17 Ways to Update Your Deck for Laidback Outdoor Living

add together style , office , and comfort to your outdoor blank space with these elementary projects .

Your deck is an ideal spot for entertaining , cookery , and slack up alfresco . A few improvements to its design — including inflammation , seclusion covert , outdoor furniture , and appurtenance — can ensure your deck of cards lives up to its potential . These deck upgrades tote up way , map , and comfort to any deck .

Install a Pergola

provide construction and partial shade , a pergola turns an exposed deck into an receive out-of-door way . The angled slat screen the space from the sunlight during peak daylight hours while still conserve an unfastened feel . For stalwart support , look at an attached pergolathat is fasten to the side of your abode .

Restain Your Deck

Give your deck a new lookwith a invigorated coat of people of colour . This weekend project will also aid protect your pack of cards from mold , decompose , and water legal injury over clip . Be sure to sand andpower - wash the surfacefirst to ascertain the stain or paint adheres properly , then wait at least 48 hours to allow the grime to fully dry .

Add an Outdoor Bar

Add a beverage stationto sour your deck of cards into a hub for outdoor entertaining . prefer a sturdy cart or shelving unit with mint of space for serving refreshments as well as shelves , hooks , or cubbies for additional glasswork and cocktail - making element . you may well revamp a introductory metal shelving unit intoan all - in - one out-of-door barby summate a wood top and a drop - in tubful for chilling drinks .

Lay Down a Rug

rick yourdeck into an out-of-door roomby accessorizing withan attractive outdoor carpeting . All - conditions options bestow a cozy feel to outside seating room orbit , aid wed together color schemes , and prevent soil and dust from being tracked inside . On great decks , outdoor rugs can trace different uses , such as a sofa area from a dining space .

Pile On Outdoor Pillows

Tempt supporter and kinfolk ( and yourself ) to mill around on your deck longer by softening your seating sphere with pillows . Pretty and long-wearing accent pillowsmade from fun outside fabrics are easy to find in home stores and will stand up to the Sunday and pelting . Or cover your existing pillow with an indoor - outdoor fabric you love for all - weather habit . Toss several onto a couch or bench , mixing in sunny prints and bight chromaticity for soda of color .

Add Colorful Accents

individualize your deck with paint furniture and sport accents . find fault a color schema that heighten your nursing home ’s exterior andtry updating old or plain metal furniturewith Modern chromaticity . Other colourful accessories , such as pillow , throws , vases , and bowl , can also give your outdoor seat a informal feel .

Use Containers for Color and Height

fit out up your deck with knockout container . Distinguish areas along railing or beside a door with passel that can hold tall , salient planting such as this tropical canna ringed with fuchsia , coleus , and lantana . Bring in pots ofannuals for volley of color , or ruffle your annual and perennials together like this smaller container of begonia mate with go after creeping Jenny . Do n’t forget your veggies : A sunny slur out on the pack of cards is the perfect place togrow a few tomato plantsor an herb garden .

Incorporate Stylish Deck Furniture

out-of-door furniture comes ina potpourri of top , including low - to - the - ground chat sets , traditional dining - meridian chair , and marvelous bar - meridian seating . pick out the type of seating that best fits your deck of cards ’s space and usage . On this deck of cards , a chat - height exercise set earmark guests to easily talk while savoring collation . This flexible seating can also easily be reorganise to accommodate great gatherings .

Set Up Deck Screening

have intercourse your deck , but not your view?Install attractive secrecy structuresthat camouflage what you do n’t want to see . These small - spline screens pick up on the patterning on the longsighted pergola overhead to create a unlined border for this backyard oasis .

Go Vertical with Plants

Hanging baskets are a populardecorating choice on decksand for good reason . A few hanging baskets help soften the open side ofcovered - pack of cards spaceswith lush bloom and leaf . Switch up your look by rotating a seasonal display of flower in spring , summer , and autumn .

Block the Sun

The phylogeny in outdoor fabrics has made it easy to produce shade on your deck of cards without sacrificing looks . Today ’s patio umbrellasand sun shades boast all - weather fabric in an array of stylish pattern and coloration . Many of these speech pattern are comparatively cheap and loose to switch out whenever the mood strikes .

Include a Deck Planting Area

Since a deck is typically locate close to the yard , it is a groovy position to set up your container planting or prep veggies or bloom for the garden . Set up a planting areaby adding an outdoor - bouncy potting judiciary that include a ledge organization and a drawer or two to lay in horticulture supply ( such as plant tags , seminal fluid packets , and twine ) . If you ’re not a nurseryman , convert a potting bench into anentertainment zoneto stash your outdoor dinnerware secretive to your terrace table .

Make Your Deck’s Design Work Harder

Decks are so much more than simple floorboards and railings . Benches , plantation owner , screen , and overhead nicety structures all sum to adeck ’s charm and functionality . For example , a cunning nook by a hot tub was enhanced with a built - in plantation owner and a slat concealment that ’s build into the roof ’s financial backing beams . Alternating the boards ' stain colour creates extra pastime .

Supply Outdoor Lighting for Safety

Make it easy to navigate your deck at night . Here , contrast blusher people of color and mini luminance build into the stair ’s steps , mail , and brand caps oeuvre in tandemto supercharge nighttime visibleness . If your deck sits in a sunny spot , take instal solar - powered lightsfor an zip - rescue option .

Enhance a Deck Railing

guard is fundamental to a useable deck of cards , but beaut does n’t have to take a backseat . or else of an average pack of cards railing , believe integrate material that match the style of your dwelling house ’s exterior . Here , chalk panels ply protection , shield the homeowner , and lend a bit of modern-day style to this deck .

Combine Deck Lighting with Screening

exsert the time you spend out on your deck by install visible radiation . Here , outdoor lights are wired into the decorative screen to illuminate the seating expanse and add atmosphere after darkness . Nighttime illuminance does not need to be at the same brightness as interior illumination . The end should be to mimic the easy levels typically provided by a full moonlight .

Put Outdoor Fabrics to Work

A pack of cards ’s work space can reckon stunning with the good decorative treatment . Here , a skirt made from outdoor material hide the outside sink ’s plumbing . out-of-door fabric panels made from a complementary stripe textile help shade the pack of cards and homework space when the sun is beaming in .

deck with woven patio furniture and gray and yellow cushions