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

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

As I’m sure you’ve heard, Pantone has announced the color of 2011.

Pantone describes it as: “Courageous. Confident. Vital. A brave new color, for a brave new world. Let the bold spirit of Honeysuckle infuse you, lift you and carry you through the year. It’s a color for every day – with nothing “everyday” about it.”

So, what else is going to be hot in home décor this year? If our colors are making us courageous and confidant, our furnishings are exuding comfort and versatility. Everyone know that, these days, home décor is all about making your dollar go further and your space do more.

As the outdoor living craze shows no signs of slowing, outdoor furniture designers and retailers are on their toes for upcoming trends.  While, pergolas are still on their way to most popular structure and patio deep seating is also topping the charts, we’re abuzz about porch rockers this season.

“Outdoor rocking chairs recall classic porch design of rural America,” said Mark Winkelman, furniture designer. “Blending traditional styles with updated color schemes balances spaces and makes them both fashionable and livable.”

Rocking chairs are fantastic because they can be used both indoors and outdoors.  A painted wood rocking chair can sit on your front porch in the warm season, and make a home in a cozy window-view for the winter.

They’re also lightweight, and can be easily moved around to accommodate guests and family.  More people are staying in and enjoying their backyards, rather than going out and using their credit cards.  And, the relaxed sway of a porch rocker is a great way to drink coffee, watch the sunset and get back into the swing of good friendship.

Many people are updating the classic porch rocker with bright colors, especially the striking honeysuckle hue that is sure to be splashed nearly everywhere this season.  Honeysuckle is especially appropriate for outdoor living.  Leatrice Eiseman, executive dirsctor of the Pantone Color Institute explained, “The intensity of this festive reddish pink allures and engages. In fact, this color, not the sweet fragrance of the flower blossoms for which it was named, is what attracts hummingbirds to nectar. Honeysuckle may also bring a wave of nostalgia for its associated delicious scent reminiscent of the carefree days of spring and summer.”

Set a trend by using a classic in a way that isn’t expected.  Outdoor living may be more popular than ever, but just ask those that grew up with out air conditioning, and you’ll know it’s no new fad.  Take a cue from the experienced with traditional porch rockers.  Take a cue from the trends with bold and exciting colors.

Have Fun!

Hazel

Tags: Outdoor Furniture, outdoor rockers, outdoor rocking chairs, patio deep seating, Pergolas, porch rockers, rocking chairs

Many homes would benefit from a guest house.  Whether you entertain often or have in-laws over for every holiday, having a separate guest house can allow both your guests and your home to feel a little more at ease.

Save Your Sleep: Nobody sleeps well with house guests.  The hosts are worrying whether they supplied enough towels, the guests are tip toeing around the kitchen searching for a glass only to knock over your pile of cooking magazines.  It can feel like a competition of who can be more accommodating: the guests or the hosts.  But, in the end, no body feels completely at ease.  Have you ever stayed with a friend that has a burglary alarm system?  You hear this phantom beeping in the distance from your pull-out couch and wonder if there’s some problem.  Skip the stress for both parties.  Having a separate structure to serve as your guest house will let guests retreat to their own space, eliminating the need for tip toes on all fronts.

Save the Hassle: A lot of people avoid the hassle of house guests by investing in a hotel room.  But, now meals and activities have to be scheduled around check ins and check outs.  If the best hotel is across town, no one will be traveling to and from during rush hour! Plus, if there are kids along for the trip, they’ll inevitably forget a favorite toy or book, sending a parent back out into the weather and traffic to retrieve it from the hotel room.  Having a separate guest house will allow families to retreat, but only be a few steps away.

Save Some Money: The upfront investment of a backyard guest house will well outweigh the ongoing costs of those hotel rooms.  After you factor the night rate, parking, gas going to and from the hotel, and other expenses associated with hotels, guests will end up cutting travel costs in half when coming to visit you.  Easing travel spending for your loved ones is the greatest gift you can give, especially during the holiday season.

