Anybody can enhance outdoor furniture without starting from scratch. 

Having an outdoor patio is a great enhancement to your home and living area. It’s a perfect spot for you, your family and friends to relax and have some fun on a nice, warm summer day. But after a while, that outdoor oasis you created may start to feel a bit dated, and you may find yourself utilizing your outdoor space less and less. If this sounds all too familiar, don’t worry, there is still hope! There are several ways to spruce up your outdoor space without demolishing your current space, or your wallet.

Add a Grill

Giving your patio a new functional purpose can give you a new reason to spend more time out there. What better to treat yourself and your guests than some hot burgers, steak or barbeque off the grill? Outdoor grills are available in many styles to fit your current layout including built-in grills, on-cart grills, post grills and countertop grills. If it’s in the budget, a stainless steel grill will survive the seasonal elements well and allow you to grill year round.

Update Outdoor Lighting

Changing up your lighting can instantly enhance the feel of your patio. Freestanding solar lighting options are easy to setup and move around to fit your needs, and with no hardwired connection, they are virtually maintenance free.

Outdoor spaces are best when lit simultaneously from the ground level, table height and overhead. Floor lighting can help to avoid ground hazards and keep paths lit, where table lighting such as lanterns or candles will double as stylish decoration during the daytime as well. Install overhead lighting on trees, posts or sculptures to add to your patio’s appeal.

Spruce things Up with Plants

Adding planters and landscape additions can add color, privacy and new life to your space. Planters are relatively inexpensive and can not only add color and lovely smells, but also provide a way to create faux barriers in your space to direct traffic or section off different areas. For example, separate a dining space from a lounge area with a few medium height planters to create the illusion of separate outdoor “rooms.”

For added privacy, grown evergreens can serve as a natural fence while enhancing the natural esthetic, and a vine covered trellis can serve a similar purpose.

Swap out Furniture Covers

Possibly one of the most common ways to update your patio space is with new furniture covers. Choosing removable covers, you can change them out by season to keep your patio fresh and exciting each season. If you are working with a smaller budget, even swapping out different colored pillows can add a new inviting vibrancy to your space.

Warm Things Up

When Labor Day comes and goes and the summer season comes to a halt, there’s no reason to close up your outdoor patio for the year. Instead, add a fire pit or outdoor heating to keep things comfortable. Ceiling, tabletop, or portable heaters are easy to use and can help make sure you’re able to enjoy your space well into the fall season. A patio fire pit table can also help keep you warm and can even be a feature piece of your outdoor space providing both function and esthetic.

Raise the Bar

If you are used to entertaining, an outdoor bar will not only provide great convenience for the hosts as well as the guests, it can serve as a decorative option along patios and pool decks. If space allows, a larger, more permanent bar can create a great social piece as well as provide storage. For smaller spaces, portable bar carts are a great way to serve a smaller gathering.

You don’t need a massive budget and a wrecking crew to update your patio. With a few carefully calculated enhancements, a drab old patio can be transformed into a functioning backyard oasis for the whole family to enjoy.

Chris Dietrich is a furniture specialist with Patio Living. For more information on outdoor furniture and patio designs, visit patioliving.com.