See how to create an outdoor room that feels like an extension of your home. Make the most of summer living and create a beautiful outdoor living space.
Living in California, we spend a lot of time during the year outdoors. It is sunny and warm 7-8 months out of the year. Creating and outdoor living room that blurs the line between indoors and outdoors is something that we love about where we live.
I’m excited to share with you a few tips and ideas so you can create an outdoor room to enjoy with your family for summer! And be sure to check the 21 other outstanding outdoor ideas that are linked at the bottom of the post as part of Krista’s Seasonal Simplicity Summer Series!
How To Create An Outdoor Room That Feels Like An Extension of Your Home
Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, our homes are sometimes small and our yards become a natural extension of our living spaces. By utilizing our outdoor spaces, we are able to make the most use of our square footage.
This has become very important these past 4 months as we have been sheltering in place and really using every square inch of our home!
We have started inviting friends and neighbors over for social distancing happy hours and dinners. This has pushed me to create more seating and really make an inviting outdoor room and living space.
My Tips For Creating An Outdoor Living Space
Each year I seem to tweak our outdoor living space a bit. This year has been all about maximizing the patio right off our living room. With more time spent outside with guests I want to make sure I create and inviting outdoor room that provides plenty of seating and different areas for smaller conversation groups.
Here are some of my favorite ideas for creating an inviting outdoor living space.
Add plants and flowers
Add plants and flowers to add color and extend the green space of your outdoor room. You can also use pots to create sections or define a space. If you have a large area, rows of potted plants can help keep a smaller section feeling more intimate.
Use lighting to add ambiance
Candles, outdoor string lights or battery operated fairy lights not only are practical as the sun goes down, but they definitely add to the cozy and pretty feel of your outdoor living space.
A citronella candle is great for keeping bugs away and adds to the glow of summer evenings.
Utilize outdoor rugs to soften your outdoor room
There are so many great and affordable rug options and they hold up amazingly well in the elements.
I wash our outdoor rugs when necessary with a mixture of dish soap and water outside with the garden hose. They dry quickly too!
Provide blankets in a basket
Blankets in a basket or thrown over the edge of a chair keep guests warm as the night gets chilly. The temperatures can really drop at night here so we like to have a stash of blankets to use in the evenings and even for cooler mornings too.
Use umbrellas to add character and sun protection
A cute umbrella can really add to the style and color scheme of your outdoor room. Plus, they are super functional and provide shade.
They also protect furniture and pillows from morning dew or brief rain showers. If it ever does rain in the summer, I pile all the throw pillows under the umbrellas to protect them from water damage.
Consider adding a fire pit
Fire pits are amazing. Not only do they provide entertainment (hello s’mores!) but they also create that summer ambiance. Fire pits are a natural area that people love to sit around and talk late into evening.
Here are a few other posts that I have shared in the past that may help you in creating your outdoor living spaces:
- Summer Patio Tour
- Outdoor Decorating Ideas
- Patio Makeover Ideas
- 7 Summer Patio Decorating Ideas
- Backyard Outdoor Living Room Tour
Outdoor Room Sources
I hope you are inspired and maybe got some ideas that you can implement to create your own outdoor room that feels like an extension of your home. The styles of both spaces should seamlessly blend together and have a natural flow.
Be sure to check out all the other inspiring spaces being shared today too below!
More Outdoor Rooms and Spaces
This week, some of my blogging friends and I are sharing our summer outdoor spaces. Just click on the links below the images to be taken to see their full posts.
The Happy Housie // My 100 Year Old Home // Modern Glam // Cassie Bustamante
Craftberry Bush // Joanna Anastasia // Life is Better at Home // Inspiration for Moms
Clean & Scentsible // Finding Silver Pennies // Grace in My Space // Maison de Cinq
Life is a Party // House by Hoff // Zevy Joy // Two Twenty One
Taryn Whiteaker // Maison de Pax // Amber Tysl // This is Our Bliss
She Gave it a Go // My Sweet Savannah
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Cassie Bustamante
what a dreamy space! i am obsessed with the fire pit area!
Sarah Symonds
You have the most beautiful outdoor spaces!
Sheila
Ashley I always love seeing your outdoor space – it’s gorgeous!! Cozy and inviting and absolutely has your style! 🙂
Sheila
xo
ashley
Thank you Sheila! We have been spending a lot of time out here!
Danielle
Your back yard is so dreamy! Would love to sit out here and sip cocktails and eat s’mores 😉
Jenn
Such a pretty space! I love your fire table and I NEED one of those egg chairs!
Judy
I’m obsessed with your outdoor space Ashley!! 😍 You make California look sooooo good!