1. The easiest way to jazz up your outdoor deck or patio is by using splashes of colour. Sometimes it only means investing in a few accent pieces that make a bold statement and your outdoor living space perks right up. You don’t always have to buy new with a little elbow grease and some creativity you can make second-hand items look brand new. Here are some ideas to help get you started.
2. Before you begin, clear everything off of your deck or patio and give it a good pressure wash. If it needs staining, all the new furniture in the world won’t help bite the bullet and give it a new coat of stain or paint. If your deck is falling apart you may want to install a beautiful deck in your garden. This is actually a great place to get started with colourful accents. Try painting your fence posts a bright, coordinating colour such as teal. Or paint a pattern or border around the edge of your deck.
3. Decks are for socializing, so show that you are ready for company. The addition of furniture is inexpensive and comes in lots of great colours. Place a colourful bar cart in the corner and load it up with bright acrylic glassware.
4. Give your old wicker furniture a facelift by painting it in bright sunny colours, or if you’re feeling adventurous, use a stencil and add flowers or other patterns. Just use acrylic paint, but seal it with varnish to protect your paint job.
5. Get a hold of a galvanized bucket or oblong container, paint it bright blue or orange and add a vine pattern on the outside. Voila, now you have a fancy ice bucket for all your drinks. Remember, unless you’re using food-safe paint, the surface should not come in direct contact with food.
6. Use themes such as the seashore, by incorporating fishies, sea shells and beach balls in your accents or stencils. A citrus theme works well by using pale greens, oranges and yellow as colours for chairs or bistro tables. Try painting a slatted table top with two or three different corresponding shades.
7. Who says garden sheds have to be brown and boring? Add colourful window boxes, gingerbread trim and some wild stripes on the walls.
8. Funky lighting goes a long way to perking up a patio area. Colourful lanterns or strings of lights can be hung from overhanging trees or beams providing a fun, economical source of lighting.
9. What to do with the white vinyl furniture that’s still in great shape, but you hate to get rid of? Not to worry. With paint specially formulated for vinyl furniture, and some new cushions, you can make your old chairs look brand new.
10. Use colour wisely by tying everything together with your accessories. Take four chairs each painted in a different primary colour and add a cushion in a common colour such as red or green, and place them around a neutral table top.
Whatever you decide to do, just remember colour is the best way to jazz up your outdoor living space!
