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Designing a Patio
by Winter Care
It’s easy to get overwhelmed trying to figure out just how to
bring an outdoor room together to make it a peaceful spot to
relax or enjoy quality time with friends and family. But if you
think of it as yet another room to decorate and furnish, the
space will come together more easily.
Measuring And A Simple Site Analysis
Just as you would for a room inside your home take the
measurements of your patio or outdoor room area. This most
important step is essential for scaling in comfortable sized
outdoor furniture, patio accessories, planters and such. The next
step is to conduct a simple site analysis. For this you will
want to jot down factors such as the direction (north, south,
east, west) your patio is facing, prevailing winds, if any; areas
in sun or shade and any other relevant observations that will
impact the quality of people spending time in that space.
Now for the fun part, create a realistic wish list beginning with
how you would like to use your patio: to relax, to entertain
friends, to grill/barbeque, to eat outdoors, to hang out with
friends and family, to converse, etc. Now go back to your site
analysis and determine, if applicable, where you can start
staging the pieces to your outdoor room. But before you do so,
here are some tips and ideas for you to consider.
Arrange Patio Furniture And Elements Thoughtfully
In order to create a comfortable space with pleasant atmosphere
it is important to consider these details: Circulation – how will
people walk through the space; Seating – where will people be
sitting; Views - what will people be looking at when sitting. For
circulation, you want to position a sitting area in a location
where circulation will not pass directly through, making the
space distracting, unless you have no choice. For creating
comfortable seating for conversation, orient chairs, sofas, and
gliders towards each other, 6 to 8 feet apart; this is a
comfortable distance for talking without feeling too close. For
views, you can create focal points with trees and shrubs in the
distance, or planters and ornaments closer by.
Dealing With Wind And Sun
From your site analysis you have discovered information about how
the wind blows. By knowing the direction of the prevailing winds
you can make some good decisions about the placement of certain
items. First, if you are going to include a grill or barbeque be
sure to locate these accessories in a location in which the wind
will carry the smoke from the cooking fire away from the outdoor
space; there’s nothing more irritating than the uncomfortable
sting of a smoky grill. Also, if you have an area with cold wind,
you can block it by creating vertical planes; this can be done by
planting trees or shrubs in the ground, or by placing them in
planters within or around a part of the patio. Fences and walls
can also help. As for sun, these same vertical planes can screen
hot, late afternoon sun. For overhead sun, retractable awnings
can be a very effective way to minimize both sun and heat. These
awnings are designed to extend (open) or retract (close) to
create shade or sun options. Other ways to create shade from the
hot sun: patio umbrellas and trellises, pergolas, or arbors.
Creating A Sense Of Enclosure
Creating a sense of enclosure is a great way to make your outdoor
space more intimate; it is also a great way to create separation
and privacy from your neighbors. Think of the walls and ceilings
inside your home: the walls are the vertical plane and the
ceiling is the overhead plane. Outdoors these vertical and
overhead planes help create the foundations to an outdoor room.
While you don’t want to overdo it or completely enclose your
outdoor space, adding elements: shrubs, trees, arbors, trellises
pergolas and such in a careful way can improve the atmosphere of
your patio space.
Buying Patio Furniture And Accessories
Once you’ve measured your outdoor space, done the site analysis
and figured out the area where you will be putting your outdoor
furniture it’s time to begin reviewing outdoor furniture and
accessory options.
If your patio is very small, you may only want to buy 1 or 2
chairs or loungers for conversation and relaxing, and a small
bistro table with chairs for snacking. If your space is large,
you may be looking for a larger seating arrangement: sofas,
chairs, coffee tables, in one area and a patio set with umbrella
in another. There are many options and styles available and you
can learn more about the materials and brands available by
visiting a local patio furniture store or by shopping online.
Popular furniture materials include: outdoor wicker, teak,
wrought iron, cast aluminum, recycled plastic and casual
aluminum. You can buy this furniture individually or as a set such as a
dining table complete with chairs. With many patio furniture
options to choose from you can easily create an outdoor space
that will be well used.
Additional outdoor decorating accessories such as patio lamps,
fire pits, garden arbors and trellises, and outdoor heaters fit
in well to create a great atmosphere outdoors as well as being
extremely functional.
For example, outdoor heaters will greatly extend your time
outside, allowing for more time to enjoy yourself outdoors later
into fall, and earlier into spring. Outdoor fireplaces such as:
chimeneas, fire pits or even a gas outdoor fireplace create a
great atmosphere and focal point, as well the opportunity to
grill, heat, or just enjoy hanging out by the fire.
Nicole Martins is the editor of Everything Patio Furniture,
a review site about patio furniture and accessories, which
provides valuable tips and information as well as great
products for your outdoor space. You can visit this site at: http://www.everything-patio-furniture.com
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