Everything You Need To Create A Cozy Outdoor Space

6 Ways to Create a Cozy Outdoor Living Space

The outdoors is a beautiful place to relax, entertain guests, and enjoy the fresh air. Creating a cozy outdoor living space is essential for a comfortable and inviting space whether it be a patio, porch, or deck. Adding thoughtful touches and details can transform your backyard or patio into a cozy oasis. Here are 6 ways to create a cozy outdoor living space for your home.

In this post, I’m going to help you figure out what you need in order to create the perfect backyard oasis for your home. But first, think about how you want to use this space.

If you plan to use your patio or deck primarily for family dining, then your focus should be on creating a beautiful outdoor dining area.

Like the living room inside your home, you have to be thoughtful when designing your outdoor living space too. Depending on the size and shape of your patio or deck, there are multiple ways to arrange your outdoor furniture.

Be sure to measure your space before you buy anything. Leave enough room for you and your guests to move about freely without the risk of bumping into things or tripping.

Patio dining area

There is nothing like bringing the family outside to enjoy dinner together on a nice evening. Somehow it just makes everything taste better! You’ve created the perfect dining room design inside your home, now you can take some of those ideas to your outdoor dining space!

You may not have the same amount of space to work with as indoors, so it’s very important to measure this space as well. The last thing you need is to have guests tipping off the patio because their chair was too close to the edge. You need enough room to walk around your table even when the chairs are pulled out.

I have a round dining table inside, but for my outdoor space, I went with a rectangular patio table made of teak wood. I love the simplicity of the design and the warm tones of the tabletop. We decided to buy our table locally due to the size we needed. We have a lot of different spaces on our deck and I wanted to make sure the table was the perfect size. As for the chairs, we chose these amazing chairs from Walmart. I love the design and that they came with cushions!

Incorporate plants and lots of them!

Plants are essential to creating a beautiful outdoor space! This doesn’t only include outdoor plants like boxwoods, but houseplants in baskets and planters are perfect too! Year after year, I plant annuals in baskets and larger planters and they also look amazing! I love choosing a color theme for the season every spring. This year we had a mix of pinks and purples on our deck. If only I could keep them alive all summer! I’m always so good about watering them until about mid July and then something happens and they drop off my radar. Our deck gets a ton of sun so we have to choose annuals wisely.

Textiles

One of my favorite items in our home are all the textiles. Indoors, we have fabrics on furniture, pillows, and throws. Why not include these things outside as well? We included lots of throw pillows and blankets on our sofa and chairs, as well as pillows on each dining chair. Not only do these accessories add texture but they make the space more cozy.

Rug | Set of 2 Chairs | Rug | Sofa | Planter | 5 Piece Set

Lighting

Just like the lighting design inside your home, creating an inviting atmosphere outdoors is just as important. String lights, lanterns and candles are perfect for any outdoor space. I love the look of different size lanterns all styled together. String lights are also great, especially if you have a pergola. But even if you don’t you can always attach lights to the house and out to some trees to create a cozy inviting space.

Rugs

Outdoor rugs have come a long way! Most of them look like indoor rugs! They dry quickly and are very soft to walk on. With that said, You don’t NEED an outdoor rug, but it gives any outdoor living space a cozy feel. Just like the living room inside your home, a rug ties your design elements together and adds texture. It also defines a space in an open area like a large patio.

Rug | Set of 2 Chairs | Rug | Planter | 5 Piece Set

Personally, I love having outdoor rugs on our deck. They look beautiful and help with walking on the deck in bare feet, as many decking materials can get quite hot. Our dogs also love to lay on them, especially under the table while we eat dinner!

Comfy Furniture is a must!

Obviously, outdoor furniture needs to be durable. It will be exposed to varying temperatures and humidity levels so you need something that will last for more than one season, despite the elements. This set from Walmart is my absolute favorite! The set comes with covers and is so cozy and well-made. There are many options for materials for outdoor furniture.

• Wood options include teak, cedar, acacia, and eucalyptus. Out of these, teak is the most durable and requires less upkeep than the others. You may need to restain and seal after a few seasons.

• Polywood is the perfect choice for those that want the look of wood but need extra durability. It’s made from high-density plastic that doesn’t absorb heat and can withstand all weather.

• Wrought iron is always a classic look with sleek black lines paired with white cushions. However, it can be pricey, heavy to move around, and gets hot in the sun.

• Aluminum is lightweight and resists rust and moisture damage. This option is affordable and can easily be touched up if needed.

• Resin Wicker is my favorite! I love using wicker and rattan inside my home so it should be no surprise that I added it to my outdoor entertaining area as well. The plastic material is woven together and has characteristics that mimic wicker.