Welcome, Spring! Warmer weather and more hours of sunlight are well are their way and being able to enjoy outdoor space is here. Get ready by creating or simply freshening up your own space with existing pieces and affordable finds. Our simple outdoor room was listed in our Ten Favorite Things and received a lot of interest. We wanted to show a bit more of the space while offering a few tips. Check it out after the jump.
5 Tips For Creating An Outdoor Space
1) Establish how you want to use this space. We finally got more then 2' x 2' of outdoor space when we moved and were thoughtful about what we wanted to do with it. We wanted a lounge meets mellow hang out area. We added a bunch of blue and white accent pillows for the chairs (not shown) and it provided comfort and pops of color.
2) We did this outdoor room on a budget - only spending a little over $100 to put it all together. It was important for us to create a comfy space without spending a lot of cash. We actually used accents and furniture we already owned. By reusing existing pieces like the large canvas and lamp, we were able to spend the money we had on functional items for our Hollywood Regency-esque space.
3) When you do spend money, consider buying items that you can use in other rooms. (This is along the lines of tip 2.) We actually didn't have any folding chairs and knew that we could use these "outdoor" chairs inside our home when we needed to. Plus we will always have them now and they fold up for perfect small space storage. Add a throw pillow for comfort and you are good to go.
4) Plants add fabulous texture and color to an outdoor space and going green is affordable these days. Garden centers offer a large selection of plants and flowers but they can still be a bit pricey. We spotted these pretty palms for just $10 at Costco. IKEA also has a garden selection that is super affordable. Another way to go - Craigslist. Our friend recently bought a ton of plants from someone who was moving.
5) Do you really need a kitschy garden Gnome? For $20 - probably not. Bypass the allure of the row of outdoor accents at your local store and go "shopping" for personal accents inside your home and place them in your outdoor room. Also, enjoy bargain hunting at a local flea markets and garage sales.
Check out more outdoor ideas from Apartment Therapy:
Comments (12)
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Love that rug!
view Lilli K.'s profile
#3 is a good one. Some thoughtful family members gifted us a great outdoor table and chairs that also looks half decent in doors. In the summer we pull it out and leave it out there (the balcony is covered so its usable even in rainy weather). Its lovely to eat all your meals outdoors. I just stocked up on citronella candles to keep the bugs at bay.
view adamwa's profile
where is the outdoor rug from?
view semidivine's profile
Those are Ikea lack tables? Are they durable enough for outdoors/rain? And the Ikea paper floor lamp, does that hold up as well?
view nkr707's profile
What's wrong with Garden Gnomes???
view bepsf's profile
$100 for all that furniture?? Are you missing a zero? Budget breakdown please?
view webherring's profile
Ok now for small outdoor spaces - LOL - not something that is rare.
view ChrisGal's profile
We were having a bbq and had to create an outdoor space pretty quickly and with little cash. Here's how it was done:
Purchased items:
-4 folding chairs Ikea $10/each
-1 outdoor reversible rug Target $40
-2 Lack tables Ikea $12/each
-3 palm plants Costco $10/each
-3 pots Ikea $3/each
Free/Items from inside our home:
-Patio table and umbrella was free on Craigslist (great resource)
-Lamp was also free from a friend who didn't want it.
-4 chairs for that table are from our dining table that we brought outside when entertaining.
-Large canvas actually hangs in our office.
-BBQ was borrowed from a friend
-String lights we had already
view RebeccaATLA's profile
String lights strung in trees or palms are great ambiance. Firepits are wonderful, too. CB2 has a very affordable and stylish one this spring.
Don't overlook chairs that do double-duty as either lounging and dining seating if you want your dollar to go further. There is nothing more uncomfortable that trying to dine in deep, reclining chairs except maybe trying to lounge on stools and benches meant for dining.
Consider the weather and your garden's watered areas when choosing materials. Inexpensive wood furniture will fall apart very quickly because the glue deteriorates from frequent exposure to water. Consider metal and plastic!
view kimg924's profile
i know this is AT: LA, but what do you do when it actually rains?
view beesknees's profile
i wouldn't suggest the lack tables for outdoors... unless you dont get much rain or plan on storing them indoors when it rains.
my sis and i had a lack table out on our deck and it didnt last the summer here (3mths) ... we had a roof over our deck too so we thought the table could handle it... but it didnt. the table got water bubbles and eventually started peeling.
view erinpearce's profile
yes I also can't see this room lasting more than one summer!
view lovelyrita's profile