Breathe New Life Into Your Outdoor Living Room With Cozy Decorating Ideas

Elevate your existing outdoor living room with a clever use of color, pattern and versatile furnishings.

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By: Maria Conti and Brian Patrick Flynn

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Revive Your Outdoor Living Room

Outdoor living rooms serve as the heart of the home for much of the year. During spring and summer, your outdoor lounge serves as the backdrop to gardening, sunbathing and barbecues with friends. When the leaves turn, fire pit season is in full swing and your outdoor lounge becomes the epicenter for s'mores, spiked cider and cinnamon rolls on Saturday morning.

If your well-loved (a.k.a worn out) outdoor living room is lackluster, it may be time to zhuzh up your space with a fresh layout, accessories and furnishings. Not sure where to begin? Read on, friend. We're sharing our top tips for freshening up your outdoor living room like a pro.

See More Photos: 40 Gorgeous Outdoor Living Room Design Ideas

From: Marie Flanigan Interiors

Grab a Garden Stool

Garden stools are the unsung heroes of outdoor living rooms. These understated accents are budget-friendly, adaptable and serve as eye-catching solutions for just about any design obstacle that comes your way. Searching for a chic (but petite!) side table for your outdoor sofa? Grab a garden stool. Want to prop up your prized topiaries for detail trimming? Make garden stools your go-to. And if you need extra outdoor seating for your next neighborhood get-together — garden stools are here to save the day.

Shop Our Favorites: The Best Outdoor Side Tables and Garden Stools Under $300

Build Your Own Bar

Stay hydrated during the dog days of summer with a buzz-worthy DIY outdoor bar. Use our space-saving outdoor bar tutorial or repurpose one of your existing console tables with melamine drinkware and the fixings for your favorite seasonal cocktails. Load up the remaining space with necessities like water bottles, barware tools, an ice bucket and reusable straws.

Get the How-To: Build a Hanging Outdoor Bar

From: Tiffany Brooks

Put Every Space to Work

Don’t let space go to waste! Maximize your patio or deck floorplan by capitalizing on empty corners to create cozy seating. Push your outdoor sofa or sectional flush to the corner or build an integrated bench modeled after the charming nook pictured here. Use your sofa or bench as the focal point for the space, then build off that with a weatherproof coffee table and a pair of lightweight outdoor chairs to complete the design.

Get the How-To: How to Build Outdoor Patio Bench with Ottoman

Plant Your Privacy Wall

Perk up your patio or balcony living area with potted trees. Potted trees work overtime to enliven outdoor spaces with lush green colors and add much-needed privacy from the neighbors. Another benefit? Trees draw the eye up, adding height and drama to your display. Here, potted magnolias, shrubs and ferns flank the outdoor sofas to enhance the symmetrical layout and stylishly fill negative space.

See More Photos: 45 Creative Ways to Add Backyard Privacy

Create Zones

Make your outdoor living room feel larger by outfitting adjacent spaces with furnishings in the same style and color scheme. While the covered area here is meant for shady lounging and grilling out, the narrow area beside it has been designated for full-sun conversations.

Get the How-To: Dividing Outdoor Areas by Function

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Throw On a Skirt

Soften the sea of wicker, metal and acacia wood furnishings in your outdoor space with a well-dressed storage table. Interior designer Danielle Rollins dresses this outdoor console in a tailored all-weather skirt; the striped navy number disguises outdoor necessities like bug repellent and gardening shoes and serves as an effortless continuation of the sophisticated silhouettes at play indoors.

Get the How-To: How to Make a Sink Skirt

Reflect Your Surroundings

Make your outdoor living space appear larger and lovelier in one fell swoop with an artful mirror install. Mirrors reflect your surroundings and rebound natural light, visually expanding and brightening your outdoor space. Select a mirror style keeping with your existing interior design aesthetic to achieve seamless indoor-outdoor cohesion. Pro tip: Skip the shatter-prone glass mirrors and invest in a durable, all-weather acrylic mirror with a metal frame instead.

Shop Our Favorites: The 12 Best Decorative Mirrors Under $50

From: Turnstyle Interior Design

Study Symmetry

Want to know a failproof trick to achieve a designer-worthy design every time? Symmetry, symmetry, symmetry. When in doubt, double up your furniture or decor items to create a symmetrical vignette à la this dreamy patio by Lloyd Fleischer Landscape Design. This elegant technique is a staple in traditional interiors and translates just as beautifully when used in the great outdoors. Here, twin sofas flank a roaring white brick fireplace, facing each other for easy enjoyment of nightcaps and convo. Below the sofa arms, a pair of matching accent stools mirror each other and add to the space's tailored appeal.