Using a cabana or a pool house as a private guest house is an easy, customizable, and affordable option.  Designing your structure online, you can personalize the tiniest details and choose a size that works for your lifestyle.  The world of garden structures is a lot bigger than open-air gazebos and pergolas, fully insulated backyard cabanas and pool houses are serving as guest houses, home offices, and extra home spaces.

Tags: cabana, garden structures, Gazebos, Pergolas, Pool house

If you put up some nice, just-plain-fall adornments in September, and added a Halloween theme later, at least, you won’t have to spend a lot of time on decorations in the next few weeks.  Because Thanksgiving is, of course, an autumn celebration, all you have to do is to de-spookify your landscape.

So, just take the fake spiders and webs off the trellises, pergolas, and arbors, and leave the sparkling, orange miniature lights.  After that, simply clear porch gliders, patio chairs, and chaise lounges, of all werewolves, mummies, and pumpkin-headed creatures, and put on the outdoor furniture covers.  Then, it’s only a matter of chasing a few ghosts and rubber snakes out of the yard, and you’re back to your beautiful fall outdoor décor, which is appropriate to the holiday at hand.

Leave the Christmas stuff for after Thanksgiving; and don’t let anyone pressure you into putting it up too soon.  Heck, you’ll need all of the extra time that you can get, in order to finish preparing your house and garden for the winter.  After all, some of those outdoor chores can be demanding, and, in many cases, very unpleasant.

Dealing with all of the fallen leaves, for example, can be a disagreeable job.  While, not long ago, they were still on the trees, in all of their brilliant, breath-taking splendor, they are now piling up on lawns, walkways, and roofs, causing all kinds of mischief.

One of their favorite pranks is to clog up gutters, and, thus, prevent the adequate drainage of water from the roofs of houses and other outdoor structures.  Although cleaning them out is a detestable duty, it’s something that must be done before winter arrives.  Otherwise, ice jams can form, and cause water to back up and, perhaps, seep into the house.

So, get the ladder out of the garden shed, and rise to the task; and don’t forget your heavy-duty work gloves and your scraper.  You can also make another helpful tool out of a plastic, gallon jug; just cut off the top half, hold it by the handle, and use it to scoop the leaves from the gutter.  Take out as much debris as possible by hand, before using the scraper to remove any built-up dirt and gunk; then rinse the gutter thoroughly with a hose.

While you’re up there, inspect for leaks, dents, and crooked pipes, and see that the gutters and downspouts are fastened securely to the house.  Furthermore, make certain that the downspouts are directing the water at least five feet away from the foundation of the house, and that they are not blocked.  To ensure that a downspout is operating properly, put a hose into the top, run the water, and check to see if it is running out at the bottom.

If there is a blockage, you may be able to break it loose, by packing rags around the hose at the top of the spout, to seal it off, and then running the water at full power; and if that fails, try using a snake.

Uh, a plumber’s snake, that is.  Not one of the rubber specimens that you drove out of your yard.

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Tags: Arbors, chaise lounges, garden shed, outdoor decor, Outdoor Furniture Covers, outdoor structures, patio chairs, Pergolas, porch gliders, trellises

Now that November is here, things are really getting serious.  The Christmas commercials have already started to air (unfortunately), and, from here on out, everything is going to be about the holidays.  In just a few weeks, it will be Thanksgiving, and, in all probability, you’ll be getting ready for that; but, before you can relax and enjoy your turkey dinner, you’ll have to make sure that your home is prepared to deal with the cold weather ahead.

Of course, this includes its interior, exterior, and landscape.  Indeed, even though there’s not much heavy gardening to do, there are a few outdoor chores, including some yard work, left to be accomplished.  So, dig your thick, warm sweater out of the closet or cedar chest, get back into the crisp, invigorating air, and finish those tasks before it’s too late.

Actually, even if you live in an area that’s facing a harsh winter, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re completely finished with planting.  As long as the ground is not frozen, you can still plant the spring-flowering bulbs of crocuses, tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths.  You can also put in some trees and shrubs now, so that their roots will have a chance to establish themselves before spring.  Just remember to cover the trunks of saplings, and other tender trees, with paper tree wrap, before the end of the month.

