Having a patio in the garden gives you a great opportunity to create a fairly low maintenance space that you can use for all sorts of different things. But all too often, people just leave their patio without doing much to it and end up wasting that space. If you’re thinking of putting a patio in, or you’ve already got one that you don’t use that often, check out these tips on making the most of it.
Decide What It’s For
The first thing you need to do is decide what you want the function of your patio to be. Is it going to be an entertaining area where you can have guests over for drinks on a summer evening? Or perhaps you want a nice BBQ space for cooking meals? Whatever you decide to do with it, you need to be clear about what the main function is going to be. That doesn’t mean you can’t use the space for other things but knowing what you’ll mainly be using it for helps you to make the rest of the decisions about how to set it all up. If you don’t have a focus, you’ll end up doing things at random and the results won’t be great.
Get Good Quality Furniture
You can easily buy cheap patio furniture but after a year or two, it’ll be run down and tatty and your patio won’t be the relaxing, inviting space that you want it to be. You’re much better off investing in some good quality furniture that will last. Visit this site for some great patio furniture ideas and see what works for you. When you’re choosing your furniture, you need to keep the function of the patio in mind. For example, if you want a nice space to relax in the sun and read a book then a sofa is perfect. But if you want to create an outdoor dining area, you’ll need a decent table and chair set. If you want to create a multi-functional patio area, you’re best off going for foldaway furniture that you can easily move out of the way if you need to.
Consider The Sun
When you’re arranging your patio, you need to consider the position of the sun. After all, the main reason you’re creating an outside space is so you can enjoy it in the hot weather. Think about what times you’re most likely to use the patio and where the sun is going to be at that time. Then you can arrange all of the furniture so it gets maximum time in the sun. Equally, you need to remember that it can get a bit hot if you’re sat in the sun all day long so you need to make good use of the shade. Arrange the furniture so you and your guests have the choice of sitting out in the sun or taking a break in the shade when you need it. The materials that you use are also affected by the sun but people often forget that. Anything that is dark in color is going to heat up quickly; you don’t want to be sitting on a black sofa that’s in direct sunlight because it’ll be uncomfortably warm. Anything that is going to be in the sun all day needs to be a lighter color, you can use darker colors in the shaded areas or if you’re mainly using the patio at night.
Consider The Rain
Optimizing your patio space for the sun is important, but you’ve got to remember that the weather won’t always be so forgiving. It’s going to rain sometimes and if you’re entertaining outside, you need to be prepared for it. Make sure that you get some good patio umbrellas that people can hide under if the heavens open. The space that you create for the shade can double up as a rain cover as well. You should also think about the furniture that you’ve got out there; if you have a sofa, for example, it’s going to get pretty gross if it gets rained on. Always make sure you’ve got a quick way of covering it up before it gets soaked.
Blend With The Rest Of The Garden
One of the biggest patio mistakes that people make is considering it as a separate entity from the rest of the garden. They put a lot of effort into designing the patio area but don’t think about how it looks as part of the garden as a whole. Always make your design decisions with that in mind.
