Outdoor Organization: Preparing Your Patio for Spring

Image via: KD Landscape Inc

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Wash the Filth Away

Winter storms can leave a nasty residue all over the patio and deck. Choose a sunny, bright day to clean up the places. Clean the dirt and cobwebs with a broom first. Give the places a gentle bath with a hose and rub with soapy water and brush in case they are icky. If there is fungus, mildew stains, or weather-beaten patches, use a pressure washer to wipe them away. A power-wash will wash all the winter blues away.

Clean the Patio Furniture

The patio furniture needs to be freshened up or replaced because nobody wants to sit on dirty cushions. Scrub the furniture with an environmentally friendly cleaner. Deep clean the cushions and if you want to keep them looking fresh, use vinyl protectant.

Image via: Outdoor Home

Paint the Patio Furniture

Spring means more outdoor time. So, the patio furniture needs special treatment. Give them a lift with a bright new coat of paint. Do you have a set of metal furniture? Don’t worry! There are auto paint shops where you can powder coat your metal patio set or do it yourself by using paint designed for use on metal.

Set a Coffee Table

Having your evening coffee while relaxing on the patio sounds nice, right? Set a quick table by placing a small coffee table there or making one by clustering three or four garden tools topped with a glass tabletop. Plus, enhance your seating area with more cushions, pillows, or adding a bench style seat. Now, all you need a mug of hot cocoa or coffee to sip on!

Image via: Living Ideas

Bring New Life with Planters & Plants

Spring breathes new life into the nature. Why to deprive your patio of that wonderful gift? Choose an empty wall and jazz it up with a wall-mounted garden. Store-bought planters or re-purposed old-box planters can be used for this purpose. Wanna show your DIY skill? Cinder boxes stacked and glued together can be a wonderful and innovative home for succulent plants.

Image via: Key Residential

Use Fabrics to Add Beauty

Fabrics can help – for adding privacy or just for enhancing beauty. If you have close neighbors, use outdoor curtains for blocking unwanted views. They will add privacy when closed and ambiance when open. Similarly, a temporary canopy for an open patio will act as an outdoor roof, shading from the sun, and increasing the beauty of the place.

These outdoor organization tips are easy and hassle-free. By applying them, you can make a big difference in your patio in a single weekend. These simple cleaning and decorating ideas are sure to offer something to suit your time and style.

Planned for a spring patio renovation? Why not share your ideas with us?

Spring Color: Liven Up your Home with Spring Textiles

Image via:  The Wedding Place

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Go Bold or Go Home

One thing that spring is known for is for the light and bright colors.  Great thing is that how you want to display those colors is completely up to you.  You may prefer to go bold, which you could select a dynamic color like a vibrant red or yellow or different gradients of green and place them where it will be the focal point.  Such as if the area is the living room then perhaps a few of the  furniture pieces would hold the bold hues, like having a vibrant red love seat, sofa and reading chair.

Image via: Home Ideas

Patterns if you Please

Patterns are great for adding movement, variety and emotion within a space however with all of the bonuses they can add to the interiors use them with some caution. Patterns are or can be very strong if they are overly used then they can be overwhelming within the space.  Use patterned textures on your comforter and shams, throw cover or pillows, accent pillow, towels, or area rugs.  These areas can seem insignificant but with a pattern can make the space pop, but not over due it. Even try mixing and matching certain patterns, like a paisley print with dull colors on throw pillows mixed with stripped pillow on a solid color sofa.

Image via: Traditional Interiors

Subtlety is the Charm

Maybe you like color but not everywhere.  That’s fine for your spring organization!  This is where a palette of warm neutrals or even greige (grey-beige) will come into play.  So basically take the idea of the “Go Bold…” concept but instead of a vibrant color substitute it for a neutral, and pulling from the patterns idea place the color where you would put the pattern.  For example, if you decided to get your kitchen into the spring fever with some subtle charm, then have the counter tops, and kitchen furniture be a neutral and have the backsplash, seat cushions, and table accents to have the color.

Image via:  Trisha Troutz

Spring is a wonderful season of the year.  Invite spring into your interiors with some great textiles. Textiles are very simple to use and easier to manipulate within the space, plus you get a whole lot from them with very little effort.  You have the opportunity to make it as extravagant or as minute as you would like, don’t limit yourself for your spring organization.  Take a look at some home decor magazines to get ideas and inspirations.  See where they take you.  Also, Stagetecture readers do you have any suggestions on bringing the spring season in with textiles?

For more spring ideas, click here.