How to design a HOMELY PATIO in 2021

Hello everyone! Today I have something a bit different but perfectly on point for this time of the year.

With summer just around the corner, we all want to enjoy some relaxing time outdoors, don’t we? Even here in London, where often the weather is not that forgiving we never say no to some nice leisure time out in the sun. So, I had some fun coming up with a few design ideas for your patio or garden space to invite friends and have some relaxing time out, now that the restrictions and risks connected with the pandemic are finally easing (hopefully for good). I put together three moodboards trying to include a wide range of furniture pieces and accessories to hopefully give you all some good inspiration.

As you will notice, I played around a little with different styles and price points. Mainly to suggest options as varied as possible but also to give a sense of the range one can find when organising an outdoor space.

Homely Chic

For the first one, I aimed at a more chich look. I selected some slightly more upscale pieces to convey a more refined feeling. I like them specifically because they are also quite sculptural, especially the Kartell armchair and the ponente sun lounger. At the same time, however, I also included some items that give an overall natural and more homely look through materials and colours, like the teak wood bench and the jute textiles.

The overall feeling is that of a quiet and minimal space, almost a reading nook where you can take your time and relax.

Most of all, when available I also selected sustainable pieces. Luckily, several firms are producing furniture now using recycled, up-cycled or simply natural sustainable materials.

• Parasol Daria Beige – Tectake
• Ambiance Bench Teak Wood 118x35x45 cm – VidaXL
• Way or Outdoor rug 140x200 cm - Recycled plastic bottles – Ferm Living – Made in Design
• LED Bowl - Spherical Lamp 50 cm – VidaXL
• Bau Large Flowerpot 28 cm - Metal - Ferm Living – Made in Design
• ProGarden Plant Tray 38x32 cm Matt Blue – VidaXL
• Eden Hammock dark grey – Tectake
• Plant Box Standing flowerpot L 60 x H 65 cm - Ferm Living – Made in Design
• Bubble Club Armchair – Kartell – Made in Design
• Liba Watering can 100% recycled plastic - 5 litres - Ferm Living – Made in Design
• Stone Flowerpot 16 cm - Ceramic - Eva Solo – Made in Design
• Ponente Sun lounger - Plastic - Multiposition – Slide – Made in Design
• Placemats 4 pcs Natural and Anthracite 38 cm Jute and Cotton – VidaXL

Homely Stylish

This second board takes a very different direction from the other two and it is already clearly visible from the colours choice. Black, greys, and some natural beiges round it up. Overall, every piece has also cleaner and simpler lines compared to others to make the garden or patio space look more minimal and modern.

Here the variety of seating solutions is chosen to inviting and to offer many options. This is a space for entertainment, to have some fun with some drinks and playing in the company of friends.

• Hanging chair Grazia black – Tectake
• Glazed Three Tone Grey Cylinder Planter 19cm – Homebase
• Hexagonal Terracotta Herb Pot 25cm – Homebase
• Garden furniture set Faro, version 2 glass top – Tectake
• 5 Piece Outdoor Dining Set Solid Acacia Wood – VidaXL
• Toundra Outdoor rug 200 x 300 cm - Polyester fibre - Vincent Sheppard – Made in Design
• Diamond Large Watering can 8L - Garden Glory – Made in Design
• Silhouette Small Vase 18 cm - Eva Solo – Made in Design
• Speckle Large Flowerpot 30 x 30 cm Stoneware - Ferm Living – Made in Design
• Flowerpot Set of 2 - Metal – Bloomingville – Made in Design
• Globe Placemat - Hand-woven raffia - Maison Sarah Lavoine – Made in Design

Homely playful

And now the last one. For this moodboard I maintained a clean look but went a bit creative with pots, vases and lighting. A nice combination of colours and shapes can add playfulness without being too overwhelming. The same goes for the lights, using a couple of different lamps and light bulbs will have the same effect. Also, the different seating solutions give the flexibility to arrange more people and accommodate different preferences making it overall more comfortable and welcoming.

Finally, this third colourful selection conveys fun and relaxation. In an outdoor space, it would be the perfect spot to organise dinners and spend time with close friend and family. The seatings ideas here are more informal and approachable.

• Swing Swing seat 205 x 193 cm – Ethimo – Made in Design
• Luxform Battery LED Garden Bulb Sphere - VidaXL
• Luxform Battery LED Garden Bulb Raindrop – VidaXL
• Botanic Box Flowerpot 30 x 12 cm x 13 cm - Design House Stockholm – Made in Design
• Place-we-met Placemat Set of 2 – Soft silicone – Fatboy – Made in Design
• Molfetta Rattan Seating Set nature – Tectake
• Elit Sun lounger - Folding – Ethimo – Made in Design
• Shade palette 3 Outdoor rug 200 x 300 cm – Nanimarquina – Made in Design
• Tika Large Solar lamp - LED lantern 69 cm - Vincent Sheppard – Made in Design
• La Lampe Parc S Solar lamp - LED - Wireless - H 30 cm – Maiori – Made in Design
• Varia Vase - Grès 23 x H 24 cm – AYTM – Made in Design
• Collect SC70 Flowerpot - 15 x H 18 cm - Polystone - &tradition – Made in Design
• Strøm Small Vase - 16 cm - Handmade ceramic – raawii – Made in Design
• Terrazzo Pot - / Medium - XL Boom – Made in Design

As you can see the three moodboards are very different from one another. However they are not just distinguishable for the different styles, but the different choices of furniture pieces and combinations can suggest different activities and give a significantly different character to the whole space. So, when choosing the furniture pieces and decors, it’s extremely useful not to stop at a simple interior style but to think in advance about what you’d want to achieve with it and what kind of activities you’d like to use it for.

So here it is. My selection of furniture and decors for a garden, patio or outdoor area in 2021. I purposedly used a wide range of pieces because I think it could be very interesting to experiment a little bit and also to show that there’s really something for everyone. I hope you liked my selections or at least I gave you some good inspirations for your designs! Have fun!