Revitalising Your Spaces: The Ultimate Guide to Outdoor Decor Trends
A carefully decorated outdoor space can add value to your home while providing you and your family with a place to entertain, relax and host events.
Outdoor décor has evolved in recent years and it’s now so much more than simple garden furniture and classic barbecue sets. Of course, dining alfresco is still a vital component of outdoor living, but these days, outdoor décor can be whatever you want it to be.
If you are interested in revitalising your space, then look no further, as we have put together an ultimate guide to the décor trends that are changing how we think about outdoor spaces.
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Sustainable and Eco-friendly options
You should try to be as sustainable as possible when creating an outdoor space.
Luckily, eco-friendly options now allow you to have a space that’s on trend while minimising your environmental impact. If this is something important to you, one option is to look for furniture that’s made from suitable materials, with the likes of acacia wood being a great option.
Solar lighting is an outdoor décor facet that has gone from strength to strength in recent years. In the past, the reliability of these lighting systems, along with their cost, proved to be an issue.
However, nowadays, you can buy stylish and functional solar lights that look great, are eco-friendly, and keep your electricity bill low.
When aiming for sustainability, you should always consider what accessories you’re putting into your outdoor space.
For instance, instead of going for plants that require regular watering, you can opt for drought-resistance ones that save on water. Another option is the create your own compost for future planting.
Image credit: Library of Congress
Bringing The Outdoors Indoors
If there is one area of outdoor décor that has changed substantially in recent times, it’s how people think about garden structures.
In the past, the only structures you would see in the garden area of a property were sheds, greenhouses, or perhaps even a polytunnel.
However, that has all changed. The gazebo has made a valiant comeback, but the changes to outdoor structures have been far more dramatic than that.
Living areas, workstations, cooking centres, and more are now commonplace. People view their outdoor area with more ambition, recognising that their space can be filled with whatever they want.
No longer is the garden just an area of recreation, it’s now much, much more. If you are interested in a garden room, then chances are that we have something to suit your taste, budget, and the size of the garden. Check out a few of our structures here and realise your garden’s potential.
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Outdoor Cooking & Entertainment
Another trend that is becoming more popular is for people to build areas to do their cooking and entertaining outside. We are not talking about a typical barbecue, but rather an outdoor kitchen area, with options like a smoking pit, that you can’t necessarily use indoors.
Of course, it’s not all about functionality, there’s also room for fun. Home entertainment systems within outdoor summerhouses have changed how people live. This trend is growing, with more families creating areas where they can entertain and be entertained. ‘Gaming dens’ are more popular than ever, but there has also been an influx of people creating garden cinemas and sports dens in their new spaces.
Even when you don’t have the option to install a garden building, there is the option of weather-proof furniture for relaxing outdoors. That being said, just because the furniture will survive all weather, we are not sure that having your morning cup of coffee outside during the depths of the UK winter is the best idea.
Image by BillyOh.com
The Power of Colour
You can’t talk about colour trends of 2023 without discussing terra-cotta. Everybody is using it, and for good reason, too; it blends beautifully with natural outdoor colours and fits most colour schemes.
Another trend that is easy to follow is treating the wood of your outdoor room and leaving it as its natural colour. This trend follows the indoor trend of protected natural wood flooring, which has been so popular in recent years.
If you want to go for something a little bolder, bright and bold colouring is ideal for garden furniture. Some people love the art deco style in their outdoor area. In fact, your outdoor space is the ideal area to try something new and different.
It’s become a common feature for contemporary outdoor designers to match the furniture with the garden design. They can do this either via the style of the pieces chosen or by colour-coordinating the area.
Water and Art Features
Water features have gone out of vogue in recent years, but that’s not to say that they can’t be a great addition to your garden. Fountains and ponds add great variety to outdoor spaces, while at the same time, they attract wildlife that can help build your garden’s own little ecosystem.
If you’re artistic at heart, they can also brilliantly complement sculptures and art pieces within the garden. In the past, most homes confined their artistic tendencies to within the home. However, that needn’t be the case, as the outdoors is an area of your property that you can enjoy just as much.
If a water or art piece isn’t something you would consider for your garden, we have one last thing that might change your mind: a hot tub! Who wouldn’t want to spend their evenings sipping prosecco from inside a stylish hot tub? Even if water features aren’t your thing, we’re sure that’s a water-based item that could change your mind.
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Flooring & Lighting Trends
Outdoor flooring has come a long way in recent years. Traditional decking and patios are still popular but are being joined by eco-friendly ground coverings, that include composite decking, eco tiles, and flooring made from other recycled materials.
Meanwhile, how we light our gardens has changed.
As we said previously, solar lights are more popular than ever, but they’ve been joined by LED and other energy-efficient options. When choosing your lighting, you should consider the layout of your garden and the areas you want to highlight and the areas you need to illuminate for safety.
Przemek Pietrak, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Smart Gardens
Lighting isn’t the only element of outdoor space that has been revolutionised by technology.
For instance, there has been a rise in smart technology used in gardens. For instance, people are now able to control their irrigation and watering systems from the comfort of their smartphone.
There is also weather-responsive technology available, which also controls the watering of plants.
And on top of that, it has become more popular to have outdoor entertainment systems that are entirely controlled by apps. Essentially, your phone becomes your garden’s tech control hub.
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The Appeal of Fire Features
If you were to go into outdoor areas twenty years ago and then return to modern times, we think one of the first differences you would notice would be how prevalent fire features now are.
The type of fire feature you use will depend on your own taste and the area you have available, with chimineas and outdoor fireplaces great for providing ambience. However, not every outdoor area is suitable for these, with gas and bioethanol options better for some.
Image by BillyOh.com
Maximising Privacy
Of course, a simple way to revitalise your outdoor setting is by making it that little bit more private in a tasteful way. Options to do this are plentiful, with fencing and trellises now far more versatile in design than they used to be.
If you have the space, you can go for a natural barrier, like a hedgerow or a grouping of trees. Likewise, if you’re outdoor space is a little smaller, you can go for the likes of outdoor curtains or screens.
Small Space Solutions
Speaking of small space solutions, there is no reason why you can’t revitalise your outdoor décor just because you don’t have a sprawling landscape.
There is a lot that you can do with a balcony or terraced garden. In fact, micro-gardening is having a bit of a moment, with container gardening allowing people to grow beautiful plants in tiny areas. Not only that but there are some great options for multifunctional and foldable furniture.
Embracing Your Outdoor Space
With trends, it all comes down to your own individual taste. After all, this is your space, and you will be the person spending the most time in it. Thus, you and your loved ones are the most important decision-makers.
An outdoor space can get you in touch with nature, give you a place to mix with the people you care about, and provide you with a somewhere you can get a little head space. Putting a little thought and effort into such a space will give you returns that could bring you closer to friends and family and improve your overall well-being.
Thus, when you are revitalising your outdoor décor, you could also be revitalising your overall wellness.
