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Outdoor Living Season Coming Soon!

by | Mar 11, 2010 | Gardens & Outdoor Rooms

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Outdoor Living Season Coming Soon!

House Beautiful

Outdoor Living Season Coming Soon!

I bet I’m not the only one who is ready to be done with the cold weather for awhile. Even way down South on Florida’s lower Gulf Coast, where I live, this winter has been a rough one. Thankfully, we’re almost through it and the time for living outdoors will soon be upon us yet again!

This is great news! It means creating inspired outdoor spaces that just beg you to kick off your shoes (if you haven’t already), pick-out a comfy spot, and sit for awhile.

Outdoor Spaces Invite Color

Something about the sunlight and the large open views just encourages the use of lots of color. The photo above shows a couple of great remodeling tricks to creating an awesome outdoor space. One design idea in the picture is so subtle, I bet you can’t find it! The obvious ones are:

  • Paint The Ceiling! – Blue, yellow, green…I’ve seen porch ceilings painted all sorts of bright colors and it always looks fun and inviting. This one plays along great with the furnishings and overall decor. Painting also makes the job of installing a v-joint ceiling like this much easier because you can rest easy knowing that mistakes can be painted over!
  • Use a little extra trim to make panels on the walls – If you look at the outside wall of the house, you’ll see that they’ve created a cool paneled look by adding some trim. Not too hard to do, but the result makes this feel like a room, not a porch.

Did you see the subtle one?

  • Paint a pattern on the floorIs it totally uncool for me to say that I don’t like something? I really don’t love the floor with a very faint checkerboard, but I do think that there are some places where the idea can work great. I just point it out to see if you caught it the first time around or not! Did you?

Find Nooks-and-Crannies

Is that how you spell crannie? Cranny? I hope you know what I mean! Here’s a picture:

Outdoor Living Season Coming Soon!

Houzz.com

I’ve made my share of Adirondack Chairs and I can personally attest to the fact that nothing can add a splash of color the an exterior area better than an Adirondack Chair painted in a beautiful hue. Melissa wrote about outdoor areas last summer, including my backyard, but they still haven’t been to visit. It’s a bit of a hike.

Outdoor ‘rooms’ don’t have to be rooms at all. It’s possible in any yard to find a small spot where a little oasis of life can be created. Even if you rent, potted plants and some simple, easy-to-remove, structure can be used to frame a perfect little spot.

Are You Planning For Outdoor Living?

Big beautiful porch, or small cozy little hiding spot, the time for planning that outdoor space is now because spring is around the corner with summer close behind and this is the year to enjoy it in style!

Are you READY?

Outdoor Living Season Coming Soon!Written by: Tim Layton (aka Remodeling Guy)

Tim’s love of creativity and design mix with a perspective built on a career as a remodeling contractor.He hangs out at, RemodelingGuy.net and on Twitter @RemodelingGuy

16 Comments

  1. laney

    …those of us in the south know that you cannot have a front porch (or back porch!) without a blue ceiling…it just has to be blue…and i too am ready for spring (minus the dreaded pine pollen)…

    Reply
  2. Franki Parde

    Come on Spring…you can do it…..

    Reply
  3. Katie

    I have always wanted a big porch with a haint blue ceiling…. maybe I’ll try to convince my husband of that this year! :o) Why not?! Dual purpose…beauty and haint-deterring, all in one…
    .-= Katie´s last blog ..Central Park =-.

    Reply
  4. rachel

    i didn’t know you could have a porch without a painted ceiling! can’t wait to get my brushes & rollers all over the porch at our new home… i’m waiting until i know it’s going to stay warm- don’t want to be painting when the last frost comes!
    i didn’t see that checkerboard until you pointed it out- i was even thinking i’d like that room better with a painted floor! i’d go solid color, but that’s just me…
    thanks for sharing! come on, SPRING!!!
    .-= rachel´s last blog ..ummm… tuesday thoughts =-.

    Reply
  5. Cheryl

    Love, love adirondack chairs. The hubs made me a set for Christmas years ago. We have them on our front porch. Love sitting out there on a cool summer night and sipping a cuppa sweet tea.
    That porch posted above is beautiful and I didn’t catch the harlequin pattern on the floor until you pointed it out.
    .-= Cheryl´s last blog ..GIVEAWAY!! =-.

    Reply
  6. 31everything

    I love outdoor rooms… not outdoor spaces. Outdoor ROOMS :) They’re so classy, airy… wonderful!
    .-= 31everything´s last blog ..Paper Flower Decor =-.

    Reply
  7. Kim

    I love the chairs. I thought we were getting so close to spring (it was up to 16*c last week)…..today I woke up, it’s snowing.

    Reply
  8. Anna

    I’m thinking about putting a couple of old, iron beds on our porch, the area isn’t screened in though, actually it’s a blank slate. I’ll be checking in for inspiration!

    Reply
  9. Megan

    Mmmm.. its my dream to have a sun-room/porch area. I think the painted ceiling color is a brilliant idea! I am SO ready for spring. Maybe my back patio will get a little tlc this summer… thanks for the post :)

    Reply
  10. Kim

    Outdoor space is so important to us! We spend tons of time in our backyard, and it’s a great place to entertain friends and family. It has a relaxed feel that we enjoy many months of the year! It’s well worth the time an energy that we put into making it nice and comfy. Now I just need to revive some of the poor plants!

    ~Kim
    .-= Remodeling Guy´s last blog ..Art Hardware From Hoapley ARTware – Review and Giveaway! =-.

    Reply
  11. Sandy

    Clearwater had such a ‘freeze’ this year.. the first I’ve been in since
    coming from Illinoi 6 years ago… my tropical yard is burnt and a mess.. I’m with all of you… “so ready to feel the warmth of summer”
    I’m ready to clean up my yard and put more ‘stain’ on my deck! Our time changes this weekend.. it’s the start of the spring/summer season.. and we will go directly into summer! YES!!
    Sandy
    .-= Sandy´s last blog ..My Bathroom Reno.. part #1, the linen closet. =-.

    Reply
  12. Denise

    I also live in South Florida (east), and what a cold winter it has been. We have a huge patio (fenced), concrete floor, screened in…but not covered…oh how I wish it were covered!! Anyway….I’m definitely in need of some ideas to make it more cozy/inviting, and aesthetically pleasing. I think I’ll hang out on your blog for awhile and soak in all the beauty and ideas.

    I have a few ideas..but most take $$ and those aren’t as plentiful ;)
    .-= Denise @ Creative Kitchen´s last blog ..Disney, birthdays & bruschetta =-.

    Reply
  13. Jeanne

    Beautiful porch photo…all the memories of home!
    Jeanne:)

    Reply
  14. Lesley

    I really let my garden go some last year. I just didn’t get out and work on it regularly. (I was too busy blogging!) But I’m determined this spring to get it all back in shape and have a great summer outdoors.
    .-= Lesley @ TheDesignFile´s last blog ..Tips to make your home more appealing to a buyer =-.

    Reply
  15. carrie

    We are in the middle of closing our screen porch (water view) to an all season room ~ I love your picture with the blues & whites ~ so crisp and clean.
    .-= carrie´s last blog ..New Scent! Whispering Rose… =-.

    Reply

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