Outdoor Escapes: Turning Style Inside-Out to Create a Garden Getaway

As we head deeper into summer — and with the glories of the autumn season on the horizon — the outdoors is calling. Just like our indoor spaces, our gardens, yards, patios, balconies and decks are valuable spots to enhance, beautify and let your style shine in the sun, or under the stars.

And, there’s no doubt that the trend of decorating the outdoors is in full bloom. Patio furniture sales are up 225 percent, while Pinterest Insights report an increase of 89 percent in backyard renovation ideas along with a whopping jump of 658% in DIY small patio ideas on a budget.

“Outdoor escapes are more important than ever as trips to the backyard are the new ‘going out’,” says Katie Allen, LL Flooring’s director of trend and design. “The exciting part is there are so many ways to transform our outdoor spaces to create comfortable, inviting and relaxing settings to enjoy and get away.” So pull up a lawn chair and let’s talk how you can add fresh ideas to the fresh air.

Living Room Look-Alikes

An outdoor space is a natural extension of your home and can serve as a bridge to your interior décor or take new, whimsical looks and approaches. It all starts with furniture — a must-have to stage conversations, do dining and translate indoor comfort to the outside. There are great options in materials, ranging the very popular rattan to classic, weather-resistant teak, as well as wicker and even metal furnishings.

Most importantly, take a look at your space and find furniture that fits to scale and can be versatile. We love the look of loveseats, which can bring the comfort coupled with swivel chairs and charming side tables that can be moved and rearranged to establish a flow in the space.

You can further bring the living room vibes to life by adding blankets and pillows, plus Bluetooth speakers to turn up the entertainment factor.

Holiday-dreaming

Since vacations and traveling have been limited or put on hold, it’s also important to approach outdoor spaces as a place where you can find solace, relaxation and comfort. To that end, consider relaxing daybeds coupled with canopies or colorful umbrellas to throw some (good) shade and go vertical. Use an area of the space to further emphasize and connect nature with plants and flowers you love and reflect your region — which can also add fabulous fragrance. And, think of special accent features like privacy walls or a trellis to help you further get away.

As a bonus, use vacation memories and dreams to inspire your look outdoors. Pastels and pops of bright colors, plus designs incorporating leaf or floral patterns are fun ways to excite your outdoor space and put your mind in vacation mode.

You can also add to the vacation vibes by hanging up a hammock or including water elements such as fountains to help you get to your special place.

Light the Way

Our outdoor spaces can naturally let the natural light do a lot of the work, so when it comes to lighting, think subtle — to let the stars shine in and let the fireflies do their thing. String café lights are a wonderful choice to bring this balance, while solar landscape lights are powered up by the sun to give a glow at night and are long-lasting and easy to maintain. And, for added ambiance, set up candles in safe spots. And, don’t forget to bring the heat: add a fire table to add sparks plus functionality.

We would love to see what your outdoor ideas are to add to a space where you can get away and soak up the remaining days of summer.