With summer nearing its end and autumn on the way, you might be thinking that this year’s outdoor entertainment and recreation is coming to an end too. But it doesn’t have to. With some clever updates, you can transform your yard into an inviting, contemporary space to relax with guests and enjoy the refreshing, cool fall weather.
Check out these inventive, fun options to see how you can give your outdoor space a facelift this fall.
10 Creative Updates for Your Outdoor Living Area
Now that the weather has cooled down, enjoy a refreshed look and feel for your deck, patio and yard with these fun and festive tips.
1. Decorate in Autumn Colors
Seasonal decorations are a great way to stay in touch with the time of year, and they’re often simple to apply to your home. Look for fall-related décor at your favorite home store—like autumn wreaths, cinnamon-scented candles, and pinecone potpourri. Replace delicate plants and summer pool fixtures with hearty, metallic decorations that can handle cool, wet weather.
2. Create a Touch of Warmth
With autumn, you can expect cold breezes and chilly mornings and evenings. But you can still keep using your outdoor spaces by installing heaters to keep your deck or patio warm as you relax in the crisp air. Many heaters come in attractive shapes and designs to add visual appeal and warmth.
3. Build an Outdoor Fireplace or Fire Pit
Why not level up your outside space with a beautiful fireplace or fire pit? These features can be as small or large, as rustic or elegant, as you want them to be. And they offer a delightful place to visit with friends and family over a cup of hot chocolate or warm apple cider. The kids (and adults too!) will love the chance to make s’mores and roasted marshmallows.
Here’s a look at more advantages of adding an outdoor fireplace.
4. Invite More Lighting
With the days growing shorter, autumn is a time you lose sunlight faster when you’re outside. Combat that by adding outdoor light fixtures to brighten your space after twilight falls. Solar lights can be placed along walkways for an unobtrusive, practical look and feel. Twinkle lights can be hung from your pergola.
5. Add Comforting Layers
Summer is a time to strip things down and make them as cool as possible, but fall gives you the perfect reason to create cozy comfort. In terms of outside décor, that means thinking about elements that provide soothing warmth—like a cushy outdoor rug, weather-safe blankets, and rows of fall-colored pillows so you can cuddle with loved ones and relax.
6. Invest in an Outdoor Kitchen
If you love cooking and entertaining outdoors, but you realized you simply didn’t have the ideal setup for it this summer, then it may be time for an outside kitchen! This upgrade is one of the best ways to add elegance and style to your entertaining. You can go simple with a small, built-in grill for roasting fall vegetables, or go big with a full kitchen area—including an outdoor sink, pizza oven, and other fixtures you can use through autumn and winter.
7. Cover Your Patio
While the sun doesn’t beat down as relentlessly during the fall, this is still an ideal time to add a covering to your patio or deck. Not only will it provide shade in hot weather—it’ll also create a cozy space in cooler weather, adding some insulating value. You can hang fans and lighting from a patio cover with ease. Or choose a pergola to grow beautiful flowering vines or even vegetables for your fall and spring gardening.
8. Install Seasonal Shades and Screens
If you like the idea of opening up or closing your outdoor living space depending on the weather, then seasonal screens and shades are a great idea. There are many versions of this approach—from installing full windows and creating a four-season room, to putting in storm screens, to adding solar screens that keep out excess sun and wind, and more.
9. Plant Fall Greenery and Flowers
At the end of summer and before the first freeze, you have the opportunity to revitalize your landscaping. Fall is an ideal season to plant new bushes, as the cool, wet weather gives time for greenery to root deep before winter sets in. Add pops of color by planting mums, which bloom in rich yellows, oranges, and rust-reds during the autumn.
10. Expand Your Outdoor Living Space
Use the fall season to remodel your existing deck or patio—and make it more spacious—before the spring/summer season rolls around next year. For some homeowners, this means creating a multi-level deck. For others, it means adding a beautiful gazebo, or a pergola over a lovely new garden, complete with a new stone walkway. It can even include a brand-new front patio, or a side patio off your bedroom.
Whatever you’re dreaming of, it can be done when you collaborate with a creative team of designers (like us!).
Love Your Outdoor Living Spaces with Upgrades from Lakeside Renovation & Design
Whether your current outdoor areas need refreshing with the latest high-tech features, or you crave an entirely new addition like a luxury deck or four-season sunroom, the Lakeside Renovation & Design team can make your vision come to life.
Reach out to share your goals for your home, and we’ll help you land on the best solution to give you the outdoor living space of your dreams.
