Outdoor Furniture, Patio Furniture and more!

Backyard patio furniture should be more than just functional, you should absolutely love your outdoor furniture.   Adding  whole log décor to your already stunning white pine picnic table or white cedar porch swing can transform your opinion about your outdoor living space. Often overlooked by the purpose and beauty of all things seating, dining, and swinging, the whole log planters and garden bridges are the structures that pull it all together.

Whole Log Planters Make Great Spring Additions: As you get ready to plant for the season, consider a new plane for your plants to share their beauty that does not take away from the typical setting of a flower garden at your feet. With simple, whole log planters or larger than life planter benches with lattice, you get major points for exhibiting your crowned jewels on new levels. Opt to stain the wood of either a certain shade to match other wood furniture, paint it altogether for a more complete change of scenery, or leave it plain and rustic.

Make Your Backyard a Bombshell with a Rustic Bridge: Transfer the same treated or untreated look onto a whole log garden bridge for an even more spectacular effect. With a rustic trail bridge, walkways will guide guests through an assortment of flowerbeds and plantlife that may otherwise be left unseen in the depths of your lot. White cedar or white pine outdoor furniture – like the mystical bridges – stand the test of time even after years of being walked on. Known for their strength and durability, allow the hearty wood in either garden planter or garden bridge form to finish the effect of your natural, whole log outdoor design.

Whether your large yard desires a more unified feel, or you want to spread out the character of whole log outdoor furniture throughout your smaller area, pine and cedar furniture are here to make amends.

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As the heat of summer sweeps the nation, porches and patios are quickly becoming vacation destinations for families and friends.  Whether you’re hoping your outdoor space will be a hub of social activity or a sanctuary of escape, designing a porch that suits your needs exactly will allow you to enjoy your outdoor space to its fullest potential.

Furniture: Your porch furniture is sure to define your entire space.  For an outdoor room to feel comfortable, it has to be furnished like a true room. Find outdoor deep seating collections or outdoor dining sets that are pre-selected to match.  It makes it a no-fail solution.  Plus, buying in groups usually saves you money

Lighting: Using outdoor lighting will let you enjoy your porch for longer.  While many porches do have an overhead light source, using outdoor lamps creates more ambient tones that make your porch feel more like home. “I have an outdoor ceiling fan with a built in light,” said Lauren Klock, a homeowner in the middle of a porch re-decorating project.  “The fan moves the air to keep the breeze going and the bugs away, and the lighting element is great for evening get-togethers.”

Drapes, Rugs and Pillows: Outdoor curtains, rugs, and outdoor furniture pillows can soften the edges of a porch and truly finish an outdoor space. Mary Morris, author of Front-Porch-Ideas-and-More.com said “A lovely outdoor rug can sure pull together an outdoor space like nothing else: it is soft for bare feet and gives your porch a comfortable feel.”  Keep a color scheme in mind when selecting textile elements like outdoor drapes, outdoor rugs, pillows and outdoor furniture cushions.  Making sure all of your softer pieces coordinate will streamline your design.

Morris also suggests letting the garden do the decorating.  “Grace your porch with seasonal potted plants, hanging baskets and vases of fresh fragrant flowers.  Dress up your bistro table with a vase of fresh flowers from your garden. Lilacs, gerbera daisies, vincas, roses, even fresh herbs are nice.”

Selecting the right patio furniture, porch lighting and outdoor textiles will create an outdoor space that you can’t wait to enjoy.

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Families are always looking for ways to spend more time together, and parents are often searching for strategies to pull their kids away from the television and video games.   Many homeowners are creating gathering spaces right in their own backyards, to provide a fun and at-home retreat.  When considering turning your porch or yard into a dynamic living and gathering area, keep to these five tips!

