Get your patio looking its best with these simple summer patio decorating ideas. Outdoor living tips and tricks to make the most out of your space and create the backyard paradise you’re looking for!
Seasonal Simplicity Summer Series
I’m back again for another week of Krista’s Seasonal Simplicity Summer series! This time we’re all about simple summer decor in our outdoor spaces. Patios, decks, backyards… bring them on! You can find everyone’s gorgeous outdoor inspiration at the end of the post, so be sure to visit around. It will definitely make you want to get outside and start decorating!
Summer Patio Decorating Ideas
Today, I wanted to take you on a little tour of our backyard patio. In case you missed it, last summer we did a BIG patio makeover. We completely tore down our old wooden patio and put in a much larger, partially covered deck. With the new design, we’ve been able to use it so much more and I could pretty much live out here all summer long. {If only I could get rid of those pesky mosquitoes!}
Outdoor Living
We have a lot of rainy months around here, so when the warm weather hits, I want to spend as much time outdoors as possible. The whole outdoor living thing is definitely my jam. During the summer months, we eat most of our meals outside and we’ll often watch movies or shows outside during the evening. We don’t have air conditioning in our house, so the patio is so much cooler!
Define Your Zones
The first thing you want to do when designing your patio space, is to decide what functions you want it to serve. Do you want a space to eat? A space to relax? A spot to entertain? If you’re short on space, prioritize your needs. You want to think about how often your would use a space and pick those areas that would have the biggest impact on your outdoor enjoyment.
Eating Area
Our patio is east facing, and I love having breakfast out here in the morning sun before it gets too hot. By the time dinner rolls around, the table is in the shade and a cool spot to eat. I wanted the table right off the patio doors for easy access from the kitchen, and the round table helps to open up the space a bit more to allow for better traffic flow.
Sitting Area
You’ll want some kind of sitting area on your patio to sit and relax, chat with friends, or read a book. Since we have the sofa in the covered area, we went with two oversized chairs {and a table that doubles as a foot rest!} for our little sitting spot. This is usually where I sit for breakfast or an afternoon rest with a good book or magazine.
We also have one lounger in case an afternoon nap is needed. I prefer the sofa in the shade, but my husband likes to lay out in the sun. You can find all of my tips and tricks for cleaning patio cushions HERE.
Add Some Privacy
Since our patio is fairly low to the ground, we decided not to add a railing to it. Instead we added a simple wooden privacy on each end of the deck to help separate the space from our neighbours’ yard. The creeping virginia vine adds some extra priavcy and a pop of green {and it grows like crazy!!}
Beverage Bar
I showed you our drink station a few weeks ago. It gets pretty well used when we’re entertaining and I’ll often use it even when I’m out on the deck on my own. I like to fill the drink dispenser up with some infused water and drink it during the morning while I’m outside working. In addition to being used as a drink station, we also store napkins, coasters, and extra BBQ supplies here. You can read HERE for tips on setting up your own outdoor beverage cart.
Flowers
I love container gardening and have quite a few planters and a couple of hanging baskets spread around the deck. Be sure to add only what you know you’ll be able to take of. If you’re not a big fan of gardening, you might just want a couple of planters to add a little color and life to your space. Just a few flowers looks a lot better than a bunch of dead ones! You can find all of my tips and tricks on how to care for hanging baskets and planters HERE.
I also like to add some solar lights to our larger planters for some extra glow at night. There’s just something magical about twinkling lights under the summer skies.
Shady Spot
Even if you really like the sun, you probably still want to have some area that you can escape from the heat and cool off. If you don’t have a covered area, look for a large tilting umbrella or other sun shelter to use in your space.
We covered half of the deck with our patio renovation and it’s really allowed us to use the space so much more. We have somewhere to go when it’s too hot, and can also still spend time out here if it’s raining. The covered area is also awesome for storing the patio cushions when the weather is bad instead of having to lug them all into the house.
The coffee table is actually a fire table that’s run on propane gas. We’ll just take off the table runner if we’re needing some heat or are craving some roasted marshmallows.
BBQ Zone
One of the best parts about having the covered patio is being able to have the BBQ out year round. This is Dave’s little spot and he’s quite the BBQ master {despite being vegetarian!}. Since the sofa is right there, his friends can hang around and have a drink while he’s BBQing – even if it’s raining. If your BBQ is in need of a good cleaning, check this tutorial on How to Clean a BBQ.