Watch the Video: Secrets to Using Symmetry

From: Lloyd Fleischer Landscape Design

Small Space? Scale Down

If you’re married to the idea of twin outdoor sofas, but your wallet isn’t as keen on the concept as you are, we’ve got you covered. You can achieve big style on a small scale (and modest budget!) by skipping the outdoor sofas altogether and using a pair of twin loveseats instead. Here, designer Tiffany Brooks arranges a pair of curved wicker loveseats to face each other traditionally and frame doors to the adjacent primary bedroom beyond. A concrete coffee table of the same smaller scale tucks between the loveseats to round out the symmetrical design.

Another way to get this look with your existing furniture? Put four outdoor chairs in a similar symmetrical arrangement with two chairs side-by-side facing another pair in the same position. Use a few garden stools to create a coffee table between the chairs and voila!

See More Photos: 25 Ways to Pretty Up Your Patio for Spring + Summer

From: Tiffany Brooks

Heat Things Up

Use your surroundings to inspire the color palette for your outdoor living space. If your fire pit or fire table is the focal point for your patio, take cues from the flames and incorporate fiery hues through fabric accents like pillows covers, area rugs or throw blankets. Here, Kiesel Design enlists rich rust and red-toned cushions to bring depth to this charcoal sectional. When the fire table ignites, the vibrant textiles pair seamlessly with the flames for a lively, cohesive look.

From: Kiesel Design

Play With Your Furniture

Modular outdoor sofas offer endless configuration options. In this sunny spot, an armless module is paired with a corner section to create an impromptu lounge. When this area is not in use, these two modules can be added to the end of the three-seater sofa in the adjacent covered space to create a more traditional sectional.

Shop Our Favorites: 12 Outdoor Sectionals for Every Style and Budget

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Add a Pergola

Anchor your outdoor lounge furniture with an inviting, space-defining pergola. Pergolas add height to your living space and offer ample styling opportunities. String bistro lights overhead for glowing conversations well after dark, install breezy outdoor curtains for privacy or escape the sun with a retractable pergola shade canopy.

Shop Our Favorites: The Best Pergolas and Gazebos for Every Backyard

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Get Your Glow On

Remember, friend: Ambiance is everything. All you need to take your outdoor living room design from a modest 5 to a head-turning 10 are strategically draped bistro lights twinkling overhead. For a deck or balcony, anchor your string lights with an integrated pole like this contemporary rooftop lounge. And if you want to add some sparkle to your garden patio, invest in a pronged yard pole kit to secure your twinklers into your lawn.

Shop Our Favorites: The Best Outdoor String Lights for Every Space

Opt for Foldable Seating

Collapsible safari chairs are an excellent solution for outdoor spaces short on seating. When the space is in use, these chairs add a collected vibe and can be dressed up with pillows. Whenever the space is not in use, they can be folded and stored away in a snap.

Get the How-To: How to Make a Folding Chair

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Accessorize Your Adirondacks

Adirondack chairs are mainstays for outdoor living areas thanks to their iconic silhouette and comfortable reclined design. That said, sometimes Adirondack chairs feel a bit stark and need a little something-something to achieve the same coziness as an outdoor sofa. Soften your Adirondacks’ sharp edges with a set of plush, pattern-clad pillows and coordinating acrylic throws. Bonus points are up for grabs if you swap out your accessories with the seasons.

Shop Our Favorites: The Best Outdoor Cushions, Pillows and Poufs for Every Style and Budget

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

More Is More

Trick the eye into seeing large (read: luxe) outdoor furniture by arranging several small pieces to appear as one. Here, three pine potting benches sit side-by-side, creating the look of a continuous piece. The grouped pieces offer up generous storage and work space and create a charming backdrop for the alfresco lounge. Apply this technique in your outdoor space by lining up pieces like side tables, floral trellises or dining benches.

Get the How-To: How to Make a Gardener's Potting Bench

Add Pattern Underfoot

Add an extra layer of comfort with a large-scale indoor-outdoor area rug. To prolong the rug's longevity, be sure to bring them inside or roll them into storage each winter.

Shop Our Favorites: 49 Beautiful Outdoor Rugs for Every Style and Need

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Make Furniture Multifunctional

Employ your outdoor dining set to double as an alfresco living space with a few inviting accessories. Line each chairback with showy toss pillows to offer guests a soft spot to land and drape the chair arms with fringe-trimmed blankets for an easy pop of color and comfort on breezy nights. Incorporating these lounge-worthy accessories will give the dining set a laidback appeal that's perfect for savoring a good bottle of wine with great friends.

See More Photos: Picture Perfect Outdoor Lounge and Relaxation Spaces

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Escape the Sun

Keep your sunburns and melasma at bay by outfitting your outdoor living space with an oversized umbrella to shield your patio furniture from the harsh UV rays. Not only will a substantial umbrella guard your skin against the sweltering sun, but it will also slow the fading and damage the sun can cause to features like outdoor upholstery, natural woven rugs and stained decks.