Safety First: More than any other consideration, safety should always be at the top of the list, especially for families with young children.  One trending outdoor furniture complement is the fire pit.  Whether used for cooking, keeping warm or just aesthetics, it doesn’t have to be out of the questions for families. Fire pits should have a protective ring around them to keep the flame contained.  But, also consider how you envision the fire pit being used. The options for fire pits are incredibly varied, so it’s important to consider your maintenance concerns and your intended use before diving into the selection

Furniture Materials: Always look for patio furniture in materials that will stand up to harsh outdoor environments: Red and White Cedars contain naturally embedded oils that resist insect damage and decay.  Teak is a dense, heavy outdoor wood that is fantastic for patios and exudes absolute luxury.  If you’re looking for something synthetic, Polywood is created from recycled milk jugs and plastic bottles originally destined for the landfill.  Fashioned to look and feel like real wood, the plastic construction makes it absolutely indestructible.

Child Size and Kid Friendly: Consider incorporating kid’s outdoor furniture into your backyard space design.  Having their own area, seats and tables will encourage them to spend more time outdoors.  When hosting a neighborhood get-together, the kids will have a place to entertain each other without being constantly underfoot.  A lot of retailers sell child-sized outdoor furniture that match their standard size designs, so your entire outdoor room can have a unified, but still functional, lay out.

Stay on Budget: Balancing a budget with a growing family is no easy task, and creating an outdoor room doesn’t have to break the bank.  Look for outdoor furniture that can serve multiple purposes.  For example, get an outdoor dining set that has patio chairs you can pull away for round-the-fire pit seating.  Picnic tables with detached benches can be used in the traditional way, or you can set out a buffet style meal on the table and use the benches elsewhere for more casual seating. Adding splashes of color is also an simple way to make a big impact.  Plan a color scheme that works with your home and incorporate it into patio umbrellas and outdoor furniture cushions.  Adding indoor comfort and brightening color will make your outdoor space feel more finished and furnished. Then, if you ever get tired of your design, you can simply switch out the cushions for a brand new look!

Carve Out a Space for Just You: Especially for busy mothers, any porch, patio, or outdoor spaces should always leave a section nestled in the corner for solo-relaxation.  Whether you string a hammock, hang a porch swing, or simply pull one of those dining chairs/patio chairs out of the way, having a quiet space to reflect and drink tea outdoors will do wonders for your stress levels.  Creating an outdoor room will give you a great place to entertain, but also a quiet place to escape the every day noises of your home’s interior.

Have Fun!

Hazel.

Tags: fire pit, kids outdoor furniture, outdoor dining set, Outdoor Furniture, patio chairs, patio furniture, patio umbrellas outdoor furniture cushions, picnic tables with detached benches

For many families, it takes the warm defrost of spring to finally recover from holiday entertaining.  Though the lights and candles have long been put away, the rest of winter rarely inspires a lot of party-hosting.

But, the longer days and warmer afternoons of the spring season will always beckon dedicated entertainers to host a grand get-together.  Take advantage of the budding flowers and take dinner parties outdoors for an alfresco dining experience.

But, moving outside of the dining room’s comfort zone can strike hosting anxiety in the hearts of even the most experienced entertainer.  Follow these simple tips to ensure your alfresco dinner party goes off without a hitch!

The Furniture: The outdoor furniture used for outdoor entertaining must do more than just provide enough seating for guests; it can truly set the mood for the entire event.  The patio furniture has to fit the occasion.  A solid A-frame pine picnic table is great for backyard bashes and cook outs.  But, upscale alfresco dining will benefit from a cedar patio dining set or a teak outdoor dining table.

The Table Dressing: Marcia Blake, outdoor living space designer, encourages decorators to celebrate the outdoors with table dressings. “Add small fresh flower bouquets or miniature plants in low vases across the table to give the illusion of a large arrangement,” she suggests.

“For a dressed up table setting use ivory cloth placemats, topped by beautiful glassware, stemware and china, preferably antique or traditional in spirit.” Blake advises, “If you are planning a more relaxed get together, try mixing and matching different color glasses, ceramic dishes and fun silverware to create a playful atmosphere. Use multi colored placemats, napkins and chunky pillar candles.”

