After the big-ticket items, the outdoor furniture comes, followed by the decor. And while it’s easy to overlook in favor of more exciting decor accents like pillows, art, and plants, outdoor rugs are probably the single easiest way to transform your outdoor space. Especially with an after-market patio like ours that’s fully defined by its outdoor rugs.
Whether you’re working with a sunny terrace or have the luxury of a serene, shady patio, a good outdoor rug can set the stage for outdoor living that feels like an extension of your indoor spaces. And we’ve all been majorly loving the Serena & Lily outdoor collections this summer – they feel plush and elevated and are a great lesson in the fact that outdoor spaces can be livable and luxurious without sacrificing practicality.
Think of your rug like a room’s foundation. Your indoor rug ties your furniture together and compacts all your room’s elements into a single, intuitive living or dining nook in your home. Your outdoor rug does the same, in reverse!! It expands your living or dining nook by including that same “furniture” on a much grander scale.
Change The Mood Of The Space With Texture
Stone, concrete, and wood never really go out of style. But lean too heavily on any one, and it skews too minimalist, if not cold. A woven rug warms up any surface without adding a lot of bulk. If your home is coastal, neutrals work best. Stripes or geometric patterns feel most at home in a modern garden. Don’t introduce color if you have patterned cushions and pots; just stick to a solid woven rug. If the furniture is simple, use a rug to introduce interest and color without tipping the scale with bold patterns. This looks more visually appealing than a conversation set or dining area just plopped down on a stone or concrete floor.
Materials That Are Both Durable And Beautiful
Good design should always work to meet your needs. Thankfully, for most of us in the realism camp, outdoor rugs don’t have to be precious. Quality outdoor rugs are often made from all-weather synthetic fibers that can hold up to sun, shade, rain, dirt from the kids, and at-home celebrations without any major maintenance. Often, a good shake-out or rinse will bring back some life. Just make sure to choose a UV-resistant rug to avoid fading and materials that are easy to clean. Kitties-nightmare light neutral rugs can live outside; it’s just a matter of how much time you want to spend on daily maintenance.
A Small Update With a Big Visual Payoff
You don’t always need to (nor do you want to) buy all new furniture or start from scratch to update your outdoors. Sometimes swapping out tired accessories is all it takes to make a space feel reborn. And we love how Serena & Lily demonstrates this through easy-breezy, layered outdoor living, adding inviting textiles that create a few “stay awhile” spots in a space. A rug, new cushion covers, a couple of natural material touches, and you may feel like you have a completely different patio this season.
Make the Outdoors Feel Like Home
It’s not the outdoor spaces you’re drawn to that feel most homey because they are award-winning landscape decor. It’s more likely that those spaces feel that way because someone designed them like any other room in the house. And a seemingly simple item, like an outdoor rug, is the foundation that all living rooms start on. It helps ground your furniture, cordons off great conversation spots, and warms up the whole room (er, yard). And it’s not going to just change how your patio looks to you (and to your guests if they happen by); it’ll start changing how often you’ll go out there.