Tips for Creating A Cozy, Relaxing Outdoor Seating Area

For many homeowners, creating an outdoor space that you will want to spend time in depends on more than just attractive landscaping and amenities. In order to make your space truly inviting, one of the most important things to have is a cozy outdoor seating area. This may take multiple forms—a living room setup, a dining space, or a fire pit with comfortable chairs, for example. What matters most is not the shape of your space, but the feeling it evokes—a sense of welcome and comfort that encourages guests and residents alike to settle down and relax for a while. 

When it comes to creating outdoor living area designs in New Orleans, there is no better company to work with than Blue Lizard Services. With more than two decades of experience crafting personalized features and landscapes under our belt, we can work on everything from custom pools and patios to equipment installations and maintenance. It is our goal to ensure that your outdoor space is both functional and attractive, allowing you to make use of it—and enjoy doing so—for a long time to come. 

What is a Cozy Outdoor Seating Area?

A truly cozy outdoor seating area should be more than just a table-and-chairs set placed haphazardly in your yard. To make this space inviting, the design needs to be both intentional and comfortable while also taking factors such as climate into consideration in order to ensure that the space is usable for much or all of the year. Elements such as sofas; Adirondack, cushioned or hanging chairs; tables; and lighting are all relatively common aspects for these spaces, ensuring that guests and residents have everything they need to work, eat and/or socialize comfortably. 

Developing Your Outdoor Seating Area Design

At Blue Lizard Services, we understand that it can be difficult to know where to get started with a home improvement project. As such, we have compiled a list of some of the key factors to consider when workshopping your seating area design:

1. Goals

Before you can start designing your space, you need to determine what you want from it. Will it be used at any time of day, or just in the mornings or evenings? Are you looking for a pool- or fireside lounging area, or a place where you can chat and eat with friends and family? Whatever your space’s purpose, make sure you know it before the work begins.

2. Placement

Assess your outdoor space and determine where you want your seating area to go. If your property has a covered patio, for example, you may have more lighting options to choose from, as well as existing shading to protect your seating area from the sun. On the other hand, you may also choose to place your seating area further away from your property to create a sense of privacy. Wherever you decide, just make sure that there is enough space for you to fit everything you want. 

3. Layout

In larger spaces, an outdoor living area design should include enough room for people to move around while also ensuring that there is plenty of seating and table space for residents and guests. Additionally, think about how the lighting you want to include will work with your space, as well as where any decorative, cooking or entertainment elements will go.

4. Climate

In an area like New Orleans, hot and humid days are common. When planning your outdoor space, make sure that the materials you use can weather heat, moisture and wind. You may also want to consider including elements such as shading and air conditioning to keep visitors protected and comfortable.

Decorating Your Cozy Seating Area

Now that your seating area has been planned out, it is time to populate it with elements including:

1. Seating

From sofas to Adirondack chairs to cushioned loungers, the most important thing about the seating you choose is that it is cozy. The second most important thing is finding materials which are durable, such as resin wicker, aluminum or hardwoods like teak. And to keep seats comfortable while also making it easy to clean cushions or bring them inside on rainy days, consider utilizing removable padding on your chairs.

2. Tables

Including sturdy surfaces allows residents or guests to do work, set down drinks or eat food while relaxing in your outdoor seating area. If you’d like the area to double as a dining space, consider including an extension table. This may allow you to include more people during outdoor meals before shrinking the table back down for everyday use.

3. Rugs and pillows

Outdoor accessories like rugs and pillows can serve multiple purposes, increasing the comfort of your seating area while using similar materials and colors as indoor furniture in order to tie the two spaces together. Like other outdoor fabric additions, make sure these elements are durable without being uncomfortable. If your outdoor space includes a pool, it is especially important to ensure that your outdoor rugs and cushions are water resistant. 

4. Lighting

Too little lighting can make it difficult to navigate your yard at night, while lights which are too harsh can negatively impact the cozy ambience you are trying to create. Consider warm lighting options such as string lights, hanging lamps, fire pits and fireplaces alongside decorative and safety-focused lights like landscape and post lighting.

5. Decorative touches

Attractive landscaping, sculptures, water features and other artistic touches may serve to both personalize your space and increase resident and guest enjoyment of your seating area.

6. Amenities

If space and budget allow, consider adding elements such as grills, wine coolers, sound systems and visual entertainment options in order to boost the functionality of your outdoor area. As an added bonus, many of these elements will allow you to plan a truly spectacular backyard camping trip or movie night. 

Contact Blue Lizard Services to Start Upgrading Your Outdoor Living Space Today

From drinking hot tea on a rainy day to toasting marshmallows over a fire pit, the best outdoor living area designs are both comfortable and functional. When they are designed with intent, cozy outdoor seating areas can be just that, allowing residents and guests to sit and relax without worrying about the dark, weather or having enough space. And at Blue Lizard Services, we can help you to achieve all of this and more. Our wealth of knowledge and services, plus our communication-based design and construction process, allows you to stay involved and informed throughout your project. In the end, it is our goal to ensure that your new space is a dream brought to life, one which suits your property and climate as well as your personal preferences. So if you are looking to design a new outdoor space or upgrade your existing one, Click Here give us a call or send us a message today.