Outdoor Furniture, Patio Furniture and more!

Outdoor spaces grow with every season, as homeowners create alfresco dining spaces with picnic tables and outdoor napping spots with swing beds.  However, the greatest opportunities can sometimes serve the greatest challenges.  I love the limitless prospects of decorating without walls or ceilings, but creating distinct spaces can be difficult without these go-to dividers.

Many people want a space for dinner parties as well as space for casual socializing.  Using creative barriers can help define spaces and communicate an open, yet structured outdoor space design.

Pathways: Often, space can be the best friend to the outdoor decorator.  If you’re lucky enough to take advantage of an expansive backyard, don’t feel pressured to pile your outdoor rooms on top of each other.  Housing your living space in a gazebo and your dining area under your porch (near the kitchen!) will clearly delineate your outdoor rooms.

To propel guests toward different outdoor rooms, use inviting pathways.  Paver stones and brick walkways work well, but treated pine roll-up walkways are an economical and portable option. Laying out pathways and walkways clearly tells guests where to explore!

Structures:  Using backyard structures like gazebos, pergolas and pool houses is another easy way to clearly separate outdoor spaces.  If you’re back deck is lined with patio chairs and chaise lounges, make your backyard gazebo a destination spot for dining.  Using structures not only adds dynamic architectural elements to your landscape, it creates more covered areas for relaxing and entertaining.

Flora: Using vertical gardening techniques can also create private spaces and living walls between outdoor rooms.  Growing wisteria or trumpet vines up a trellis or garden arbor will develop colorful, living and growing walls that will make guests feel at home in a secret garden.  Using garden arbors with gates and softening the latticed edges with growing morning glories will let beautiful color spill over into every available outdoor space.

Separating living, dining and lounging spaces within your outdoor rooms will make your backyard areas seem larger and more encompassing.  Group your outdoor furniture and patio furniture into outdoor rooms and make entertaining easy by cuing your guests around your outdoor living spaces.

Have Fun!

Hazel.

Tags: backyard gazebo, backyard structures, chaise lounges, garden arbor, garden arbors with gates, gazebo, Gazebos, Outdoor Furniture, patio chairs, patio furniture, Pergolas, picnic tables, pool houses, swing beds, treated pine roll-up walkways, trellis

The log cabin has long been a favorite getaway for summers and holidays.  Even those with modern tastes can appreciate the rustic elegance of a log cabin nestled into the hill side.  But, even if you’re not lucky enough to have your own vacation cabin (and especially if you are!) incorporating whole log furnishings into your outdoor space design will bring home that country grace with a glass of lemonade.

Whole log outdoor furniture usually comes in one of two materials: white cedar outdoor furniture and pine log patio furniture.

White Cedar: Whole log outdoor furniture crafted from white cedar will stand up to the elements.  Naturally resistant to rot, decay and insects, white cedar doesn’t need any finishing products to protect it.  A semi-transparent stain containing sunscreen will help prevent the ultra-violet rays from fading the original coloring on your white cedar patio furniture.  But, many people also prefer the silver-grey patina coloring their aged outdoor furniture takes on.

It is necessary for cedar logs to “breath,” or dry out then take on more moisture.  The breathing process does cause the outer layer of the wood to develop harmless checks as the white cedar expands and contracts with natural humidity cycles.  The checks actually strengthen the structural stability of the wood, and add more rustic flair to your outdoor space design.

Pine Log: Whole log pine patio furniture is usually constructed with a treated pine material, but select pine can also be used to craft each piece.  Pine log is often considered to be the more economic option to white cedar patio furniture.  Treated pine is treated against mold, decay and insect damage.  But, a stain or pain will further protect it from discoloration.  Select pine, on the other hand, is not treated against damaging factors and does not contain embedded oils for natural protection.  Whole log pine patio furniture created from select pine must be stained/sealed immediately to protect it from the elements.

Using whole log outdoor furniture is a fun and easy way to bring the relaxation of an old log cabin right into your at-home outdoor space.    Consider your material options to ensure you make the best decision, and coordinate pieces that complement each other, as well as the architecture of your home or backyard structure.

Have Fun!

Hazel.

Tags: backyard structures, pine log patio furniture, white cedar outdoor furniture, whole log furnishings, whole log outdoor furniture, whole log patio furniture

Getting a cabana for your outdoor living area is invariably a great choice.  But, now that you’re set on one, be sure to make the best decision.  While the size of your cabana is dependent on the space you have available, how you’re planning to use it, and possibly your budget, the shape of your cabana is requires more thought.  Are you looking for traditional lines or something out of the ordinary?

