Patio and Deck Ideas - Transform Your Home’s Exterior into Something Extraordinary!

Published on | Log Homes | Coleman Kelleghan

For many families, the patio area of their home is their oasis—their escape from the hustle and bustle of the real world where deadlines become forgotten, traffic jams are left behind and hard-to-handle bosses are discounted.

Everyone needs a diversion from the pressures and the stressors of the everyday grind; and maybe that’s one reason Americans love their patio areas. Like an interior kitchen, these spaces have a way of bringing people together where communication is stimulated, conversations are relaxed and laughter is free-flowing.

Because these extensions of American homes are continually used and enjoyed, it’s always nice when amenities can be added to them to enhance the beauty and respite these family-friendly niches provide.

The kinds of additions one can add on to a patio are virtually limitless; and any theme or style can be planned and created to satisfy the personal whims or preferences of anyone! Let’s take a peek at some patio decorating ideas that just might trip your trigger and get you into mood to add a new addition to your little oasis!

An Outdoor Living Room

Envision with your mind’s eye: a rustic brick or stone fireplace, surrounded by cushy outdoor furniture (including ottomans) where you and family and friends can kick back after having enjoyed a steak dinner off the grill.

Furniture can add the final touch to a dramatic outdoor fireplace area and can make any area pop with color and dramatic patterns. Whether metal designs, all-weather wicker or teak wood, outdoor furniture pieces will offer a feeling of beckoning and warmth.

An outdoor fireplace could, certainly, be the focal point of your patio area. The comfortable seating would allow guests to bask in the glow, and your fireplace could be utilized well into the cooler times of the year when roasting marsh-mellows with the kids becomes quality time in a very warm, memorable way.

And don’t forget to accent your cozy outdoor living area with large, heavy terra-cotta or ceramic pots with exotic plants, all strategically placed. Then, a large, outdoor area rug can top off the exquisite look of your fire-room fantasy that can easily become a reality!

An Outdoor Kitchen

Outdoor kitchens are big-ticket items and include niceties such as side-burners, warming drawers, refrigerators, beer taps and even beverage & cocktail cubbies. Now, if you really want to go all out, how about incorporating surround-sound complete with a drop-down, plasma TV screen? You’ll want your weekends to last forever!

And for what it’s worth, there are plasma-screen TVs made, specifically, for the outdoors! You would have it all: outdoor kitchen with all the amenities, steaks and burgers on the grill, your favorite tunes that fill the senses, a well-stocked beverage bar and family or friends who will be sitting down to watch ‘the game’, a favorite movie or family videos once the sun goes down—it doesn’t get much better than that!

An Old-World Look and Feel

Have you ever been in the mood to try something a bit unusual? Well, if you’ve ever thought of incorporating the Mediterranean or Spanish-look to your patio, it can be done with warm color choices and traditional outdoor furniture selections.

Furniture made from pine, iron, wicker, teak or aluminum need only be accented with pillows and thick cushions embedded with warm colors including apricots, rusts, creams, sea-foam greens and rusty-blues.

To complete the look, outdoor-grade terra cotta floor tiles could be laid which would add drama and warmth. Outdoor-grade floor tiles are quite affordable to lay over cement and one could even extend that Old-World feel by having complimentary tiles inlaid into a wall or two that might partition certain areas of your patio layout. Terra cotta planters filled with brightly-colored foliage would help to create a dream get-away!

A Hot Tub

One way to add a capital “R” to the word ‘relaxation’ is to embed a dose of personality to your patio by adding a hot tub! Talk about kicking back and forgetting the rest of the world! A six-seat hot-tub with jet-paks that control and customize the hydro-massage for each user would be the equivalent of just a little bit of Heaven-on-Earth.

And wouldn’t it be nice to have a covered deck adjacent to the hot-tub, just in case the weather would change, unexpectedly? Hot tubs are the ultimate romantic element for a patio, whether in-ground or above-ground; and there’s just ‘something’ about hot-tubs that invigorate the senses and rejuvenate emotions!

To increase privacy, you can add large boulders as well as over-sized planters filled with perennial grasses and boxwoods which would, also, add a sense of visual texture and contrast. Imagine a hot-tub butting up to that outside fireplace that was mentioned—would that not be the epitome of a fantasy-come-true? But if a fireplace might be off-budget, flame-lit torches can create an exotic, dreamy mood at an affordable price!

A Waterfall

If your patio is begging for a dramatic feel, tiki-torches and a cascading waterfall would stimulate the senses! You’ll feel as if you are on a remote island paradise!  

Here’s an idea: build the waterfall first; and once finished, add a small, cozy elevated deck that becomes integrated into the waterfall making it look as if both additions are mutually inclusive.

But what is it about the sound of water that therapeutically exudes peace and solitude? You can enjoy this little touch of mental and physical R&R without having to expend a great deal of money. A waterfall fountain with multiple-spills can be achieved with artificial stones that are stacked and staggered like nature’s creations. The strategically positioned rocks would guide the water from one pool to the next.

For about $500 you could enjoy the feel of a mini-resort without breaking the bank! Backyard waterfalls are available in a multitude of styles, sizes and price-ranges to accommodate any budget! Bring soothing and calming effects to your patio with amenities that can transform that part of your home into something truly extraordinary. But don’t be surprised if you become transformed, too!