How to Create a Cozy Patio Area
When it comes to furnishing a patio area, I believe it’s so important to understand the space before you commit to furniture. Take your time, and enjoy the space for a season or two – this will guide you to decide how you use the outdoor space, the sun patterns, what plants can grow there, and how you naturally move around in the space! In the case of our side patio, this blog is all about sharing how we decided to furnish it. It was empty for three years before we finally felt like we knew the space enough to properly furnish it. This is now the patio we enjoy our morning coffee on and starring at the kids playing in the backyard. It has a beautiful view of our garden in the distance and it’s also been incredible for bird watching.
The patio is an odd shape, and since we wanted to make it feel like we were enclosed with plants, we chose to add a few metal raised beds a few years ago, and filled them with herbs. It’s really magical to hear the bees buzzing when we’re in that space, and we can easily grab herbs for cooking. Another benefit of doing this is that it made the space we had to fill less daunting. Take this as your sign to create living green walls on a patio!
When it came to deciding on the furniture for this outdoor space, we landed on purchasing black metal furniture from Hauser, specifically because it’s extremely durable, long lasting and made in Canada. The cushions are made in house, and given that we have kids, we chose to go with a darker fabric in the colour Gunmetal rather than lighter… as beautiful as light coloured fabric is, those shades and kids do not always go together! We like to be practical when it comes to choosing things our family will all enjoy without the stress of a spill.
We chose the Quantum Love Seat (love seat with arms has since been discontinued), two Club Chairs and the matching Coffee Table to keep the space feeling consistent, and modern. Shop the entire Quantum Collection here!
To spruce up the space, and add some greenery, my dream was to have olive trees here to give a little Mediterranean vibe! To accomplish this, I added two large white planters from Hauser. I also filled the sides with blue lobellia and white petunias to add a little pop of colour which fills in the remaining space in the planter. The front two planters are filled with a perennial sage (salvia) in the middle and other filler plants! I am so happy that we left room around the space for guests to easily walk around, the kids can bike around us and we can enjoy this space as a family.
It’s so lovely to have another space in our outdoor area completed for us to enjoy. Whether we want to hang out with friends and family, enjoy the space together in the mornings with a cup of coffee, or hang out with the kids, it’s a great space with tons of uses for our family!
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