Octagon Cabanas:  Octagon Cabanas are great for those who love the traditional look of a gazebo.  The octagonal shape is eye-catching and interesting, and will absolutely stand out among a group of buildings.

Rectangle Cabanas: Rectangle Cabanas are perfect for people that want to decorate a traditionally shaped space.  Arrange your patio furniture in the familiar arrangements of indoor rooms for seamless transitions.

Hexagon Cabanas: The romantic belle roof of the hexagon cabana is unique and striking.  Add some dreamy architectural lines to your landscape to feel like you’re in a paradise every day of the week.  Adding a copper filial to the peak completes the look.  These are great for outdoor living spaces, as well as home offices, studios, and other backyard escapes.

Elongated Hexagon Cabanas: If you love the belle roof, but need a little bit more room, the Elongated Hexagon Cabana is a fantastic solution. Providing more space in a more rectangular layout makes decorating easy and space a premium.  Also perfect for home offices and studios, the elongated hexagon cabana is also great for storage and outdoor dining spaces. Outfitted with a rectangular picnic table, this backyard structure is perfect for dinner parties.

Plan out your intended uses for your cabana, what outdoor furniture or other ideas you have for the interior, as well as how you want your landscape to look overall.  Talk to friends, family members, and a qualified expert about your options… but don’t get overwhelmed!  Choosing the perfect style for your cabana should be fun and exciting.

Tags: backyard cabanas, backyard structures, Cabanas, elongated hexagon cabanas, Gazebos, hexagon cabanas, octagon cabanas, Outdoor Furniture, outdoor structures, patio furniture, rectangle cabanas

Whether you’re a hopeless romantic or a realist, choosing the right backyard gazebo to fit your
lifestyle is a key to unlocking the magic of an outdoor space. Before diving into the hunt -
deciding on which roof, size, material, location, and shape – there are a few guiding
characteristics that you should know about the various backyard structures on the market.

Recognized as a classic shape for roofed outdoor spaces far and wide, the Octagon gazebo is
tradtional and romantic. Seen in residential gardens, community spaces and public parks all
around the world, they can often be accessed at more than just one of its eight angles.

Creating a completely different perspective is the Rectangular gazebo. Without as many turns as
the many-sided gazebos, the solid quadrilateral architecture of a rectangle offers a standard space
design ideal for those who want to recreate an indoor space outdoors. In addition to the wall area
simulating a large picture window, the rectangular shape is recommendable for those who
entertain more often since it fits a large dining room table or lengthy seating arrangements with
ease.

The Belle Roof gazebo – also known as a Hexagon Gazebo – demonstrates a similar, yet distinct
appearance when compared with the other outdoor spaces. Similar in plentiful sides to the
Octagon and Dodecagon gazebos but without the typical roof style, the Belle Roof of this sixsided structure sets it apart with a more fluid descent that resembles a large bell. Often described as unique and eye-catching, this option is ideal for those interested in creating a more luxurious or upscale effect.

No need to feel overwhelmed with structural decision-making once you’re informed of these
three popular shapes of gazebos. Consider the space you have as offering a relaxing room away
from home with the decorating scheme you’re shooting for. After that, let the Octagon, the
Rectangle, and the Belle Roof gazebos take the reins and show you that creating your perfect
outdoor area is as easy as counting to four, six, and eight.

Tags: backyard gazebo, backyard structures, belle roof gazebo, dodecagon gazebos, gazebo, Gazebos, hexagon gazebo, octagon gazebo, rectangular gazebo

We talk a lot about creating your own at-home oasis.  After all, “stay-cations” have become one of the most popular family destinations as people use backyard structures and outdoor furniture to create beautiful paradises.

But, what about the professionals?  Your backyard haven is just one aspect of the many parts of your home you balance.  But, vacation resorts are completely focused on creating relaxing and rejuvenating environments that will turn people’s everyday stress into invigorating retreats.

Caneel Bay is a luxury resort situated in the pristine natural surrounding of The Virgin Islands National Part on St. John Island.  If anyone knows every detail of get-away design, it’s certainly the island resorts of the Caribbean.  And, the experts turned to our experts for gazebo and cabana design!

First, this open air gazebo serves as a wonderful sheltered outdoor living room.  Using bright teals to add bursts of unexpected color, it reserves an island feel without pushing over into cliché or overwhelming themes.  The outdoor deep seating collection exudes relaxed elegance, as the rich hardwood pulls together the entire outdoor room set that coordinates, but isn’t too “matchy.”

