Elevate your outdoor space from a mere extension of the living room to a spot of magical potential with colourful add-ons.
Even when subjected to unpredictable weather conditions and wilful sprawls of greenery, the outdoors is just as viable a canvas for creative expression as the interior – and a home would be profoundly incomplete without an inviting yard or patio to extend living areas. If you have the outdoor space to spare, you may be thinking of providing an alternative to lounging indoors by setting aside a patch of grass or floor and adding furniture to it. Appointing your lawn with furnishings in white may be the strongest initial compulsion, but if you want to imbue your outdoor hangout with some semblance of colour, we have some ideas on how to make that happen.
Bright Nights
Image Credit: Lights4Fun
A standard seating arrangement is a sufficiently practical consideration for providing a place to relax, but a certain measure of magic is necessary to make an outdoor space captivating. To dress a space as though it was transported from the realm of fantasy, consider pairing a boldly coloured rug with fairy lights strung over tree branches to mimic the stars of the night sky.
Image Credit: Lights4Fun
Through both the mystical quality of floating illumination and the striking contrast of bold colours against a natural backdrop, the result is that even the most temporary of lounge spaces are elevated to enigmatic heights.
Bold Fun
Image Credit: Carpetright
Other than surrealist landscapes born of imagination, few visual compositions are as striking as a product of human hands throwing boldly saturated colours against the verdant green of Mother Nature’s work. The contrast is perhaps as much thematic as it is about colour or shade – the same effect can be achieved with everything from a decorative sculpture to a practical arrangement of furniture.
Image Credit: Carpetright
With a background of green grass, the stage is set for a stunning contrast to be made with brightly coloured furniture, decorations, or accessories to facilitate entertainment in your outdoor space.
Image Credit: Carpetright
Tip: Put against the background of a lawn, nearly any manufactured object is instantly made worthy of attention – thanks to the subtle difference in natural or artificial colours and the obvious disparity in theme.
Image Credit: Carpetright
Pastel Pretty
Image Credit : Annie Sloan
There is an undeniably distinct relationship between pastel shades and rural settings, perhaps due to the prevalent sight of sun-bleached colours in provincial landscapes. Despite the fact that most people now live in urban areas, the association between pastel colours and the serenity of the countryside has moved from a feature of some people’s memories to a cultural trope that is recognisable even to those born and raised exclusively in cities. Selecting architectural finishes, furniture, or decorations in pastel shades, reinforces a rural theme in the yard and immediately transports anyone who rests there to a simpler time and place.
Image Credit : Annie Sloan
Tip: A rural theme consists of more than just pastel shades – consider mimicking the weathering effects of the elements, then embellish the space with greenery and pale fabrics.
Natural Hues
Image Credit: Annabel James
Bright splashes of colour do not necessarily need to come from products injected with dyes or coated in pigments – after all, Mother Nature is the single most prolific artist around. As can be observed in any place where foliage is given free reign, Nature tends to utilise all the visible colours of the light spectrum, and every definable shade in between, in the formation of flower petals.
Image Credit: Annabel James
While entailing a greater degree of care and maintenance than a manufactured piece of furniture or decoration, there are few sources of colour as powerful or authentic as a bed of vibrant flowers.
Image Credit: Annabel James
