How to Decorate Your Patio Cottage Style

With the growing popularity of outdoor rooms, more people are paying attention to their patios. You can convert your patio to an enclosed outdoor room or leave it open. Either way, your options for decorating this great outdoor space in a cottage style are many. The openness of a patio makes it ideal for cottage-style decorating, because the style itself favors a space filled with open windows and doors that let the outside in. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Pick a color scheme. Your decor could include the light colors often associated with a beachside cottage, such as light blue, green, and tan. Or, you could go in the opposite direction and use the dark, woodsy colors often found in mountain cottages.

2

Select the appropriate scale and color of furniture that goes with your design. White wicker or teak furniture would work well with a beach-themed cottage, while darker, heavy furniture would work well with a mountainside cottage look.

3

Look for indoor/ outdoor upholstery for your furniture. All-season choices include weather-treated canvas, linen and thick cotton. These fabrics work well because they tend to be sturdier than many other textiles.

4

Throw in decorative accessories including striped cushions and throw pillows in various designs. Use similar colors to help pull together accessories with different patterns and textures.

5

Create an enclosed space by hanging curtains at the patio's opening (if you do not have an enclosed patio). Cottage-style dcor often features sheer, white curtains. Tie the curtains open using tie-backs wrapped around the poles that hold up your patio's roof.

6

Hang art on the exterior walls of your house. Many masterpieces have been made into art suitable for the elements. These pieces will help your patio take on the look of a room. Suitable "walls" also include a backyard fence.

7

Seek out cottage-style decorating accessories to place on end and coffee tables. A common decorating theme in the cottage style includes nautical accessories such as shells, antique glass, sea floats and fishing nets.

8

Choose shabby chic accessories such as old, white-washed coffee or end tables. Cottage style is casual and often looks weather worn. Don't be afraid, for example, to select a table that's painted white, but has the wood of the table underneath showing through.

9

Purchase a portable terra cotta fireplace for cool evenings. Some versions can be painted. Position the fireplace on the edge of the patio where you can still feel its warmth while decreasing the risk of fire from flying sparks.