If you’re going to transplant any shrubs, plants, or trees, such as azaleas or rhododendrons, excavate their new holes before you take them out of the ground.  Make them roomy enough to give the plants plenty of space to grow; and when you dig them up, extract large root balls that include as much of their root systems as possible.  Replant them right away, using a blend of the existing soil, along with healthy doses of compost, peat moss, and transplanting fertilizer.  Stake taller plants and trees, until their roots become steadfast; otherwise, they may be toppled by strong winds.

You can prune the vines on your grape arbors, after they’ve gone dormant; and any climbing vines, roses, or berries, should be secured firmly to their trellises, so that they won’t be whipped around by gusty winds.  If you’re planning to move things around next year, this is also a good time to sketch out a fresh garden design, and to put in new garden structures, such as trellises, arbors, and pergolas.

Another way to ensure that you’ll be prepared for next year is to clean, sharpen, and oil your garden tools.  Besides having your lawnmower’s blades sharpened, have its oil changed, bolts tightened, and other parts inspected and/or cleaned.  Use a file on trowels, hoes, clippers, and shovels, and a whetstone on pruning shears, then coat the metal parts with penetrating oil; and apply heavier oil to any moving components.  Sand rough spots on wood handles, and then rub them lightly with some linseed oil.

It’s also time to put your patio furniture into the garage or storage shed for the winter.  However, if you don’t have a large enough storage area, protect your porch swings, patio chairs, and picnic tables, with outdoor furniture covers.  Just make sure that they have heavy-duty ties that can endure even the fiercest winds.  Remember, you’re tucking them in for a long, winter’s nap.

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Tags: Arbors, cedar chest, grape arbors, Outdoor Furniture Covers, patio chairs, patio furniture, Pergolas, picnic tables, porch swings, storage shed, trellises

As I mentioned, this is the perfect time of the year to start feeding the birds; and it’s important to place birdfeeders in spots where they will have shelter from the wind, and refuge from predators.  Although shrubs and trees are ideal, garden structures, such as arbors, trellises, pergolas, and gazebos can do the job as well.  Multi-paneled garden screens will provide good coverage, too, as will gated arbors, and arbors with extensions.

Another alternative is to create a makeshift row of hedges, by getting some planters, and filling them with small evergreens; even artificial ones will work.  You can also use planter trellises, or planter benches with lattice backs.  Anything is better than nothing; in fact, if you’re not going to store your patio furniture in the garden shed during the winter, protect it with some mildew-resistant, easy-to-clean outdoor furniture covers, and let the birds use it to shield themselves from the elements.

As for the birdfeeders, there are many types to choose from, including tube, platform, hopper, fly-through, post-mounted, and hanging.  Whichever you select, make sure that it will keep the food dry, so that it will not become moldy.

When you’re shopping for food, keep in mind that sunflower seeds appeal to the widest variety of birds.  Black-oil sunflower seeds are the favorites, and are enjoyed by every kind of backyard, seed-eating bird.  Their rich oil content makes them a high-energy food, and their thin shells make them easy to crack.  Although striped sunflower seeds are also great, they have heavier shells, which are tough for smaller birds to open.

You can also get sunflower seeds that have been mechanically hulled; and, while they cost a little more, there will be no waste, and no mess.  On the other hand, with in-shell sunflower seeds, the hulls account for up to 45% of the product weight, and will be left lying around on the ground.

Nyjer seeds, which are tiny and black, draw all sorts of finches; and, because of their high oil content, they make wonderful winter food.  Imported from Africa and Southeast Asia, they are slightly expensive; but a bag of them will last awhile.  Moreover, nyjer seeds leave absolutely no waste; and, because they’re steril­ized at all U.S. ports of entry, they will not germinate.  Cracked corn and millet are quite affordable, and will attract many ground-feeding and game birds.

Always read the labels on bags of bird food, and avoid brands that have large amounts of milo (sorghum), wheat, or oats.  Although they may be cheaper, these ingredients are merely fillers, which most birds won’t eat; so, buying products that contain them will be a waste, in more ways than one.