The Seating Arrangements: “Determine your seating arrangement then use hand-scripted place cards to caringly identify each setting,” suggests Blake.  Adding personal touches to place settings makes everyone feel valued and at-home.

“If many of your guests have yet to meet, consider setting out simple table games like the Tricky Triangle peg-in-wood block puzzles, or even riddles and trivia.  They can be a good ice breaker to get conversations started,” said Rebecca Strong, a frequent party host.

When it comes to party planning, Blake encourages taking any stress head on, “Try to work hard before the party starts so that you can enjoy being a guest at your own party.”  She insists that ensuring all of the details are wrapped before guests arrive will make the entire event more enjoyable.

Great parties have great atmospheres, and great atmospheres are created with fantastic outdoor furniture. Making sure the patio furniture fits the party is one of the most important factors.

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Gardeners nationwide are truly living in their gardens.  Gardening is not just your grandmother’s pastime anymore; it’s one of the most popular hobbies sweeping the interests of men and women of all ages.  Whether people are trying their hand at backyard organic vegetables or creating beautiful bouquet gardens, the art of gardening is definitely on the rise.

But, gardening is no longer just a chore or a place to work.  Gardens have become chic entertaining venues, dining spaces and living areas.

Garden designer Jenny Peterson, of J Peterson Garden Design, has seen this trend grow with every season.  “My clients are now seeing their gardens as gathering areas for their families and friends, so we have whole areas dedicated to seating and outdoor furniture,” she said.  Peterson has worked on designing gardens to hold everything from meditation areas to patio furniture collections in recent years.

“The things you would normally do inside, they are now doing outside, and want a good space to do it,” Peterson said.  And many gardeners are asking themselves if there’s any better space than a garden.

“Gardens are both peaceful and celebratory,” said Cassie Phillips, an avid gardener who enjoys cultivating her garden room along with her plants and flowers.  “Nothing puts me more at ease than being surrounded by nature and nothing livens up a party like the growing joy of a blooming lily.”

The versatility of the garden, paired with the eagerness gardeners take to showing off their handiwork, creates a flawless platform for living spaces.  Whether lazily flipping through a favorite novel on a porch swing, or hosting a garden soiree with champagne and teak patio furniture, a well planted garden can do nothing but enhance your experience.

Recently, more and more people are looking for outdoor furniture for their garden, instead of just their porches and gazebos.  People are moving their living spaces to be an integral part of their garden in increasingly interesting ways each season.  It’s more than just arranging patio furniture, using arbors and pergolas helps define spaces while letting flowering vines grow vertically to create living walls and spacers.

What’s your favorite way to bring living spaces out into the garden?

Tags: Arbors, gazebo, Outdoor Furniture, patio furniture, Pergolas, porch swing

Some folks see pool houses as just a simple structure for changing in and out of swimsuits.  But, though the name is focused on pools, its uses are nearly endless.   Most people who know the true advantages of pool houses see them as the perfect space for a home office, entertaining, outdoor storage, or as shelter from inclimate weather during your backyard gala. Truth is, pool houses make life easier in many ways – but more specifically, the separate area for entertaining behind your house is second to none in convenience and style.

Making Concessions: To begin with, a pool house shaped like the hexagon style guest house on your lawn can come equipped with a concession bar that may serve line drinks and snacks, even buffet-style meals for guests to enjoy libations and a tasty treat. The centralized location means no wandering for direction to a random table either. It’s height and separation from the home keeps entertaining fun and light.

Outdoor Stow Away Zone: In addition to the concession bar to keep energy levels high on cool nights or sun-drenched afternoons, a pool house provides your home with extra storage for pool toys, lawn games, outdoor dish ware for throwing parties, and extra patio seating, among other things. This separate storage area helps keep clutter down in your garage or basement, and allows for site-specific items to be easily taken out and put away.

