Eating al fresco with family and friends, lazing about with a book on a hot summer’s day or playing with the kids in the fresh air…however you enjoy your patio, it is often the heart of a garden. Utilised like an extra room, and providing the perfect vantage point from which to survey your garden’s changing gems as the seasons unfold, it’s important for a patio to be an attractive and welcoming space. If you’re looking to spruce up or even completely redesign your patio this year, take a look at our top five trends for patio design in 2016.
The indoors, outdoors
Increasingly, the line between our homes and our gardens is blurring. In 2016, this trend will reach new proportions with people undertaking serious building projects in order to open up their kitchens, dining rooms or even bedrooms to the great outdoors. That means that much of what we appreciate inside will be coming outside with us. Think fire pits or state-of-the-art barbecues, outdoor speakers and an abundance of gorgeous soft furnishings. Think seamless living.
Hanging gardens
For some time now, hanging or vertical gardens have been enjoying a surge in popularity. It’s easy to understand why. A hanging garden can be created using almost anything from terracotta pots to discarded drainpipes and enamel buckets. The look is rustic, funky, and easy to change on a whim. Plus, it’s also fantastically practical for those who regularly find themselves in the grip of a hosepipe ban as plants drip feed water to those hanging below them.
Mixed materials
Using mixed materials on your patio creates interest and adds texture. A smooth oak chair with a wicker seat, a pebbly pathway with a concrete edge, or a water feature made of copper and ceramic tiles – it’s these unexpected combinations that can transform good design into brilliant design. The key to achieving this look is to trust your instincts and be bold.
Bright colours
Brightly painted furniture, fabrics, flowers, you name it – this year, colour is on full volume.
Lime green, fuchsia and vivid coral seem to be particularly hot for summer 2016. Embracing colour isn’t always easy if you’re accustomed to a neutral or more subdued palette. However, once you’ve taken the first step you’ll soon find you’re accessorising every corner of your patio with a riot of rainbow shades.
Repeatable randoms
When it comes to paving, this year paving laying patterns such as repeatable randoms are everywhere, and with good reason. Not as formal as straight repeated patterns but versatile enough to look great in a wide variety of spaces, the repeatable random is modern and fun. Using multiple sizes of flagstones arranged in a repeated motif of your choosing, this paving aesthetic is due its day in the sun.
This year, take your pick of the patio trends, get inventive and pull together an outdoor living space that you and your loved ones can enjoy every day. Whether that means an exciting full overhaul or a few new touches here and there, knowing you’ve always got that extra room outdoors when you need to retreat from the hustle and bustle of the world is sure to lift your spirits.
