After chilly winters, we are always eager to welcome the summer with open arms. We crave open spaces to embrace the cool breezes and freshness of the outdoors. And what better than an outdoor patio? In this article, Gharpedia amazes you with cool summer patio ideas to make the most of your outdoors this summer. In the summer, a well-designed outdoor space may open up your house, providing you with extra living and entertaining space. From a tiny patio to a radiating garden, you can transform just about any space into a summer hangout. If you are blessed enough to have such a space, make good use of it.
Now that we’ve convinced you to amp up your patio space this summer, let’s get started with some patio tips and tricks that will help you infuse life into your otherwise dull and monotonous outdoor space.
With the addition of some comfortable furnishings and accessories, your patio ideas for summer might adopt a completely new aesthetic. Through this, you can make the open spaces of your place summer-ready. Keep reading to get your hands on some wonderful summer patio ideas to achieve the luxurious and cosy patio of your dreams.
01. Rustic Charm with a Bonfire
Imagine sitting in an outdoor space with a beautiful, rustic setting and enjoying a cosy summer evening with your loved ones. It sounds like a plan, doesn’t it? What’s a better summer patio idea than a backyard instilled with the charms of the woods?
The heart of this patio design lies in the fireplace that it entails. Add some natural materials like stone and wood for paving and walls. Pull up chairs with cane, rattan, or wood. You can also add stone benches and chairs if flexibility is not an issue (Steps to install stone patio). Put up some lush green planters, and you are good to go. Once you pull all this together, you will have a relaxing patio to have fun with friends and family over a bonfire.
02. Boho-inspired Summer Patio Idea
The Boho-style represents a mix of different cultures organically. Boho-inspired patios are an amalgamation of intriguing textures, lots of green plants, and varied choice of bold hues. Mix patterns and materials like metal and wood. You can even add animal hides and trinkets to the set up. You can make the space livelier and colourful with some patterned rugs and printed throw pillows. If there is harsh heat, then you can add a canopy to beat the heat but keep the breeze on.
Add more to this outdoor oasis with a chunky hammock or a swing to add playfulness. Utilise this space by enjoying a warm cup of coffee or your favourite mocktail while listening to some fun jazz music. Make it more creative by adding layers of umpteen furnishings and instilling a sense of warmth into the design.
03. An Outdoor Game Area on the Patio
If you are tired of your kids sticking to their TV and phone screens all the time, this summer patio idea could be the one for you. Think of setting up an outdoor game area in your sprawling garden where you can enjoy a great time with your little ones. This patio decorating idea for summer is not meant just for kids. With the right elements, it could prove to be a favourite among all age groups. From adding a badminton net to setting up a ping pong table, there are a myriad of options to play with.
Interesting ideas like creating a scrabble board with mosaic flooring or curating a table top tic-tac-toe would urge the users to come out and play instead of staying indoors. The idea is to have fun while articulating the patio design. After adding your favourite games, put up some colourful plants with minimalistic furniture, and your outdoor game area is ready.
04. Add a Splash of Colour with Bougainvillea
This summer patio decorating idea is for those who prefer simple, bright, and floral designs. To add a pleasant feeling of summer, deck up your patio with the vibrant hues of bougainvillea. This patio design features pretty colours of flowers for a visually appealing experience. Bougainvillea is available in many colours. They climb as creepers on any adjoining structure. The creeper climbs the roof and forms a bright floral canopy. It is wonderful to sit under a colourful canopy and enjoy the cold breeze, while relaxing on comfortable bean bags or chairs. Authors Koenigsberger, O.H et al suggest in their book, Manual Tropical Housing and Building, that a creeper canopy will help to reduce the temperature considerably. One major con of bougainvillea is that we need to wait for it to grow to enjoy its full glory.
With this effortless patio design, you can revel in a lazy summer evening with your friends and family in your garden, blooming with the essence of bougainvillea flowers.
