Outdoor Patio Design Tips

Now that summer is here, and the weather is getting warmer and sunnier, a lot 

of us will want to sit outside. Whether you are relaxing with a drink at the end of 

a long day, hosting a garden party or barbecue, or even working from home, an 

outdoor patio area is an ideal place to soak up the sun.

However, a lot of the time our outdoor living areas can end up neglected in favor 

of us spending that time on indoor projects. If you want to spruce up your 

outdoor living space to entertain guests or just relax with your own family, a 

patio is a great idea. 

Whether you are designing a patio area from scratch or working with an existing 

patio, this article will hopefully provide some useful and inspirational design tips!

Designing and Building a Patio

If you are designing a new patio for your backyard, you will want to consider 

several different factors. The size of your backyard is important to consider – 

smaller backyards may not have room for both a patio and a lawn, in which case 

having a patio cover the entire space may be the best option. If your outdoor 

space is bigger, separate patio and lawn sections can look very stylish, and give 

you the option to delineate the boundaries with features such as steps (if you are

considering a raised patio), walls, or flowerbeds.

While square or rectangular patios are most common and usually most practical, 

circular patios are also popular if you want your outdoor space to have a stylish 

centerpiece! Experimenting with paving designs can give your patio a personal 

touch – for example, varying the size, shape, and/or material (e.g. concrete, 

flagstone, limestone) of the slabs can create some really artistic effects!

Roofs and Pergolas 

Outdoor patio roofs are a popular way of providing shelter from the elements. 

Roofs are typically made of materials such as glass, plastic, wood, or even 

waterproof fabrics. If you want the stylish design of an archway without 

permanent shade and shelter from the sun, a crossbeam pergola may be a better

bet.

If you want the best of both worlds, a louvered roof system is a modern solution. 

A louvered roof is a roof that can be opened, closed, and adjusted to suit your 

needs. Louvered roofs can be either closed completely for shelter, opened 

completely, or adjusted somewhere in between, like blinds on a window! 

Louvered roofs are the most versatile solution, enabling you to enjoy nature 

whatever the weather. There are many places where you can buy personalized 

and customized louvered roof systems.

Patio Lighting

A  beautiful lighting setup can be the finishing touch for an outdoor space. When 

deciding how to light your patio area, there are plenty of options. Traditional ​

outdoor lighting setups include lanterns, which can be hung from walls, pillars, or

trees, or even just placed on a tabletop. Lanterns are an incredibly versatile 

lighting option, and also often provide a rustic aesthetic if that is your style.

String lights and hanging pendant lights are also very common and can provide a

cozy and serene ambiance to your patio area. For obvious reasons, it is usually 

unsafe to connect outdoor lights to the mains in your house, so outdoor lights 

usually use batteries, which are often solar-powered.

Using combinations of lights can allow you to layer light, creating shadows and 

highlights in the desired places. Combined with landscaping choices and different

textures, this can really bring the space to life!