Longer days and warmer nights are perfect for entertaining and relaxing in your own outdoor space. It’s wise to think about backyard seating ideas that will not only fit your space comfortably, but also add to your outside décor, too.
The first thing you need to do is assess your needs. For example, a bistro set, however sweet, won’t allow you to cater for large numbers. While a couple of large, plush sofas take up too much space if you’re trying to create a space simply for yourself.
Here are several ideas to get you started. And, when you have a general idea of what you’d like, call me and we can start creating your perfect outdoor seating “oasis”!
Integrate Outdoor Seating with Raised Beds
Here’s a great idea for saving space while simultaneously incorporating good looking garden ideas. If you have raised beds, you can make them work harder by building on benches, thus providing you seats without using up much extra square footage!
You can take things a step further by working in waterproofed storage underneath the seating, perfect for hiding away cushions and blankets. And make sure to plant sweet smelling flowers or herbs in the beds, so you have a heavenly aroma or on-the-go drink garnishes (think mint, rosemary, thyme, or lavender).
Take it Low
Not every space requires or responds well to a dramatic seating moment. Low stone walls and garden borders are perfect for adding a simple wooden bench. This type of design works well with narrow or small gardens but can also offer additional seating in larger spaces.
Create a Flexible Space
When choosing your garden seating ideas, it can feel like a toss-up between fitting everything in and still leaving room outdoors. If you have a shed or garage for storage, you can get more flexible with your plans. A built-in bench next to the shed or garage works wonders year-round. Then, when you’re ready to host summer soirees, add in a table and outdoor dining chairs. You’ll get everything you want, whenever you need it.
Swing in Style with a Fashionable Egg Chair
Hanging chairs are the dream for achieving a feeling of complete relaxation. When you take a seat in a suspended chair you are quite literally taking the weight off, creating a sense of floating – and when you close your eyes that sense can be heightened.
Tip: If your swing seat is attached to a frame, you can conceal the frame within a planted border or ground cover to add to visual effect of the chair freely floating in the space. Great for small gardens, as the free-flowing space beneath the chair helps to make it feel less imposing.
This new version of a hammock (shown below) will have you lulled into sleep on a hazy summer’s evening in no time! Make sure you hang it from a sturdy branch in the summer. And you can hang either chair from a ceiling in the winter. Great idea, huh?
Build Seating Around a Fire Pit
A fire pit lights up the night! All the fancy landscape lighting in the world can’t compete with the flickering blaze of a real fire. Lighting up a fire is a natural way to create a focal point at an outdoor gathering. Whether it’s the hypnotic dancing of the flames or some sort of primal memory, the fact is that people love to gather around fire.
Having a built-in seating area around a fire pit, you’ll be able to lounge around for longer on summer nights. A built-in L-shaped bench or outdoor sofa will frame the flames to create a more intimate space. Now, you could simply pull up some chairs, but a bench or sofa creates a convivial, communal space to enjoy your backyard together. Can’t you feel the warmth already?
Use a Quiet Corner to Carve Out a Reading Nook
An arbor placed in the corner of a garden creates the perfect place to escape and lose yourself in a good book. Choose a design where you can encourage climbing plants to grow around the frame, to enhance the feeling of being immersed within the garden. Paint the structure an on-trend dark shade to make the surrounding greenery really standout. You’ll be ready for that can’t put it down page turner!
Make the Most of Every Available Space – Including the Front Porch!
When the warm weather comes around, the porch is where you want to be when you gather with friends and family. Get everyone mingling by creating an easy conversation zone for your guests to enjoy.
For a cozy retreat, outfitting a porch with bright, modern furnishings doesn’t have to be expensive. Instead of buying new, try updating items you already have. Bland wicker chairs become vivid statement pieces with a refreshing coat of paint, and cushions from an old dining set can look surprisingly at home in a porch setting. An old rug and a few festive flowerpots later, and you’ll have a front porch that feels like it was decorated from scratch.
You can also bring the inside out! A porch can easily serve as an extension of your home, especially when you bring indoor decor outside. This porch is enhanced with accessories that are traditionally found indoors, including a rug, a pendant light, and a plush couch with a throw blanket and accent pillows. While the couch affords plenty of seating for company, the hanging wicker chair is an inviting place for one person to curl up with a good read.
So – What Are You Waiting For?
These are just a few ideas for you to “noodle” over. When you’re ready, give me a jingle and we’ll get started on creating your outdoor seating “oasis”!
You can reach me at (248) 805-1980.
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