05. A Relaxing Patio with Lounging Décor
If you are looking for a hassle-free summer patio idea with utmost simplicity, all you need to do is add comfortable chairs and plants. Pick up some little plants from your favourite nursery. Purchase a few relaxing lounge chairs. Put them all together, and it’s done. Also, you can add concrete flooring to complement the greenery and add a rustic element.
Another relaxing summer patio decorating idea is to incorporate a pergola or gazebo into your design. Add climbers and creepers along with the wood to create a striking contrast.
06. Outdoor Barbecue Summer Patio Ideas
What’s an outdoor space without a barbecue setup? If you resonate with this notion, why not inculcate one in your own patio space? Bring your love for the outdoors and food together by making space for a nice barbecue setup on your patio. You can add a modern barbecue station with a touch of plants here and there.
Besides that, wooden chairs or benches would be an ideal furniture type for such a space. Since a barbecue space generally resonates with an evening setting, you have the liberty of playing around with lights as well. With that, your cosy barbecue patio is ready. Invite some guests over, arrange delectable dishes, and get your party started.
07. Illuminate your Patio with String Lights
There’s nothing better than an amalgamation of outdoor spaces and glittering lights. Incorporate these summer patio ideas and immerse yourself in a delicate pool of light on a breezy summer evening.
From continuing your evening parties well into the night to lighting up the walkways for safety, illumination is always a good choice. Add light furniture to your backyard along with potted plants, and let string lights add the missing magic.
You can get more creative by hanging string lights on trees and making them glow beautifully. Also, adding festoon string lights over an outdoor dining area can instill a festive vibe in your space, making it the perfect spot to host events.
08. Greenhouse-themed Patio Decorating Idea For Summer
The human tendency to feel calm and composed around nature is undeniable. It is the classiest way to set up a patio that brims with the beauty of nature. A greenhouse-themed patio would offer you the perfect amalgamation of indoor and outdoor living. A steel or wooden structure with glass would create a perfect enclosure. It can have stone, pebbles, or marble flooring with grass patches if needed.
Apart from that, with this summer patio idea, you get to enjoy a segregated space that provides you with a visual connection with the surrounding greenery. The greenhouse area also gives you a chance to grow green plants inside and incorporate your favourite seating elements to create the patio of your dreams. The added perk is that this patio design wouldn’t even cost you a fortune while still enhancing the way your backyard looks.
09. Tropical-themed Patio Decorating Ideas for Summer
Tropical is a popular choice among architects and designers. From restaurants to bedrooms, the tropical theme is one of the most popular among the masses. Even when it comes to patio designs, people enjoy setting up spaces that resonate with this concept, especially in the summer. Be it huge, bold prints on the walls or vibrant colours on the floor, you can bring in tropical themes in a lot of ways.
Palm trees and ferns are the best plant options to furnish your space with tropical summer patio ideas. Fit a water feature into your patio, like a fountain or a small waterfall. All these elements, when combined, would make up an eccentric yet soothing patio.
Bamboo is also an underrated material that blends seamlessly with the tropical concept. From creating intriguing furniture pieces like swings to setting up fancy fences, this is one material you can swear by for all creative purposes. Besides this, if you want to add a relaxing beach vibe to your patio, opt for a hammock. To spruce it up, you can add printed pillows, and your tropical-theme patio is ready.
10. Pop up your Space with Moroccan Décor
Moroccan décor is one of the most undervalued options there could be. With mystical patterns, elegant designs, and brilliant colours, this summer patio idea could make your heart flutter.
Set up an exotic, middle-eastern retreat within the comfort of your home by inculcating Moroccan elements. Put together a nice combination of funky Ottomans, geometric-patterned flooring, and luxurious fabrics. Add lantern lights, tall potted plants, and blue tiles to pull the theme together.
The idea behind the Moroccan theme for patio ideas for summer is to create a space that screams luxury and vivacity. Therefore, the brighter colours and greenery that you incorporate with rich fabrics, the more exotic your patio will turn out to be.