Storm Shelter: Lastly, you don’t necessarily need a custom pool house to be set for all weather conditions. In fact, many pool houses come with attached porches to shield your guests from the occasional rain showers that may otherwise dampen the mood. An added benefit of the porch follows right into your house too, since you won’t have to worry about muddy, wet clothing entering through your house when the storm hits.

Pool houses provide your grandiose outdoor entertaining ideas with a central location where food and beverages, storage, and even shelter take the party into their own hands for a shock-proof approach to dynamite outdoor events.

Tags: backyard pool house, Outdoor Furniture, outdoor pool house, patio furniture, patio seating, Pool house, pool houses

Once reserved for the poolside soirees of the most elite, the pool house has really stretched its legs and expanded its reach.  A pool house is now perfectly at home in any backyard, large or small, even if there’s no water nearby.  Used for entertaining, relaxing and even working, the pool house can transition seamlessly to a functional extension of your home.

But, before you can gain the biggest potential out of your backyard pool house, you have to infuse some design sense into your structure.

Determine your Function: Before you can pick your outdoor furniture, you have to pick your function.  Are you hoping to create a party-central that will keep guests and entertainment centralized to one section of your home?  Having a backyard pool house for hosting parties will focus your cleaning and “prep” efforts to one place.  And, of course, after everyone goes home, all the mess will be in one spot as well!  Pool houses also do well as home offices, exercise spaces, game rooms, and even (most traditionally) as a place to change in and out of swim suits, grab towels, and store pool toys.  Whatever you decide, map out how you envision using your ideal space.

Design your Layout: It’s important to dedicate space before you start decorating.  What kinds of areas do you see being utilized within your pool house?  If you’re installing an indoor hot tub, be sure to leave plenty of room around it for climbing in and climbing out, as well as spots that won’t be damaged by wet feet.  Evaluate your square footage and be sure to maximize your space by mapping out your areas and not simply cramping too much furniture.  Start with the basics: a place to sit, a place to eat, a place to set down drinks.  Then, get creative and keep your main function at the center of every design decision.

Find your Fashion:  Once you have outlined the skeleton of your floor plan and layout, you can dive into colors, textiles, and textures.  To make a space look larger, color the ceiling a lighter shade than your walls and direct your color pallet toward light-hued neutrals.  For more drama, pick darker, more stark colors that will make immediate impact.  Mix soft, plush furnishings like mission style outdoor sofas and deep seating collections with harder surfaces like patio dining tables.  Keeping your colors and furnishings in balance will lend considerable comfort to the space.

Take a calculated approach to design and decorating to ensure you get the most out of your space.  Backyard pool houses can be customized for everything from meditation to poker night, so don’t let any pre-conceived notions of the structure attempt to hold you back!

Have Fun!

Hazel

Tags: backyard pool house, deep seating collections, Outdoor Furniture, outdoor sofas, patio dining tables, Pool house

Your decisions for patio furniture and outdoor space design should always consider full functionality and practicality.  But, after choosing resilient materials and ensuring there are enough seats for guests, you can have fun creating focal points with splashes of color.  Whether you choose the shocking or the neutral, planning a successful color pallet should be a joyful activity.

Go Green (and still pick your colors):  Do your part for the planet, add color, and get indestructible outdoor furniture… all at once!  Polywood patio furniture is a synthetic material made completely of recycled milk jugs and water bottles once destined for the landfill.  Using recycled plastics for your porch not only decreases your carbon footprint, it also decreases your maintenance requirements! Polywood is impervious to all weather conditions and will last without upkeep for years.  But, don’t worry; you won’t be trading function for fashion: polywood is crafted to look and feel just like real wood, and is available in a rainbow of colors.  When polywood outdoor rockers are created, the color dyes are used all the way through the material.  So if someone bumps your polywood rocking chair and makes dent, no one is likely to notice as there isn’t any paint to chip.

Classically Painted Wood: If you’re looking to use paint on your rocking chairs to add color, be on the look out for pine and cypress varieties.  Cedars and Teaks do not accept paints well at all, so it’s important to choose a wood that will agree with your color choice.  But, a porch rocker in pine or cypress can be repainted as often as the mood strikes you, and will benefit from the durability paint adds to outdoor woods. This is the most traditional way to add color to your outdoor room, but it’s a classic because it works!

