7 Ways to Style Your Outside Space

Beautiful outdoor accessories not only bring comfort and function to your home’s outside space, but it’s another opportunity for you to embrace your personal style! Transform your patio into an alfresco oasis—perfect for hosting dinner parties and cocktail evenings, or as a peaceful hideaway. Here are our 7 ways to style your outside space that will beckon you, your family and friends to the outdoors, weather permitting!

1. How will you enjoy the space?

The best place to start when styling your outside area is to think about how you want to use and enjoy the space most. Do you want to use it for entertaining friends or family on warm evenings? Or for afternoon barbecues? Or will it be a tranquil reading corner and sun trap? This will guide you in deciding what type of outdoor furniture and accessories are necessary. It’s wise to choose patio furniture with function in mind, for example, an ottoman upholstered in outdoor performance fabric can be used as extra seating for guests, or a garden bench can double up as an alfresco coffee table.

2. Keep it low maintenance

Ideally, you want to reserve the majority of your outside hours for enjoying your new space rather than for constant maintenance. With this in mind, look for easy-to-care furniture and fabrics to minimise upkeep. Materials we love to use in our gardens that withstand the unpredictable British weather include: metal, teak, cedar, wrought iron and all-weather wicker. These forgiving materials don’t require frequent cleaning and will look spectacular for years to come. Now for the fun part—accessorising your furniture with tablecloths, cushions and pillows. Be sure they are practical, as well as beautiful, and have removable covers that can be easily washed.

3. Performance fabrics

The Penny Morrison performance fabrics are water and oil-repellent, washable and as durable as they are versatile. Finished with a soft and smooth touch, they are equally suitable for indoor and outdoor styling. Our cushion inner pads are made with anti-allergy cluster fibre encased in an optical white polycotton twill and they are treated to repel mildew and mould. Performance fabrics are perfect for a wide range of interior and exterior projects, such as; children’s play areas; hotels; restaurants; sunrooms and conservatories; kitchens; as well as outdoor patios, as they are much easier to clean than regular fabrics.

4. Take inspiration from nature

Remember that you are not limited to neutral colours of metal and teak or natural tones of wood when you look for outdoor accessories. Take inspiration from the colours in your garden or surrounding nature and weave them throughout your outside space. Mastering a mix-and-match outdoor aesthetic is all about pairing the right materials. Selecting materials that complement the shade of your patio flooring or paving can create a harmonious effect. Armchairs, benches and tables that have vibrant shades work beautifully in bright sunlight. We love to play with sunny yellows, cobalt blues and rich oranges, continuing the look with matching cushions and table linens.

5. Use every corner

​​Make the most out of every corner of your outside space. If you are starting from scratch, optimise the area to fit your desired amount of guests. For example, if you have a small patio, you can build a bench in the corner to maximise the number of people you can seat. Ensure the bench is at chair height so you can add a dining table, which can be taken away when you want to use the space for relaxing. For those who are giving their patio or garden a refresh, do you have a space for relaxation? When the UK is blessed with beautiful weather, we need to make the most of it! Loungers are a great choice for those seeking to add extra comfort and style to their outside space. You can upholster the cushions and seat pads in your favourite fabric to mix or match with the other furniture. Light-coloured upholstery will ensure the temperature of the lounge seating stays cool.

6. Mix don’t match

While patio furniture sets are popular, don’t discard the option of mixing different pieces to create a more relaxed and cohesive look. Shared elements between chairs, tables, sofas and coffee tables; such as material, fabric and colour; as well as shapes; like curvaceous or angular; really pull the look together. We love to style our outside areas with a variety of square and rectangular cushions for extra comfort and upholster garden seat pads with fabrics that celebrate the tranquillity of the space, pulling out colours from our favourite blooms.

7. Alfresco dining

One of the simplest ways to elevate your dining set is by introducing table linens. A bare table is a missed opportunity, so whether you’re throwing a little family lunch in the garden or a date-night dinner, make it special by using colourful table linens for dimension. We enjoy adorning our tables with patterned tablecloths, placing our wicker table mats over them and playing with various glass candlesticks and tumblers. We select the sets of china and ceramics that complement, match or contrast best with the table linens we use. Of course, there must be lots of freshly cut flowers, ideally from your own garden, like bunches of small posies. Round tables promote easy conversation and can feel more intimate, especially when paired with twinkling patio lights for after dusk.