The new year brings a chance to declutter and refresh your home and outdoor space. Whether Pinterest has inspired you or you are looking for affordable ways to revamp your current space, you can give your outdoor living area a new look without breaking the bank.
The first step in refreshing your outdoor living area is to choose a color scheme and weave it through the entire space for a seamless transition. It could be a stripe on a pillow, the border of a new rug, or your firepit’s glass color. Small changes to the color of your accessories will make a huge impact without the expense, especially if your furniture is in perfect condition. After deciding on a color scheme, here are our six recommended budget-friendly and stylish ways to refresh your space.
New Rug
In Southwest Florida, the exterior space is just as important as the indoors as it is used year-round. Outdoor rugs are essential in creating a warm and inviting space as they soften the outdoor materials and provide a cohesive transition from your interior living space to your patio area.
Rug Styling Tips
- Styles and colorations vary from simple traditional borders and textures like jute to more globally inspired medallions and vibrantly colored florals.
- Textural and subtly colored graphic patterns coordinate well with solid-colored outdoor cushions.
- Most outdoor rugs are made of Polypropylene and Nylon fabrics, which are stain-proof and resistant to soiling from almost any chemical.
Pro tip: Outdoor rugs, on average, are less than $400, with most of our stock 5×7 rugs under $150. Exterior rugs are priced lower than indoor ones due to the weather exposure and material, making them affordable to replace every couple of seasons.
New Pillows
Shop Elaine Smith pillows at Elegant Outdoor Living.
The easiest way to update the look and feel of your outdoor space is to change the pillows on your existing furniture. Outdoor fabric styles, colors, and construction have come a long way, and now many retailers offer high-performance outdoor fabrics for pillows and furniture. Our showrooms carry manufacturers’ catalogs showing the different color groups, so it is easy to design your updated space with little effort. Follow these steps to refresh your outdoor pillows.
- Choose a color palette and coordinate different designs, textures, and sizes to your existing furniture.
- For sofas, use two matching 18” pillows in a solid color with a 12×18 lumbar pillow in a print or stripe.
- For an outdoor sectional, mix up the sizes with three 18”, two 20”, and then a long 12×24 lumbar pillow to add a designer look to any space.
- Add in different colors at anytime or new ones that fit the seasons.
Accessories
We love to accessorize outdoor spaces at EOL. Adding a splash of color or a fun tabletop figurine will create just the right sense of fun and conversation. Here are some best practices for accessorizing.
- If you love bright pink but do not want it on your furniture, look for a tray with a flamingo or faux florals to add to a vase.
- Group three smaller accessories together in a tray and place them on your coffee table.
- Oversized shells are great to use for end tables.
- Look for a group of hurricanes or lanterns for a dining table.
- Fill lanterns with sand or shells and use outdoor candles to add ambiance.
- Add a tray to set on an ottoman for drinks and books.
- Use vases in several colors and sizes that can be grouped together on a console table.
- Add fresh flowers or one large faux palm stem to soften the space.
Umbrellas
We recently helped a customer design their backyard using a large rectangle umbrella in a black and white stripe pattern over four solid color black lounge chairs by the pool.
Umbrellas are the key accessory for protecting you from the sun but also serve as a focal design element in your outdoor space. You can create a large shaded space with a cantilever umbrella that covers a large dining set or sofa group, opt for a border canopy umbrella, and subtly tie in your color scheme.
Garden Stools or Outdoor Poofs
Bernhardt Exteriors offers a large selection of accent and cocktail tables to be used throughout their collections.
Add extra seating around your patio with unique accent tables or colorful garden stools that can double as seats. Many outdoor manufacturers offer universal side tables and cocktail tables that coordinate with several styles and furniture colors for customers to mix and match to create a designer look. Over the past year, we have seen many customers step outside the box and choose an eclectic look for tables. These focal pieces organically become conversational pieces.
Fully upholstered poufs and stools are also being introduced outdoors as extra seating beside a firepit and be easily stored under a console table or a high conversation table.
Replacement Cushions
Classic Cushions is our local source for manufacturing our replacement cushions. They are family-owned and operated in Florida.
Outdoor replacement cushions or casings will bring new life to your existing frames (especially if they’re in great condition) and add several more years of relaxation and comfort to your patio. We use a local family-owned and operated company in Florida to produce replacement cushions for any outdoor frame. Browse our outdoor fabric books to browse to find the perfect fit for your new style.
Shop Elegant Outdoor Living to Refresh Your Outdoor Space
The furniture lines we carry are built to last and carry extensive warranties. We offer several options for replacing cushions, carrying many throw pillows, and having beautiful accessories, umbrellas, rugs, accent tables – everything you need to easily refresh your outdoor area. Please contact us with any questions or if you would like assistance from our design experts.