Soft Wickers: A colorful rocker may also come in the form of a wicker rocking chair.  Though they’re more likely to be found sporting neutral color schemes, using bright outdoor furniture cushions can give you that punch of exciting color and patterns. Mixing and matching colors can add depth, but do take caution before going too crazy with the patterns and styles.  Colorful porch design still needs a cohesive direction.  Synthetic wickers will hold up to the elements better, and will end up being the better buy in the end.

Whether you add colorful hues using through-and-through dyed polywoood, painting cypress or pine, or choosing colorful wickers, considering the color pallet of your outdoor space will benefit your overall design scheme considerably.  Always keep functionality and practicality in mind, especially in outdoor spaces, but never lose sight of the fun!

Have Fun!

Hazel

Tags: Outdoor Furniture, outdoor furniture cushions, patio furniture, polywood outdoor rockers, polywood patio furniture, polywood rocking chair, porch rocker, wicker rocking chair

Let me guess: You’re tempted by the aesthetic of a rocking chair – its nurturing gliding movement and wood construction – but the thought of sitting in it for too long makes everything from your neck to your knees ache. Fear not, the ergonomic features of a highback rocking chair come to the rescue with lower lumbar support, a built-in head rest, and the option to cushion its surfaces.

Lower Lumbar Support: One of the reasons the highback porch rocker appeals to the masses has a lot to do with its lower lumbar support. The highback rocker extends higher than your shoulders, and the back is angled to support the natural curvature of your spine.  It helps those with spinal aches and pains feel more comfortable. In fact, the Academy of Chiropractic Physicians suggest highback wood furniture for supporting the lower back.

Rest your Head: The highback porch rocker not only supports your back, but gives you enough to space to rest your head as well.  Being able to relax your neck and lean your head back will let outdoor relaxation last for hours.  Watch the birds for hours before slipping into an afternoon nap without having to move inside to find comfort. An outdoor rocker can be the perfect napping spot if it’s made right.

Add Cushions: If the highback isn’t soft enough, think about adding a head cushion and maybe even a regular outdoor furniture cushion for the seat. Serving as a comfortable pillow for your head, your porch rocker will become your favorite piece of patio furniture.  Be careful not to settle in so comfortably that you never leave!

If back or neck pain is an issue when choosing the right outdoor furniture for your backyard or porch, consider the added benefits of a highback rocking chair that will prove itself, far outweighing the competition.

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If an iron bench in your garden or patio area seems too stiff or impersonal for your taste, complement the natural environment surrounding your home with a spacious, double rocking chair.

Recall Rustic Simplicity and Unite Spaces: Especially popular this season are double rockers made from thick, whole logs in white cedar or pine. Using similar materials or styles for all of your patio furniture is a great way to carry out a well-rounded design in your exterior area.  Pastoral style is optimal for the expanded double rocker since it brings out a hint of country, shaking up what might be a more traditional or modern design in your backyard space.

Perfect for Relaxed Outdoor Areas: A double rocker can offer one person enough room to put their feet up and relax completely into the gentle, rocking motion. It brings a cozy, next-to-the-fireplace energy to any patio area, offering the same gliding feel with a touch more of the rugged outdoors. It might even reside next to a fire pit or under the glow of a summer sky to complete the scene.

Get Close to Nature and the Ones you Love: The eye-catching design of a double rocking chair can provide a couple of lovebirds or you and your child ample room to sit side-by-side comfortably Like the loveseat of outdoor furniture, a rocking garden bench gets warm and cozy quickly if two people decide to share its smooth, sturdy base while discussing the day or peacefully listening to the birds.

Enable the closeness you desire with loved ones or the distance and space you require to relax while maintaining a gorgeous outdoor design. Flowing from the trees to the flowerbed, the double rocking chair is a great touch to your backyard patio.

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