When you've spent countless hours and considerable expense to make your backyard look its very best, the right patio furniture adds the perfect finishing touch, allowing you to sit back, relax and enjoy the results of all your hard work in style. For a fresh and current look, consider using one of these four popular outdoor furniture styles when designing your outdoor living areas.
Escape into the Charm of an English Country Garden
It's hard to beat the romantic look of a cottage garden filled with lush beds of flowers tossing their heads in an errant breeze. A broad array of patio furniture complements the English country design style. For a prim-and-proper English manor look, consider including a few pieces of painted cast iron furniture. Cast iron furniture is made by pouring heated metal into a mold, allowing for intricate, ornate designs such as intertwining grape vines. Because cast iron patio furniture is heavy, place pieces in a permanent position where they can age gracefully.
For a more casual English look, wicker or wicker-look-alikes are ideal. Whether you indulge in high tea or not, including a small, tête-à-tête dining set made of wicker will give the entire garden charming English ambiance. If your garden is in bloom much of the year, don't distract from its beauty with patterned cushions for your patio furniture. Instead, choose pretty pastels that will help unify the garden's overall style.
Achieve Zen-Like Serenity with an Asian Theme
Simplicity is the primary characteristic of an Asian-inspired outdoor setting. Patio furniture with clean lines and streamlined forms complement the style. Sofas, sectionals and chairs with solid bases and low profiles lend chic style to a Zen garden, providing comfortable seating that enhances a feeling of calm and serenity. A low coffee table made of teak anchors the look.
Add Old World Ambience to Life in the Outdoors
Backyards decked out with patio furniture that evokes life on the Mediterranean have a warm atmosphere that seems to invite social gatherings. Although wrought iron and wood are traditional materials for an Old World style, just about any type of patio furniture can complement the style when accented with cushions and pillows in classic Mediterranean colors like rust, burnt orange, sunny yellow and deep blue. For instant Old World ambiance, choose a dining table or coffee table topped with decorative ceramic tiles.
Give Your Backyard the Sleek Look of a Luxury Resort
The clean, uncluttered lines of the contemporary design style is ideal for creating the look of a luxury resort within your own backyard. Current trends in modern patio furniture include armless sectionals framed in all-weather wicker. Made with woven polyethylene resin fibers, all-weather wicker adds a natural elegance to contemporary style in a material that's so durable that it can be left outdoors in most areas of the country the year round. If your backyard includes a pool, line up lounge chairs and a canvas umbrella or two for the ultimate in resort style.
No matter which decorative style that you choose to deck out your home's outdoor living areas, keep views and perspectives in mind when arranging your patio furniture. Use seating to create intimate conversation areas that take advantage of the most picturesque views of your garden.
Have fun with your outdoor decorating. Don't hesitate to try a decorative style that's different from the design styles used inside your home. You can always include a few transitional pieces that will help link the two styles together. Any design style that makes your life in the outdoors more enjoyable is worth exploring.
