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How to decorate a patio

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Since the Romans first laid terracotta seating areas in the sunny centers of their summer villas, patios have never gone out of fashion. There’s a joy to paved seating areas that comes out in every season — whether you’re tentatively enjoying the year’s first warm days in spring, sipping cool beer on a summer’s afternoon or watching the slow retreat of nature through autumn and winter. 

With that said, a patio isn’t necessarily good-looking all on its own. To be pleasant all year round, you have to treat your patio more like a canvas, on which you can arrange furniture, plants and other decorations. 

Is the dust just settling over your new patio, or have you just moved into a property with one? Are you unsure what to do with it, or just looking for ideas? Either way, you’re in the right place — read on for a handy guide to decorating your patio.

How to decorate a patio

Why should you decorate your patio?

There are definitely good and bad patios. But while some paved patios are born good-looking – and others aren’t too easy on the eyes to start with – most of a patio’s charm comes down to the way it’s decorated. With a little garnish, even the plainest patio can be turned into a pleasant, liveable space!

Aside from just looks, the things you decorate your patio with also improve its overall usefulness and enjoyability. Fruit bushes, rosebushes and other perennial flowers add a dash of flavour, colour and romance. Good garden furniture lets you eat, drink, read and socialise outdoors, while fairy lights paired with a chiminea or a patio heater allow you sit out into the night putting the world to rights. 

Decorating your patio takes a small initial outlay, a little effort and a bit of creative thinking — but once it’s finished, you and your family will thank you for it!

How to decorate a patio

To start with, recognise what your patio is for. If it’s only small, your aims should be more modest — a nice seating area, with a few decorative features. If it’s on the larger side and you’re prepared to shell out a little, you could build a really richly furnished and decorated patio.

Furniture

Really, it’s best to start with furniture. You’ll need a few chairs and a table at a bare minimum, but whether you buy these new or secondhand depends on your budget and personal preferences. A classic patio furniture choice is a nice garden bench — again, you can pick up plenty of these secondhand or even try your hand at making one yourself!

Once you’ve sorted out your furniture, it’s time to fill in the gaps.

Plants

Plants are a reliable go-to — after all, one of the drawbacks of large patios is their tendency to feel like micro-deserts in the middle of a garden. 

Here, again, you have to take a step back and feel out your preferences. It’s all well and good to plan a grand horticultural design, but it may be better to play it safe. Berry bushes, evergreen plants like bay laurel, palm or Leylandii and long-lived perennials like rhubarb and strawberries are hardy, good-looking and require only minimal care. All of these plants are comfortable in containers, making them perfect for lining the bare edges of your patio.

Final touches

Sometimes it seems to rain for weeks, and summer showers can scupper a garden party — but this doesn’t have to mean you can’t enjoy your patio. Wooden garden shelters, gazebos or moveable parasols for the summer months keep the rain or sun off in a pinch, as well as satisfying our animal urge for a nook to curl up in. Why not wind fairy lights around the frame for a whimsical feel? 

Finally, you might add a fire or heat source like a brazier, chiminea or patio heater — and then any final personal touches that make the space yours.

On a budget?

If you’re not looking to spend a whole lot of money on your patio, that shouldn’t be a problem. Almost all of the ideas given above are either affordable to start with or can be made so. Garden furniture can be found secondhand at your local charity furniture shop, for instance, while perfectly serviceable garden plants can be bought cheaply from garden centre sales or department stores like Wilko or B&Q. 

Small touches can add interest without you having to make any big purchases. Painting a garden wall or fence your favourite colour, hanging fairy lights or propagating cuttings borrowed from friends are all cheap and cheerful ways to spice up a patio without breaking the bank.

Choosing the best patio door for your space

Something still missing from your patio, but you can’t quite put your finger on it? 

You might want to inspect your old patio door. Peeling PVC, faded coatings and tired glazing can look strange next to a freshly-revamped patio, as well as being draughty or insecure for those indoors! Replacing your patio door with a brand-new, high-quality replacement can cost a little up front, but will almost certainly make your home more liveable, better looking and warmer in the long term. 

There are a broad variety of types of door available, including ordinary stable doors, sliding doors, French doors and – a favourite of ours – bi-fold doors. All of these options add interest, utility and looks to your patio and your wider home.

Why not give us a call?

At Britannia, we manufacture all of our own doors at our factory near Clevedon. And though we’re naturally biased, we think they’re brilliant! 

We’re always happy to talk patio doors over with potential customers, obligation-free. Why not get in touch?

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