Introduction

You blink and find that the spring season is over, and the summer season is right around the corner. While no one likes the summer heatwave, everyone enjoys all the other aspects of it, especially spending more time outdoors in the backyard or patio. If you want to change or repair your patio you can search for “paving companies near me” and hire professionals for the job. For now, let’s check out how you can upgrade your patio. 

The Ways

Add Furniture – Your patio is a place of leisure and relaxation, and you need to make it as inviting as possible. The best way to do that is by adding comfy seating. However, it’s important to figure out what kind of patio furniture you get. You have to decide whether your patio furniture sits exposed to the weather or is sheltered by some sort of overhead structure or roof. If your patio furniture is exposed to the elements it needs to be waterproof and dustproof. 

Apart from deciding on the location of the furniture you also need to decide its purpose. The purpose of your outdoor furniture is defined by the available space and how you intend to use it. For instance, if it’s just a cozy area for hanging out, you may opt for a low coffee table with a modular couch. On the other hand, if you intend to have family dinners frequently at the patio, you need to have a proper dining setup with chairs and a table. If your patio is by the pool, you may want nothing more than a few loungers. 

While patios are very flexible you need to decide how you want to spend most of the year at your patio and plan your furniture purchase accordingly. If you want to stick to a budget, Ikea, Wayfair, and Amazon have great options. If you’re a skilled DIYer, you can just get the building materials and old pallets and craft yourself some custom furniture. 

Lights – Lights can make or break your outdoor space. Unlike the backyard or your garden, you’ll often use the patio after dark, and string lights are an easy way to upgrade its beauty and functionality. String lights create a lot of visual impacts and completely change the ambiance of space without bankrupting you. You have all sorts of options when you go to buy string lights. 

From regular plug-in and battery-operated options to solar-powered string lights that charge throughout the day to light up your space at night. Choose whatever fits your budget and your unique needs. For instance, if you don’t have plugs nearby and have an open patio without any roof, solar-powered string lights would be the ideal choice. You can also customize your string lights and make them part of your decor. 

For instance, you can use solar lights under an umbrella, hang them across the patio railing, make the perennials and bushes around your patio light up with string lights, or simply shove them in a large glass jar to make a lantern. You have unlimited options and can achieve a lot without spending much as long as you unleash your creativity.

If string lights aren’t your thing, you can always get a generous amount of rope lights. Rope lights are basically string lights encased in a long clear plastic tube. The tube is flexible and can be installed any way you want. Mood lights in cars, planes, and clubs are usually made of rope lights. They are weather-resistant, cheap, and can be installed any way you want. You can use rope lights to outline the perimeter of your patio, illuminate patio railings, light up the stairs leading to the patio and do a lot more.   

Plants – Your garden may have a lot of plants. However, you can never have enough. Upgrade your patio with plants to create a calming and greener environment around you. Plants increase the air quality around you and also research suggests that they have a positive effect on your mental health. 

Moreover, plants create a cooling microclimate. If you live in the south and plan to spend a lot of time outdoors on your patio, getting some plants around you can help you beat the summer heat without increasing your energy bill. Moreover, you can make plants a part of your decor with custom planters. You can get custom planters made from wood, stone, clay, or even metal.

Firepits – Unlike all the above-mentioned upgrades to your patio this one requires quite a bit of expertise and expenditure. However, if you’re up for the challenge, fire pits can be the most rewarding investments. When you want to install a fire pit on your patio you need to make it from a strong fire-retardant material and need to keep the fire and embers in check so that they don’t burn the wooden furniture. If you are a DIY expert, you can keep the costs of building a firepit very low at around $200 or less. 

Fabrics – One of the easiest ways of adding color and texture to your patio is by adding textiles. You can use textiles of all kinds of shades and textures to wrap your throw pillows and cushions for your patio furniture. Even if you don’t have patio furniture, you can always use rugs and blankets. However, it’s important to carefully choose the patterns and colors on those fabrics so that you get a cohesive palette that works with your existing outdoor decor. You also need to use weatherproof textiles if you plan to use them all year round.            

Conclusion

As you can see there are numerous ways of upgrading your patio this summer season. From adding planters to more seating, lights, and anything else that your imagination and budget allow for. On the other hand, if you want to upgrade the patio paving or add a walkway you can hire professionals for the job by searching for “paving companies near me”.