I hope you enjoyed the tour and can use some of these simple patio decorating ideas!
More Outdoor Summer Decor Ideas
For more outdoor decorating inspiration, check out these posts from some of my talented blogging friends. There are so many beautiful outdoor ideas that I know you’ll LOVE!
The Happy Housie / Inspiration for Moms / Rooms for Rent / Bless’er House
Shabbyfufu / Summer Adams / Making it in the Moutains / TIDBITS
Confessions of a Serial DIYer / Clean and Scentsible / Just a Girl and Her Blog / Stacy Risenmay
Zevy Joy / Finding Silver Pennies / Deeply Southern Home / A Pretty Life
Southern State of Mind / Amber Tysl / Newly Woodwards
You may also find these posts helpful…
DIY Wooden Holder with Lantern
How to Clean Outdoor Patio Cushions
Summer Kitchen Decorating Ideas
Your back deck is so beautiful, Jenn, and perfectly setup and planned! Love your outdoor furniture, and the covered area is great. Definitely hoping to have a covered deck in our new house… So glad you could be part of this hop!
Thanks Krista! The covered area really makes the space so much more functional given our weather. Also, you’re moving??? I totally missed that! Where are you headed to?
Love the whole patio look. Do you have sites Linked to go and purchase??
Thanks! All of our furniture was from Canadian Tire a few years ago. If you’re in Canada, it looks like they still have a lot of it on clearance right now. If you need the links you can find them here…
https://www.cleanandscentsible.com/backyard-patio-ideas/
I’m trying to put together a post for this year with similar items as I’ve had a lot of people ask about where to buy that live in the US. 🙂
I love how private it is! The horizontal slatted fence is darling. So pretty!
This is such a well thought-out space. And beautiful and comfortable, too. Love the idea of putting solar lights in your plants.
Thanks Kim! The lights are always so pretty at night. 🙂
I absolutely love your outdoor space! I think I would be out there all the time as well! XO
Thanks so much! I just wish we could use it year-round!
YES! I definitely think defining the different zones is so important! LOVE how all of your little spaces come together so perfectly!
I love the zones! This blows me away and everything is so detailed and intentional!!! You inspire me so much, Jen!! Xoxo
Thanks so much Summer! You’re so sweet!
I love your dining patio table and chairs! Where did you get them from?
They’re from Canadian Tire. We’ve been really happy with them.
Your whole deck space is so gorgeous Jenn! And that privacy wall is THE best…it’s pretty and practical, two of my favourite things. And so genius to hang planter boxes from it!
What a fantastic space you have created! The privacy wall makes all the difference I bet! Enjoy the summer!
Yes, it’s definitely nice to have a little extra privacy! Happy summer!
Beautiful outscape!
Thanks so much Kim!
Wow your patio is gorgeous! #patiogoals!! Thank you so much for sharing it with us at Merry Monday!
Thanks so much Amanda!
Your patio is absolutely gorgeous. I will be featuring this tomorrow night at my Sizzle into Summer party that opens at 8pm EST. Please stop by and pick up an I’ve Been Featured button. Thanks. DIY By Design.
Thanks so much Judy! I appreciate you hosting!
You have created a gorgeous space and your plants look so healthy! I especially love the privacy wall! Thanks for sharing with SYC. I would have like to feature you tomorrow, but I’m not seeing a link back to the party. Sorry, that is one of the requirements to be featured.
hugs,
Jann
Jen- I love your outdoor living space. It’s absolutely beautifully done. I love it so much I made it my feature pick at Friday Favorites Linky Party this week! Thanks so much for sharing.
Thanks Kelly and thanks so much for hosting!
I love this space. Do you happen to have a tutorial on the privacy wall?
Thanks so much.
I don’t currently, but have actually had quite a few requests/questions about this. I hope to get something together in the next week or two. 🙂
What a beautiful deck i love it where is your umbrella and solar lights from
Thanks! The solar lights are from Canadian Tire and the umbrella was from Target a couple of years ago. The umbrellas seem to sell out fairly early in the season so get one fast if you need one!
Hi
Where did you get your round outdoor table? It’s beautiful!!
Thank-you! It was from Canadian Tire a couple of years ago. I know they had it last year too but not sure if it’s still there. I saw a similar one at World Market too!
Your deck is absolutely gorgeous.Where did you find your plant stand and chaise lounger.