Outdoor Patio Design Ideas

Create your perfect backyard retreat with these outdoor patio design ideas and decor tips. Everything you need to plan your own summer patio!

Seasonal Simplicity Summer Series

I can’t believe we’re already on to week 7 of the Seasonal Simplicity Summer Series! I hope you’ve been enjoying all of the awesome summer ideas that we’ve been sharing. If you’ve missed any of the previous weeks, you can find them all here…

• DIY Outdoor Planter and Candle Holder
• Summer Basket Wreath
• Ice Cream Bar and Free Printables
• Summer Decor Hutch Styling with S’mores Bar
• Lemonade Ice Cream Floats
• Summer Kitchen Home Tour

If you haven’t guessed it yet, today we’re all sharing our favorite outdoor spaces. You’ll find some amazing outdoor decor ideas and beautiful summer patios, so be sure to check them all out at the end of the post.

Outdoor Patio Design Ideas

Summer is by far my favorite season. I love the nicer weather, all of the greenery, and being able to get out and enjoy the outdoors more. It’s also the one time of the year that we really get to use our backyard patio. Unfortunately, It’s been a very rainy June so far, so I’m hoping the sun hits soon!

Today, I thought I would share some of my favorite patio design ideas with you and give you a little tour around our patio. We did our patio makeover 3 years ago and have been super happy with it. So happy, in fact, that we really haven’t made that many changes to the design. Here are some of my favorite elements…

Composite Decking

One of my favorite things about our patio design is the composite decking. I love the look and I especially love the low maintenance! Prior to this we had a wood patio, and each year it required restaining or repainting. And keeping it clean with our dogs was always a problem. This Trek decking has been great so far and only requires a quick power washing at the beginning of the season. It’s definitely more of an investment up front, but, for us, it has been well worth it!

We went with the color clamshell. I would say that it still shows a little dirt from the dogs but it’s way better than the painted wood and we don’t have to worry about any scratches or chipping. And if I was really worried about the dirt, I could easily just use the power washer to clean it.

Patio Furniture

Patio furniture can be a big investment so you want to make sure that you’re choosing pieces that will last for years to come. I like to pick the larger items first and then “fill in” additional furniture pieces where there is space {and a need!}. Almost all of our patio furniture is from Canadian Tire and it’s held up great over the years. Although our set is no longer available, this Canvas Tofino line is pretty similar.

We went with resin furniture {with a rust-proof frame} since it holds up well in the rain for our west coast weather.  There has been some sun fading on our dining chair cushions, but the sofa and club chair cushions still look like new. Even with our dirty dogs climbing all over them, they still wash up really easily. {You can get all of my tips on washing outdoor cushions HERE.}

I like to create different “zones” when designing a space, so keep in mind what you would like the function of the space to be before purchasing your furniture pieces. {Learn more about designing in zones HERE.} We created a sitting area with a set of club house chairs that’s perfect for reading or having our morning drinks. In the covered areas, we have a sectional sofa for watching movies, roasting marshmallows, and visiting with guests. The sectional, lounger, and club house chairs are actually all from different collections, but the color and pillows still tie them together nicely.

I always like to start with fairly neutral furniture pieces that can easily be styled with a variety of decor elements. It’s much easier and cheaper to change out the accessories if you want to change up the look further down the line.

Outdoor Beverage Station

I love to set up an outdoor beverage station and/or snack station when we have guests over or are doing a fun family night. Our old beverage cart was looking quite rough from all of the weather damage over the years, so I was happy to find this beverage cart on clearance at Canadian Tire this year.

I built the basket holder on the wall a number of years ago when we had our BBQ in this area to hold all of the BBQ supplies, but it’s been fun to switch up and decorate a little differently each year. You can hang a variety of hooks and baskets from it to create some custom storage or add some pretty design elements. It worked great for our lemonade float bar!

Privacy Screen

Since our deck is lower to the ground, railings weren’t required to meet the safety codes and we could really do whatever we wanted. I’ve been really happy with the look of the privacy screen and love it even more now that the greenery has grown in over the top.

We have a walkway to an elementary school beside our house so the privacy screen not only looks pretty, but also provides some extra privacy beyond our fence. It’s a pretty simple design using a mix of 1×2,1×4, and 1×6 boards with a trellis on the top.

Although the privacy screen isn’t as long on the other side of the deck, we used the same design there as well to tie it all in together.

I always get asked where I got this planter from and I picked it up at Home Sense a number of years ago.  I’ve always found some really cute planters there, but the stores are pretty bare this year. At least this good ‘ol pandemic is saving me some money!

Last year, we did add a little reinforcement to the privacy screen as it was starting to lean. We had the wood table built and then screwed it to the end post of the screen. The back two posts on the table extend down into the ground of the window well behind it, so it’s super sturdy now.

Outdoor Dining Area

We try to eat outside as much as possible during the summer. Since the patio is east facing, it’s usually nice and cool by dinner time. I think food tastes so much better when you’re eating outside!

The patio is right off of our kitchen, so it’s easy to bring out food and clean things up.

 

The patio table is from Canadian Tire but, unfortunately, is also no longer available. I like the round design as it allows for an easy flow of traffic without breaking up the space. The table has a cement table top which isn’t the best for cleaning, so I usually do a quick re-coat of paint each year.

I love creating simple summer tablescapes and blue and yellow is one of my favorite color combinations. I found these plates at Lowes and thought they added the perfect touch.

Covered Patio

Having a portion of our patio covered was a total game changer for us. Even in the summer we can still get rain fairly often, so having the covered deck has made the deck much more useable. It also provides a year round area that we can BBQ and gives us a quick space for the cushions on the uncovered portion of the deck to go when it’s raining.

Not only is the covered space good in the rain, but it also provides a shady spot on those hotter days. The sofa is the perfect spot to read a book or take a little siesta out of the sun.

Fire Table

I didn’t think I would enjoy the fire table as much as I do, but there’s nothing like a pretty fire on a summer’s night. We’ve definitely done our fair share of marshmallow roasting and s’mores nights! The fire can actually throw off quite a bit of heat, so it’s perfect for those cooler nights – especially moving into fall.

When the table isn’t in use, I throw over a table runner so it just functions as a regular coffee table.

Well that about wraps things up! I hope you’ve enjoyed the little tour! If you have any questions about anything else, just let me know. Now let’s just hope that we finally get a good stretch of nice weather to get out there. Wishing you all some relaxing summer days ahead!

More Outdoor Patio Design Ideas

There are so many more beautiful outdoor patio design ideas, so be sure to check them out! Just click on the links below the images to be taken to the full posts.

The Happy Housie // My 100 Year Old Home // Modern Glam // Cassie Bustamante

Craftberry Bush // Joanna Anastasia // Life is Better at Home // Inspiration for Moms

Clean & Scentsible // Finding Silver Pennies // Grace in My Space // Maison de Cinq

Life is a Party // House by Hoff // Zevy Joy // Two Twenty One

Taryn Whiteaker // Maison de Pax // Amber Tysl // This is Our Bliss

She Gave it a Go // My Sweet Savannah

More Outdoor Decor Ideas

For more outdoor ideas, check out these posts…

DIY Wood Lantern Hanger

Flavored Lemonade Bar

Summer Entertaining Ideas