Also, you can spice up the entire theme and take your patio design a notch higher by amalgamating it with another theme, such as tropical. Elements such as hammocks and water bodies would also get along well with the Moroccan vibe.
Top 5 Elements of a Cozy Patio Design
01. Use Plants as a Decor Element
Patios and plants go hand in hand. From little potted plants to huge trees, you can never go wrong with plants. This summer patio idea enables you to jazz up an otherwise dull patio design without much hassle. Plants are a low-cost decor option that accentuates your patio design by imbibing a mix of nature, textures, and personality into the space.
02. Add Different types of Seating
Patio ideas for summer can be as simple as the arrangement of seating, which is an essential element in every patio design. As of now, the market is brimming with seating options in a myriad of materials and colours.
From benches, garden chairs, and lounge seating to Ottomans, sofas, and hammocks, there is something for everyone. It is essential to opt for the right type to inculcate the right element as per your theme.
03. Choose your Upholstery Wisely
While executing the perfect patio summer idea, we often forget to pay heed to the upholstery. However, this step is essential because it brings all the other elements together to justify the chosen theme.
Jute, olefin, polyester, and polypropylene fabrics are some options that work best for outdoor areas. You can also opt for eccentric and bold prints while choosing the upholstery fabric to add a pop of colour to the entire patio setting.
04. Explore various Lighting Options
Lighting, as we know, adds magic and warmth to every space. Therefore, it is essential to deck up your patio with the right kind of lighting.
From lanterns and small chandeliers to string lights and garden lamps, there are a myriad of options to choose from. Lighting helps your purposes, like the smooth transitioning of events into the night, as well as illuminating the walkways for safety reasons.
05. Elevate and Cover your Patio
When we think of patio ideas for summer, we mostly picture outdoor areas. But that’s not always the case. You can also delve into the options of creating covered spaces to elevate your patio design. As for this aspect, you have choices such as gazebos, pergolas, canopies, and arbours to create covered areas. Check out the article below for materials to cover your patio roof.
Your very own Cosy Patio…..
Putting a cosy patio together could be quite a task. But with clarity of choices and options, you can make a design perfectly fit the kind of space you have. Choose a theme and stick to it to refine your ideas into a design that resonates with your tastes. This way, you can relish a nice summer evening with your loved ones in a beautiful garden space.
FAQ’s
01. What are the 5 most popular Themes for Patio Design?
Following are the 5 most popular patio design themes for summer house patio ideas:
- Moroccan-theme patio design
- Tropical-theme patio design
- Greenhouse-theme patio design
- Boho-inspired patio design
- Outdoor patio with barbecue
02. What covered Elements can be added to a Patio Design?
One can add covered elements such as pergolas, gazebos, arbours, and canopies to a patio design to amp up the aesthetics and functionality.
03. What type of Plants are best suited for Tropical Theme Patio Design?
Plants such as palm, ferns, bamboo, hibiscus, and jasmine are mostly incorporated into tropical-themed patio designs.
04. What are the different Elements of a good Patio Design?
The following are the essential elements that make a good patio design:
- Potted plants and large trees
- Seating and furniture pieces
- Upholstery fabric
- Lighting options
- Covered elements such as pergolas and gazebos
05. What are the different Lighting options that can be incorporated into a Patio Design?
You can incorporate lighting options such as string lights, chandeliers, garden lamps, and wall sconces into summer patio décor ideas.
Image Courtesy: Image 7
Author Bio
Saili Sawantt – She is an Architect and Interior Designer by profession. Writing is what she treats as her passion. She has worked as an Architectural Writer, Editor, and Journalist for various design as well as digital portals, both national and international. Formerly she has also worked with Godrej Properties Limited (GPL) Design Studio, Mumbai, due to her keen interested in learning about Sustainability and Green buildings. Apart from this, she runs her blog ‘The Reader’s Express’ and is a practicing Architect & Interior Designer.
