Backyard Brilliance: Clever Patio Design Ideas

Patios are a great place to socialize with your family and friends. When you're bored of being inside, you can go out to the patio for a drink, a chat or just to sit. A patio is a paved area of your yard, often furnished with seating, so you have somewhere to sit and look out over your lawn. Sometimes people neglect their patios. They might have a table and a few potted plants, but often people don't put as much thought into them as they deserve. You don't need to have a big budget to redesign your patio, and it doesn't take much to transform it from drab to fabulous.

Make it a Dining Area

People often choose to make their patio an area where they can enjoy a dinner party or a barbecue. On a perfect summer's day, sitting outside to eat is heavenly, and it's much more fun than sitting at the dining room table every day. When you host a dinner party, your guests will love spending time in the garden. Dinner on the patio works best when you have good access to the kitchen from the patio. And it's great when your kitchen opens out into the backyard. Make your patio a relaxing and fun place to eat, with good lighting so that you can stay out in the evening.

Make it More Entertaining

Sitting outside and looking out at your yard can be pretty boring, and you can start to think that there are more interesting things to do inside. Stop this feeling in its tracks by making your patio more entertaining. Try installing an outdoor TV, or a standard TV with a protective enclosure (not a standard television without protection). Read about outdoor TV cases FAQs to find out how to install and a TV with a protective case and how they work. You could also install an outdoor sound system, or even a hot tub.

Add Some Decorative Touches

If your patio is looking a bit shabby, it could just need a few soft touches to make it look prettier. There are endless ideas for what you could do to brighten it up, but you could start with some plants. You don't have to enjoy gardening, and you can choose some plants that don't need much looking-after. Lights can make a patio look much more beautiful too. You could use electric lights, for example, solar-powered LEDs, or you could use candles in lanterns or other candle holders. In the evening, torches with big flames or even fire bowls look amazing.

Create Some Shade

Putting your patio underneath a cover, pergola, canopy or even parasol creates a lovely shady spot for you to sit in. If your patio gets too much sun or you would like to use it more when the weather isn't so nice, cover it with something that will keep out the sun or rain. If you design your patio so you can use it in different seasons, you can enjoy it all year round.