(Click photo to view larger)

This is certainly a design you could emulate in your own home!  For those who do not have a full staff of house keeping, however, you might want to try deep seating that has storage within the arms and back for the cushions.  That way, you can put the cushions away without lugging them into your storage shed, when you’re headed in for the night and rain seems to be on the way.  There are also a lot of stylish deck boxes that could hold your cushions and keep them safe outdoors.  What are your thoughts on it?

And, within sight of this fabulous outdoor living room… is that a cabana?  Why Yes! Can you guess what it’s used for?

Think the ultimate in relaxation…

Yes! A massage space overlooking the ocean proves this resort as one wonderful place!  The hardwood floors, bamboo-style shades, and exposed rafters create a rustic, yet refined feeling of secluded retreat. The palm-leaf style outdoor ceiling fan will keep the sea breeze moving, and fits seamlessly with this tropical décor.  My favorite part is that the rafters are painted white to match the walls, while the exposed ceiling remains its natural wood color.  Such a subtle color choice really brings through the marine feeling of this oasis.

You might be thinking, “What would I do with something like this in my home though?  I can barely get my husband to rub my shoulders!”  Okay, Okay, a massage chair and full spa might be a little over-the-top for your at-home oasis.  But, a cabana with rich hardwood floors, exposed painted rafters, a fabulous outdoor ceiling fan, and bamboo-style blinds can make much more than just an open air spa…  How about a dining area? A meditation retreat? An art or writing studio?  The options are endless. Plus, with walls and a closing door, you can use it for more seasons and in inclement weather!

So, if you hadn’t planned to go toward the islands this summer… that’s no reason to miss out on fabulous outdoor retreats.  Create your own tropical resort this summer, and enjoy it every day: Not for a week, not on one trip, everyday!

After all, if even the top tropical resorts are turning to us…why would you turn to anybody else?

Tags: backyard structures, cabana, deck boxes, deep seating, gazebo, outdoor ceiling fan, outdoor deep seating, Outdoor Furniture, storage shed

March is finally here; and rarely has a month been so anticipated by so many people across the nation.  After the record-breaking, branch-breaking, and back-breaking amounts of snow that fell on much of the country in February, millions of people have been waiting for the weather to break, so that they can do some serious ground-breaking in their gardens.

Although there are lots of places where it will be safe to start planting this month, there are also many regions that can have frost, and even more snow, well into April.  So, if you live in one of the latter locations, even though spring is just a few weeks away, and even if the temperature is rising, and the forecast calls for it to continue in an upward trend, you’ll still have to resist the temptation to start putting things into the ground too early.

Of course, as I always say, if you can’t plant, plan.  Start by designing the structure of your garden, and don’t forget to include your garden structures.  Whether you already have arbors, trellises, or pergolas, or are going to install any, make sure that they’re properly placed before putting seed to soil.

This Planter Bench is all ready for spring!

This is even more crucial when it comes to gazebos, pool houses, cabanas, and sheds, as it’s common to give these backyard structures some special landscaping of their own.  Furthermore, if you don’t have one yet, but intend to get one, some of your newly-established plants and flowers may be wiped out during its construction.

You can also tend to your compost pile, which may very well have been neglected – and, indeed, even forgotten – if it has been buried deep beneath the snow.  Begin turning it regularly, to get it all heated up and ready for action.  If you don’t have a compost pile (or if you accidentally shoveled or plowed yours away with the snow), start one now.

Your tools will also have to be ready for peak performance, so have your lawnmower’s blades sharpened, oil changed, bolts tightened, and other parts inspected and/or cleaned.

Sharpen your garden tools, using a file on trowels, hoes, clippers, and shovels, and a whetstone on pruning shears.  Once they’re sharpened, coat the metal with some penetrating oil; and, if they are moving parts, a heavier oil as well.  Sand rough spots on wood handles, and then apply some linseed oil.

In my next entry, I’ll have some more suggestions for March gardening projects.  I’m anxious to get started on mine, too, but, at the moment, I’m sitting here looking at a patio that remains covered with at least a foot of snow.  So, I’m still waiting for that big break!

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Tags: Arbors, backyard structures, Cabanas, garden structures, Gazebos, Pergolas, pool houses, Sheds, trellises

There are tons of projects for us to do, in and around our homes; but, at least, we get to work with houses that already exist.  Imagine the monumental challenges that our earliest ancestors faced, when, surrounded by wilderness, they had to construct various forms of shelter from whatever was at hand.

Many of those who weren’t lucky enough to find caves to live in (the “high society” crowd), made huts from wood and branches, while others draped animal skins over wooden frameworks, or used the bones of mammoths for the skeletal (literally!) structures, then covered them with the skins.  In any case, it took a lot of effort to build even the most makeshift abode.