Shop Our Favorites: The 9 Best Outdoor Patio Umbrellas for Your Backyard

From: Molly Wood

Double Up on Shade

If an oversized umbrella sounds like it may overwhelm your outdoor space, we have another chic, shady idea: Buy two normal-sized umbrellas instead. Treat yourself to a pair of matching patio umbrellas in a color or pattern that's complementary to your existing outdoor furniture. Flank your patio’s outdoor area rug with the matching umbrellas to create a defined, resort-style area that shines as the focal point of your backyard design.

Shop Our Favorites: The 9 Best Outdoor Patio Umbrellas for Your Backyard

Shake Up Shapes

Since most sectionals, sofas or love seats are rectangular, mix things up a bit by introducing side tables in sculptural, geometric shapes to add visual interest to all the right corners.

Get the How-To: Make a Chic Concrete Side Table That Doubles as a Stool

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Just add Water

All you need to turn your existing patio into a soothing, spa-like oasis is one magic ingredient: water. Install a water fountain to your exterior or garden wall to serve as a natural focal point for the outdoor living space. Arrange your all-weather sofa, daybed or accent chairs nearby to enjoy the melodic sounds of trickling water while you stretch out under the sun. Not sure if you want to commit to an integrated feature? Achieve similar relaxing results with a tabletop water fountain instead.

From: Bronwyn Poole

Pare Back for Impact

It’s tempting to pile crisp white outdoor furniture with colorful blankets and pillows, but this minimally accesorized pair of chaise longues remind us of the power of restraint. If you love your existing outdoor furniture sans the extra fluff, lean into a minimalist aesthetic. Weave a single accent hue throughout your outdoor living space to allow your furniture silhouettes to shine and achieve a pared-back polished result. Here, interior designer Ashley Gilbreath uses a single marigold cushion to add a dash of color to each streamlined sofa poised for fireside conversation.

Shop Our Favorites: 20 Finds From Frontgate to Make the Most of Your Outdoor Space This Year

From: Ashley Gilbreath

Find Your Focal Point

Before committing to a space plan, first consider the best focal point to enjoy from the comfort of your outdoor living space. Here, the pool is the star of the backyard, so by orienting the furniture to look out at the water, guests have an instant conversation-starter. Plus, it's great for encouraging interaction between those lounging and those taking a dip.

See More Photos: 67 Dreamy Pool Design Ideas

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Select Space-Saving Silhouettes

If your existing outdoor living space feels cramped when guests arrive, your coffee table may be the problem. But not to fret, friend — the solution is simple. Replace your square or rectangular coffee table with a round alternative. A circular table will free up valuable walking space, maximize legroom and cater to more guests than would be possible with angled tables.

Shop Our Favorites: The Best Outdoor Side Tables and Garden Stools Under $300

From: THELIFESTYLEDCO

Hang Out

Feel pressed for more outdoor seating? Think outside the box (read: conventional floorplan) and elevate your patio, deck or porch by taking advantage of the available vertical space. Suspend hammocks or egg chairs from rafters and joists for a playful seating option that adults will love just as much as kids. Plus, hanging hammock chairs free up the floor space allowing for easy maneuvering with a crowd.

See More Photos: 20 Outdoor Hammock Ideas We're Loving

From: Amy Elbaum

Ease Into Color

If you're apprehensive to go big with color inside your home, conquer your fear by popping in lots of outdoor color with removable pieces like floor cushions and throw pillows. To ensure the pillows add visual depth, choose ones with texture, pattern and color.

Get the How-To: How to Make a Chic, Outdoor Pillow Cover (No Sewing Required!)

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

Make the Curtain Call

Dial-up the drama in your backyard design and escape the eyes of your nosey neighbors at once with this elegant outdoor living room addition: curtains. Light-diffusing, all-weather curtains installed on a patio ceiling or deck pergola create a cozy, alfresco retreat that feels like a sophisticated continuation of your home's interior. Make this ethereal outdoor lounge by Marcus Mohon Interiors your muse and opt for soft white sheers for timeless appeal. For a patio with panache, install kicky, black-and-white cabana stripe curtains, instead.

Shop Our Favorites: The Best Outdoor Curtains for Your Porch

From: Marcus Mohon Interiors

Cozy Up Outside

This covered patio is transformed into a full-fledged outdoor living room by mixing in cozy furnishings. For cohesiveness, the dusty tones of the brick are carried throughout the space as an accent color of blush pink set against a dominant blue-gray hue.

See More Photos: 25 Ways to Pretty Up Your Patio for Spring + Summer

From: Brian Patrick Flynn

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