Niche Homes Studio Interior Designer, Kayley Danielson, offers her guidance for expanding your living space into the outdoors with some practical tips for selecting furniture and measures you can take to manage outdoor elements such as sun and pests.
Create an Outdoor Living Room
Consider what your family enjoys doing outside: playing games on the lawn, roasting marshmallows, gardening, grilling, or reading in a hammock? The possibilities are endless, but successful outdoor living spaces all have a few things in common, they are versatile, grounded, and comfortable.
Tip #1: Select Furniture for Durability, Clean-ability and Move-ability
Versatility can be achieved with the type of furniture you select. Kayley recommends varying lighter weight sofas, chairs and tables instead of one oversized sectional. Being able to rearrange the furniture as needed will help you accommodate different group sizes and different occasions.
Comfortable outdoor furniture is readily available and good-looking options have become much more affordable. When selecting outdoor furniture, durability and clean-ability should be at the forefront of your mind. All Weather Wicker is a designer favorite for its durability. The pieces are an investment up front but they will last for years. All Weather Wicker pieces can be heavy so mixing it with a wicker soft, lighter weight metal, or teak chairs that can help with rearranging when needed.
Outdoor cushion fabric is another important selection. Kayley prefers something with a weave of multiple colors versus a solid. If you don’t have a woven fabric option, darker is better for longevity. Cushions with zippers are also helpful, because the cushion covers can be machine washed.
When selecting an outdoor dining table, keep these two factors in mind: the size of the space you have available and the amount of people you plan to seat most often. In small outdoor living spaces, I recommend a round table with narrow chairs. For larger outdoor living spaces or larger families, I recommend a table with bench seating. Benches are versatile, can fit several people when squished and tuck well under a table when not being used.
Tip #2: Define Outdoor Living Space with Rugs, Pillows, and Fire Elements
One way to ground your outdoor seating group is with an outdoor rug and color-coordinating outdoor pillows. Outdoor rugs help center and frame a seating group and can easily be swept and hosed off. Another way to ground an outdoor living space is with a fire element. This could be a built-in fireplace, portable fire pit, or simple tiki torches placed strategically to frame an area.
Tip #3: Be Proactive about Pests
There are a few ways to keep bugs away during summer cookouts. Citronella candles are an effective option for the top of a dining table. I also recommend planting mosquito-deterring plants near your outdoor eating area. These plants include:
- Lavender (small pots of lavender can make a nice tabletop centerpiece)
- Marigolds
- Citronella Grass
- Catnip
- Rosemary (useful in the kitchen too!)
- Basil
- Scented Geraniums
- Bee Balm
- Mint (be careful with mint, it will run wild in your garden)
- Sage
Tip #4: Enhance the Space with Shade and Lighting
Elevate your outdoor space with lights, lanterns, and shade. A few strands of market lights provide a warm, flattering glow and a false ceiling that will have a cozy effect. For sun control without the investment of a permanent structure, Kayley recommends a sun sail that can be put up during the summer months and taken down before the first snow or a playful umbrella with pompoms or fringe. Both options will help define the outdoor dining space, protect from Utah’s brutal summer sun and spare you from an unexpected rain shower.
Kayley Danielson is Principal Designer at Niche Homes Studio.
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