Even so, it wasn’t long before people began adding on rooms to these modest dwellings, and furnishing them with chairs and tables that had been crudely fashioned from rocks, wood, and branches.  Outdoor furniture, I guess, was anything that was found lying around on the ground.  Perhaps a felled tree could have been used as a lounge chair, a smooth rock, as a garden bench (or, if it teetered on an uneven surface, a rocker), and an animal pelt tied between two trees, as a hammock, a hammock chair, or even a porch swing.

Naturally, people quickly began accumulating more possessions, in an attempt to keep up with the Joneses – or, the Oggs, as the case may have been.  Then, because of the apparently innate compulsion of the human race to hoard things, even when there’s no place to put them, the first storage sheds were created; and, like many homes, and some inhabitants thereof, they were nothing but skin and bones.

Throughout the ages, they have really fleshed out, appearing in many forms and materials, in virtually every culture, evolving into the good old backyard structures that we’ve all come to know.  In the 21^st century, however, apparently unsatisfied with being used only for storage, the shed has once again changed the way it is perceived in society.

Today, there are several styles of sheds, made from vinyl, cedar, and pine, available with features that include skylights, insulation, window boxes, and dozens of colors of siding and roofing.  Along with their impressive, new looks, garden sheds are taking on daring new roles, as home offices and gyms, studios, playhouses, guest rooms, and hobby rooms.  In fact, because they have proven that they can successfully serve all of these purposes, and many more, sheds have become almost as popular as gazebos.

It just goes to show that great things can happen when you’re courageous enough to shed your old image.

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Tags: backyard structures, cedar, chairs, garden bench, Gazebos, hammock, hammock chair, insulation, lounge chair, Outdoor Furniture, pine, porch swing, rocker, roofing, Sheds, siding, skylights, storage shed, storage sheds, tables, vinyl, window boxes

Among the many indoor projects that people are working on at this time of the year, painting is one of the most common.  This is understandable, as it’s a great way to give a room a whole new look, without the expense of remodeling; and virtually anyone can do it.  For first-timers, however, the myriad choices in paints can be rather confusing.  Heck, it’s difficult enough just to pick from the millions of available colors.  Then, after you make that monumental decision, you have to figure out whether flat, eggshell, satin, semi-gloss, or gloss paint, will best suit your purpose.

So, if you’re not familiar with these terms, remember that flat paint has a matte finish, with no sheen, shine, or shimmer.  Because it doesn’t reflect light, it can hide some minor imperfections; but it’s less durable, more porous, and harder to clean, than glossier types.  This makes it more hospitable to mold and mildew growth, so it shouldn’t be used in high-humidity rooms, such as bathrooms and kitchens, or in backyard structures that aren’t insulated.

Eggshell has just a slight hint of luster, but can add a bit more depth and warmth to a room.  Easier to clean than flat paint, it still disguises small defects, and is less attractive to mildew.

Smooth and somewhat shiny, satin paint is much more durable than flat and eggshell varieties.  Very easy to clean, and resistant to mold and mildew, it’s great for use in bathrooms and kitchens, as well as high-traffic areas.

With its beautiful, sparkling finish, semi-gloss paint is extremely durable and easy to keep clean.  It’s used mostly for trim, doors, and bathroom and kitchen cabinets; but it’s highly reflective, and will draw attention to even the slightest blemish.

Gleaming, glistening gloss paint is mainly for trim, wainscoting, and cabinets; but it can also make a home look stylish and welcoming when used on the front door.  Because it spotlights every imperfection, however, wherever, whenever, and if ever you use it, be sure that whatever you put it on has no flaws whatsoever.

Once you’re done with the indoors, you can start planning a fresh look for the outdoors.  Adding patio furniture to your porch or lawn is a great way to add an entirely new living space to enjoy.   Of course, with the thousands of patio chairs, porch swings, garden benches, swingbeds, picnic tables, Adirondack chairs, chaise lounges, hammocks, accent tables, gliders, outdoor dining tables, garden structures, and ottomans available, there’s practically as many varieties of outdoor furniture as there are paint colors!

Luckily, though, this will cause you no consternation.  Because materials can be easily split into two categories; cedar, pine, oak, cherry, teak, eucalyptus, and cypress, verses aluminum, synthetic wicker, polywood, and vinyl.  Your decision is simple: either you wood, or wood not.

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Tags: accent tables, adirondack chairs, aluminum, backyard structures, cedar, chaise lounges, cherry, cypress, eucalyptus, garden benches, garden structures, gliders, Hammocks, oak, ottomans, outdoor dining tables, patio chairs, patio furniture, picnic tables, pine, polywood, porch swings, Swingbeds, synthetic wicker, teak, vinyl