April’s Theme: Design!

It is spring here in Washington and we are enjoying the most gorgeous weather possible! It’s sunny and bright but not hot or humid. We have blossoms and daffodils and the great weather seems to be rubbing off on people, making them a little more cheery and optimistic. Spring passes so quickly here in Washington, transitioning in a blink to the hot, sticky summer weather, that we have to celebrate it while we can.

Here was the scene at the National Mall yesterday afternoon. It was fun to see all the tourists enjoying themselves and the locals out running, biking and lazing on the grass.

We fought the crowds to peek at the cherry blossoms. Unless you live locally, it is kind of hard to catch the cherry blossoms at their peak bloom. Mother Nature sets the bloom time and it is always different every year. As a treat for my readers, I wanted to share the cherry blossoms with you virtually.

It is somewhat amazing that a bunch of trees has the power to captivate all of Washington for about a week each year. The snowy pink blossoms contrasted with the classical lines of the monuments is truly stunning.

So, while it pains me to sit here typing when we need to be outside, I need to introduce the theme for April. We have done a lot of heavy lifting in the themes recently: goals, perfectionism and money, so April is going to be a bit lighter and more fun. In the month of April we will be discussing design, specifically how you can spruce up your own home without spending a lot of time or money. It’s spring cleaning with a twist. It’s not just throwing out, washing, and organizing, it’s giving a fresh look to your living space and creating spaces that inspire, relax, and cheer.

Today, in light of my outdoor-oriented mood, I thought it would be appropriate to focus on ideas for sprucing up your outdoor living spaces. How is your patio, deck, backyard, balcony, etc. looking? Is it an inviting space? Do you like to spend time relaxing in those spaces? If not, why? What can you do to change things?

For our part, we have a tired patio with a tired set of metal patio furniture we inherited from the previous occupants. The space is functional, but not really all that inviting. In the long term, we hope to remodel it and put in something wonderful like a nice deck but for now we have to settle for smaller changes.

I looked to the Internet for some suggestions. HGTV has a wonderful series of videos transforming a variety of outdoor spaces featuring designer Angelo Surmelis that you can watch here.

While most of these ideas are beyond the small budget I have in mind, there are a lot of concepts here we can all use. Below are my 10 tips for creating a great outdoor space.

1. Function First. Think of all the uses for your outdoor space and create a design that serves those functions. In our case, we want a place to eat meals outdoors in good weather as well as a place for our children’s water table and splashing pool.
2. Indoor-oriented. When designing your outdoor space, keep in mind the same sensibilities you use to furnish your indoor spaces. The most inviting outdoor spaces blur the line between indoors and outdoors. Try to use at least one element in your outdoor space that you wouldn’t expect to find outside. Rugs or carpeting are a common choice. I saw a gorgeous design once where they hung a chandelier from a tree! Of course, be prepared that whatever indoor elements you bring outside are going to take a beating from the elements so they might only last one season or you might need to bring them inside at night.
3. Choose good furniture. Keep the same comfort standards for your outdoor spaces. You wouldn’t choose uncomfortable furniture for your living room so don’t furnish your outdoor spaces with uncomfortable furniture either. Have a wonderful place for people to sit (or lie down to sunbathe or nap). If your budget does not allow for new patio furniture, can you update your existing furniture? Outdoor Living Ideas has a fantastic feature called “Plastic Surgery” where they give several ideas for transforming the boring resin lawn chair. Maybe you just need more comfortable cushions? Is there an indoor chair that you could store near the door to the outside space and drag it outside when you need it?
4. Use color. Outdoor spaces can tolerate more color than your indoor spaces. Color is fun and inviting. Don’t be afraid to use it!
5. Make Shade. One of the biggest obstacles to outdoor spaces is keeping the environment comfortable. A way of making shade is important. If your outdoor space is open to the sky, a portable umbrella with stand is a good investment.
6. Control bugs. Mosquitos and moths are a huge problem here in the summertime. When the weather finally cools down at night to a more comfortable level, it is no fun to be outside getting eaten by bugs. Although bug repellent works, it is not my favorite choice of perfume and is a pain to put on my children and wash off at bedtime. This year I want to try the ThermaCELL outdoor lantern, which is supposed to be an odorless mosquito repellant.
7. Have a lighting plan. One of the treats of summertime is dining outside, whether at home or your favorite restaurant. When you see a restaurant patio area, one of the first things you will notice is its great use of light. There might be candles on the tables, strings of Christmas lights around the decking or tiki torches. Lighting creates a wonderful ambience. Think about how you might light your outdoor space.
8. Don’t forget the plants! With all the focus on furniture and color, don’t forget that the reason you are outside in the first place is because of nature! You want wonderful, healthy plants to surround you. This is a huge challenge for us as we are “blessed” with clay soil which is nearly impossible to grow anything in. This year, I think we will try some semi-invasive plants like mint, lavender and maybe clumping bamboo. The spaces we are planting in are self-contained with brick and cement borders so we don’t expect the invasiveness to get out of control. If all else fails, some nice container plants add a good punch of color and life.
9. Incorporate Water. Several years ago I attended a gardening seminar where they indicated that of all the landscaping features, water is the one that captures our imagination and attention the most. I have wanted to find a birdbath for some time. Maybe this is the year we actually do it!
10. Keep it Fresh. Sometimes the best makeover is just to incorporate change into your standard set-up. Looking at the same old furniture over and over again is not very interesting, even if it is lovely. If you already have a great outdoor living space, challenge yourself to do at least one thing to change it up.

I am now brimming with ideas on what to do with my patio. I hope you are similarly inspired. Please share in the comments your favorite outdoor living space ideas or the ideas you are trying this year.

Have a wonderful weekend!