Home Decor: Creating a Cozy Patio
Being home on quarantine while it’s perfect Spring weather outside, has me putting a lot of focus on our patio lately. I’ve always loved having a nice outdoor space, but have never really had one fully put together until now. I’m so excited with how it turned out, and it’s definitely one of my favorite parts of our new house. It’s the perfect spot to sip your morning coffee, or enjoy the sunset with a glass of wine. Below is everything we used to bring this space together; I linked all of the pieces we actually bought, and also linked a few other options at different price points.
Above: The before and after
Astro Turf - This one was actually all Dusten’s idea. I planned on buying a large outdoor rug to help brighten up the space and allow us to lounge on the patio without shoes. Dusten came up with the idea of using astro turf and surprised me with getting some fit to the patio before I got here and I absolutely love it. It’s also really convenient as we’re able to just vacuum it to keep it clean. He had also surprised me in San Antonio with sprucing up my balcony with astro turf, the one in SA was more grass-like, but for this one he went with one that’s more carpet-like which is nice because it’s really comfortable to walk and sit on.
Furniture - Patio furniture can be expensive af. However, it can be smart to invest in quality outdoor furniture that will last through all types of weather. We purchased some pricey furniture, but I waited until all of it was on sale to purchase. I prefer nice wood furniture with white cushions because I feel like it brightens everything up a bit, but is still neutral. I would also caution to stay away from super bright plastics as they tend to look cheap or tacky. You don’t need to spend a lot on patio furniture to look nice, just pick good neutral colors and add a pop of color with your decor.
-Egg Chair. I searched everywhereee for a good egg chair and eventually found mine at Target. I opted for the smaller one as I want to make sure it will easily fit on our future patios/outdoor areas (military, so we move a lot). I’ve also heard of people finding them at Home Goods or TJ Max, but those are rare finds.
- Loveseat. Again, I opted for a smaller loveseat over a couch to ensure we can fit it into future spaces. I found this one at World Market and literally waited a year for it to go on sale. Beyond happy with it though. If you’re feeling extra DIY, you could always make your own and just buy nice white cushions to add to it.
-Table. I found this inexpensive wired table at Ikea and originally bought it for my small balcony in San Antonio. Now that we have a bit larger outdoor space, I felt like it looked odd as a coffee table, so I placed it in the corner between the two seating areas and added some decor.
-Grill. This one is definitely more for Dusten, but I also love having a grill at the house. Before Dusten and I started dating (we were friends for 2 years first) we used to hangout in his backyard to have “burger and beer” nights. We’d all chip in to get coronas and burgers, and would hangout while he grilled. I mentioned to him that I missed those nights, so when I moved to Alabama, he bought a grill to make me burgers and beer for my first night here. He got our grill from Lowes.
Decor - Now that you have your nice neutral furniture, the stuff that’s really going to make your patio look cozy, boho, or whatever vibe it is you want, is the decor! You don’t need to spend a lot on decor, and a few good pieces will make everything pop. Just don’t add too much or you could end up cluttering the space and just making it appear messy.
- Pouf. I’m honestly obsessed with these. I think they look really cute and add a very boho and stylish vibe when placed right, but they’re also extremely comfortable to have so you can prop your feet up (and trust me, if you get an egg chair you need one to make it comfortable). Because they’re pretty stylish/trendy, poufs are also a bit pricey. I bought mine from World Market during a massive outdoor sale.
- String Lights. These not only add alllllll the vibes to your patio, but are also very convenient if you plan on spending time on your patio during the evenings (for obvious reasons). You can find inexpensive ones from Target and Walmart, we opted for commercial grade LED lights from Lowes though in hopes that they’ll last a bit longer. We used two packs for our entire patio and then have an extension cord we can tuck away when we aren’t using them.
- Lanterns. Lanterns are an easy and cute decor piece to add just a little more decor to the space. I have four lanterns on our patio, one is a small decorative one for the table, the other three I added to areas that just seemed a little empty. One lantern can look a little odd by itself, so I typically try to pair it with something else of a different height to add dimension and really fill the area. So a lantern and a plant together, two lanterns of different heights, etc.
-Candles. Another easy and inexpensive decor piece, I recommend using a few different candles of various heights. We also included a citronella torch candle to our table to keep the mosquitos away.
- Chandelier. This is definitely taking your patio to the next level of boho and stylish vibes. I found this pretty macrame chandelier from World Market about a year or two ago. They unfortunately don’t carry them anymore, but you can find some similar ones on Etsy still. Mine can technically hold LED candles in it, but I take the glass candle holders out since it can get pretty windy and just use it as decor without light.
-Throw Pillows & Blankets. You can find a lot of cute options at Home Goods, Target, or World Market. Only one of mine was actually designed to be an outdoor pillow, so I bring the rest inside at the end of the night and have a little basket I place them in so they don’t get messed up from weather conditions.
-Plants. Plants are probably my favorite thing to add to a patio! I definitely don’t have a green thumb, but it’s something I’m trying to work on. I have a lot of fake plants in our home, but we’ve purchased real ones for the patio and I’ve resorted to setting alarms on my phone to remind me when to water them. I recommend purchasing from Home Depot as they have a year long warranty. I brought my Majestic Palm from San Antonio to try to nurse back to life, and then Dusten surprised me with a hanging Golden Pothos and a Flax Lilly because he knows I love plants and had wanted to get some for our patio.