Suet, which is loved by all kinds of birds, comes in an assortment of flavors.  Naturally, birds are wild about nuts, too, particularly peanuts, walnuts, and almonds; and, luckily, these are available in many high-quality bird foods these days.

Of course, you may pay a bit more for these mixes, but, believe me, if you’re nuts about birds, it’s worth it.

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Tags: Arbors, birdfeeders, garden shed, garden structures, gated arbors, Gazebos, Outdoor Furniture, patio furniture, Pergolas, Planter Benches, Planters, trellises

For much of the country, the outdoor living season is coming to an end.  But, for the millions of people enjoying warm weather all year long, it is prime time to get started on a fantastic outdoor living area.  Plus, for those that are already hankering for the dawn of spring… now is the time to begin planning large scale outdoor structure projects.  Saving your logistics and design considerations for spring will mean that projects may not be completed until the season is already well underway.

When looking to create a vacation at home, great inspiration can be drawn from hotels, resorts, and destination spots.  After all, they’re the experts in crafting spaces that exude the luxury of a summer holiday.  Whether or not you live in the tropics, you can design an outdoor space fit for relaxation retreats.

Recently, a Bermuda resort created a combined pool structure using a gazebo and two pergolas. The 14x 18 treated pine rectangular double roof gazebo was simplified by removing the floor and railings while larger custom posts were added to create drama.  Two attached treated pine pergolas expand the space while adding a dynamic architectural element to the gazebo. The perfect blend of shade and style, a similar structure would do very well poolside in a residential home as well.  The resort created a small grilling and cooking area, but it could easily be expanded to a full outdoor kitchen.

The resort decked out their structure with an outdoor dining set, two chaise lounges, and some extra patio chairs.  However, adding a swingbed, porch swing, and a deep seating collection would add another level of relaxation for entertaining.

If you’re interested in creating an at-home oasis, don’t be afraid to take tips from the professionals.  Plus, start planning, designing, and thinking now when many outdoor furniture retailers are running discounts and sales so you can start the first warm day of spring in your retreat!

Have Fun!

Hazel

Tags: chaise lounges, deep seating collection, gazebo, Gazebos, outdoor dining set, Outdoor Furniture, outdoor structure, patio chairs, Pergolas, pool structure, porch swing, rectangular double roof gazebo, swing bed, treated pine pergolas

When you’re setting your picnic table, bedecking it with autumn’s awesome bounty will be a boon, because it will bestow a bedazzling, bewitching beauty that’s beyond belief; and, to be sure, it all begins with the basics.

For starters, you can dress up the chairs for your outdoor dining set, with outdoor furniture cushions that feature fantastic fall colors, such as gold, bronze, russet, red, orange, burgundy, and yellow.  When it comes to the tablecloth, as we’ve established, you have a million choices in colors, patterns, and materials.

Whatever selections you make for your table décor, you’ll surely want to conjure some magic.  Luckily, this is easy to accomplish, because, as is the case with many of the astonishing illusions performed by professionals, it’s done largely with lighting.

There’s no doubt that the proper radiance can make the mood merrier, the meal more memorable, and the milieu monumentally mesmerizing.  Just as the twinkling strands on porches, gazebos, arbors, trellises, and pergolas, invoke an air of enchantment throughout your landscape, the lighting on your table can work wonders as well.  In fact, the same kinds of decorative bulbs that you’re using on your garden structures can lend a lavish look to your table setting.  For example, you can tape a string of them underneath a glass-topped outdoor dining table, then use a thin tablecloth, through which the colors can softly glow.

Certainly, candlelight never fails to captivate; and you can use pillar candles, votives, and tea lights everywhere.  Although you’ll have no trouble finding attractive candleholders, if you want a striking, seasonal touch, hollow out some miniature pumpkins, and let them do the job.  Of course, if you carve designs into them, the flickering flames will create a fanciful effect that will further add to the fabulously festive fall feeling.  Just go to a craft or department store and get a kit that contains the tools and patterns for cutting Halloween figures into larger pumpkins, but use the implements to make simple, autumn shapes, such as leaves and acorns.

