When winter makes its way to our homes, we’re often left with indoor living only. Harsh winter weather forces us to leave our outdoor living spaces until spring shines down on it. But this no longer needs to be an issue.
There are ways to fight back against winter conditions and continue enjoying your patio. Don’t let winter rains and cold winds keep you from enjoying your outdoor space. Prepare your patio with these 8 outdoor winter decorating ideas, and you’ll enjoy entertaining guests during any season!
1. Add a Rug
Although adding a rug to an outdoor space may seem unusual, there are rugs made for outdoor living areas. Adding a rug to your patio brings comfort and warmth to the outdoor living space. It’s a good way to keep your feet warm on cooler days, and fabrics add colour to what may be a more simple design.
Along with the rug, consider laying out faux fur pillows, blankets, or cushions. You can also add in textures like velvet or yarn. The fabrics hold onto the heat and will keep you cosy, so be sure to have a heat source nearby.
These materials will need to be stored away when not being used to protect them from outdoors conditions, but they’re an essential part of outdoor space during the winter. If you can find them in waterproof material, then you’re ready to go. But if not, you can simply store them in plastic bags inside a bench.
2. Consider Gas Heaters
When considering what type of heat source to add into your outdoor living space, don’t overlook gas heaters. Gas heaters are ideal because they don’t give off any sparks or flames when sitting close by. They give off an even amount of heat throughout an area.
Strip-heaters are mounted high and work best in covered areas. The tall gas heaters work well in open spaces. Choose a style that you believe will fit your outdoor living area and be the perfect heating source for your guests.
3. Open Fire Pit With Beautiful Colour Contrast
When looking for the best ambience, sometimes it doesn’t get much better than a natural open fire pit. For days when the winter winds aren’t strong, you won’t have to worry too much about flames and sparks flickering. Having an open fire pit with a beautiful colour contrast will stun your visitors.
Consider pairing the fire pit with bench seating around it featuring orange cushions. The orange colour goes well with the dry grey skies in the winter. And the orange in the cushions brings out the orange in the fire for a colourful evening.
4. Warm Metals With Fairy Lights
The winter season is all about staying warm. Choosing decorations made with warm metals is a great way to capture the heat. Purchase bronze, brass, or copper decorations to add depth to the area.
A great pairing with these warm metals is the use of fairy lights. Take a string of fairy lights and hang them up around the patio. Avoid using any type of spotlight as they will take away from the intimate nature of your patio.
If the fairy lights don’t give your guests and yourself enough light to move around in, consider adding in other forms of light such as lanterns or garden stake lights. Adding in all these lights together will give you the brightness you need without changing the quaint garden feel. And the more lighting that you have, the more warmth you’ll feel.
5. Add Some Drapes
For areas that deal with winter rains and winds, drapes are a great addition to the outdoor living space. Go with heavy curtains in dark colours. Always remember to shop for ones made for the outdoors.
These heavy and dark curtains are a sure way to keep out cooler weather from a secluded outdoor living space. The dark colours soak in the sunlight and the heavy material works to keep out cold winds. Pair these curtains with black or dark-coloured accents such as pillows, tables, and rugs.
6. Rustic-Chic Retreat
The rustic-chic retreat is the perfect secluded outdoor area perfect for cold winter days. This area can be built with stone walls and a built-in fireplace. Hang a bed swing in this patio retreat and throw some of those cosy pillows on top.
The rustic-chic retreat is a great space for cuddling up with your favourite novel and staying warm in the winter while enjoying the outdoors. The stone walls work well for keeping the chilly breeze from reaching your nose. And the swinging bed makes you and your guests feel like its a private getaway.
7. Create Boundaries
If building a stone wall isn’t applicable for your space, there are other ways to create boundaries for keeping the winter chill out. Use plants, shrubbery, or fencing to build a wall.
You may even want to consider creating a “green wall” where vines can grow and help protect you from cooler weather. And they work great as a feature wall.
8. Open Roofs for Climate Control
Having an open roof over your patio area creates optimal climate control. Open the shutters of your roof when the sun is out and allow yourself to soak up all those warm rays. When the sun fades and the rain starts to come in, simply close the shutters and remain outdoors without the worry of getting wet.
Open roofs are the ultimate add on for any outdoor living area. Once you’ve gotten together your style, lighting, heat source, and other decorating ideas, you’ll want to tie it all together with a climate control roof. This ensures that you’ll enjoy your patio during every season of the year.
Don’t Miss Out on These Outdoor Winter Decorating Ideas
When looking to give your outdoor patio a facelift, don’t forget to keep these outdoor winter decorating ideas in mind. You and your guests will have no problem staying warm during the winter in your new patio!
And when you’re ready to add on your climate control roof, request a free quote from us and we’ll help you get your project started!
