Furniture and decorations
Your outdoor room is designed to be an extension of your
internal living space and so it has to feel just as good. Remember—comfort is key!
Now that you’ve designed a functional outdoor living space that addresses all your needs, it’s time to add the finishing touches. Furnishing and decorating your space is the thing that will make all the difference to your outdoor experience, so it’s worth spending the time to get it just right.
Your furniture is integral to the function of the room as well as being a feature and the presentation and quality of an item can make or break the look of your space. Think about your long-term needs, how you will be using the space and allow for good quality pieces in your budget. Try to incorporate storage into your choices too. Ideally your soft furnishings and everyday items are easily accessible outside so you don’t spend your time running indoors for things.
Any choice you make should include innovative thinking in terms of form and function. There’s no point in having something that looks great if it’s not comfortable, doesn’t suit your needs or provide a function to the environment around you.
The main things to keep in mind when you’re shopping are comfort, strength, durability and style, and make sure the coating, finish or fabric can withstand all weathers.
If you decide to custom-build, take full advantage of the options open to you such as added lumbar support for comfort, storage space in the voids of bench-seating, and foldaway facilities for tables, lounges etc.
And on the environmental front, let’s not forget that ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure’. You shouldn’t overlook garage sales, auctions, recycling yards and the Internet—you never know where you might find ‘just the right piece of furniture’. Recycled materials and found objects can also be wonderful to work with if you want to build your own furniture.
Some furniture and decorating ideas include:
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Lounging and sleeping—day bed, modular lounge, lounge chair, sun lounge, swing chair,
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Dining—all shapes and sizes of dining settings
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Cooking—barbecue, pizza oven, table grill
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Heating—fire pit, outdoor gas or electrical heaters
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Serving—drinks trolley, cool box
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Decorative touches—dinner settings, soft furnishings, rugs, table decorations, rugs and mats, decorative garden edging, candles and lanterns
• For more ideas and images see my book
The Source Book Second Edition
The
PATIO by Jamie Durie range also includes a variety of decorative wall hangings, ornaments, lanterns and sculptural pieces.