If you plan to have a centerpiece, it should be spectacular, but not overwhelming; and, once again, the most ordinary ingredients can make something magnificent.  For instance, you can fill a basket with apples, grapes, gourds, nuts, acorns, and berries, then carefully tilt it onto its side, and arrange the contents to appear as if the abundant harvest is spilling out onto the table.  Then, add some mums or sunflowers, and accent the display with a few candles.

If you’re using small pumpkins as candleholders, you may want to craft a complementary, pumpkin-themed centerpiece.  You can even make a vase out of a pumpkin, by hollowing it out, filling it with florists’ foam, which you can get at any craft store, and inserting fall flowers into it.  While you’re at it, pick up some artificial leaves; you can use them in arrangements, or place a few, randomly, around the table, to give the impression that they’ve fallen from the trees.

For a bit of sparkle, sprinkle shiny, multi-colored, leaf-shaped confetti over your main tablecloth, then cover it with a clear, plastic one.  Use your imagination, and you’ll come up with many other ways in which you can be-leave your outdoor dining table.

Truly, when you use fall’s harvest to embellish your décor, you can be sure that your table will be set with a bounty that’s befitting of royalty; and you’d better believe that the guests that will be coming will be saying that it’s a beauty to behold.

But right now, I’d better be going.

Yours Outdoors,

Kathy

Tags: Arbors, garden structures, Gazebos, outdoor dining set, outdoor dining table, outdoor furniture cushions, Pergolas, picnic table, trellises

“George to the Rescue,” NBC’s newest half-hour home improvement show debuting on September 25th has tapped GazeboCreations.com to provide a complete pergola system for the second show in the series.  On October 9th, GazeboCreations.com will partner with NBC to create a dream backyard including an 8′ x 12′, 4-beam vinyl pergola to surprise a deserving homeowner and his wife.

Airing on NBC’s owned and operated channels in the top ten markets of the nation, “George to the Rescue” is based on viewers writing in and the show responding by helping deserving individuals improve their households.  This backyard make-over is in response to an email written to the show by the wife, Debbie, asking the show to come to the rescue of her husband, John.  As a past recipient of the presidential service award, John is a stroke victim suffering from right side paralysis and impaired speech.  With his limited mobility and sensitivity to the sun, John now avoids leaving his home.

“We are looking for interesting and emotionally engaging stories involving good people/families that have had bad luck,” said Andrew Scerbo, show producer.  “In Debbie’s email, she mentioned John’s love of the outdoors and his desire to escape his home; however, he burns easily in the sun.”  Shade became a crucial factor in the design plan and the reason the producer approached GazeboCreations.com regarding their pergola kit that can be equipped with Shade FX, a retractable awning system.

“We are honored to participate in creating a functional outdoor space for John,” said Tim McTighe, president of GazeboCreations.com. “Being able to help create a covered porch for John and Debbie to enjoy together is a privilege.”   The episode to feature the pergola is being filmed in Seaside Heights New Jersey.

The vinyl pergola, one of the top selling structures from GazeboCreations.com, is weather resistant and durable in the outdoor elements.  The four beam design creates an open yet shaded exterior space.  By drawing the Shade FX retractable awning, the sun can be completely blocked and provide a safe area for outdoor enjoyment.

Television exposure is not a new concept to GazeboCreations.com as the company partners frequently with other home improvement and national television shows.  Recently Gazebocreations.com supplied a beautiful gazebo for the taping of Live! with Regis and Kelly during the show’s remote broadcast on Prince Edward’s Island.  “Our involvement with shows such as this comes with the same focus as our work with residential consumers,” said Hazel Jennings, marketing representative for GazeboCreations.com.  “We answer a call to provide the solution to an outdoor living space designed to the exact requirements of the homeowner.”   GazeboCreations.com also works with municipalities, educational institutions, resorts and parks by providing structures from arbors to amphitheaters as well as expansive lines of outdoor furniture that can be customized to fit each property’s unique needs.

Don’t miss it! Check your local listings!

Hazel.

Tags: amphitheaters, Arbors, Gazebos, Outdoor Furniture, Pergolas, vinyl pergolas