do (my sister did this and it looked great!) is use faux plants….
Thank you so much for your feedback, Barb!! So helpful!
Love your patio space. Beautiful and welcoming.
Thank you, Lynne!
This was a very helpful post for me as we’ve just completed our backyard and screened porch following construction of a new swimming pool. Our existing porch floor & exterior paint color is neutral as is the furniture we brought from our last house 2 yrs ago but being a color craving gal I’ve been struggling with how to bring in the colors of the new pool and landscaping to unify the areas. Living near Florida’s ocean and rivers our interior is neutrals with high contrast and British Colonial in style. The last iterations of your deck suit our Palm Beach mood very well and I think I can put together a porch that is what I want now. Thank you.
That’s wonderful to hear!! I always love neutrals because you can easily bring in color with accents and change it whenever you want… 🙂
Lori, you newest version is PERFECT! I’ll just bet you keep it this way for a little while. 😉
It’s been a while, but for the life of me, I thought I read several months ago that you found a new home and your house was on the market. Did you decide to stay put?
Thank you, Diane! We’ve been here a few years, so it might’ve been an old post you saw that talked about selling our previous home. Or it could’ve been a recent post talking about selling my parents’ home… 🙂 So yes, we are definitely staying put.
Lory, I like the blue medallion rug you have under the sectional on your deck. However, when clicking on the resource picture I am led to Wayfair, and 200 pages of rugs, not your specific rug. Help!
Oh, sorry about that. That means they’re out of it or moved the link. Let me see if i can find a similar one or where they moved it to.
OK, here you go: https://amzn.to/37UH9n2
Lory, You are an inspiration by admitting you didn’t get it right the first time and continued over several years to achieve what you wanted. I get frustrated when I have a “miss” in what seemed to be a great idea. To know that you don’t hit the mark on the first try but continue using your creativity is encouraging. Also the fact the you add items over the years helps me with the constraints of budget and time. Thank you for sharing your process.
Oh, yes, it’s an ongoing ‘battle’… LOL! (But an enjoyable one… ;-))
Lory,
I am completely in love with the light blue ruffled napkins you show on one of your patio/porch displays! How elegant they look in your stunning silver container. Also, I am absolutely delighted to have the link to those geometric patterned Kendall Indoor / Outdoor Area Rugs! What gorgeous items. I hope to get some of these for our new home. Thank you for sharing these.