Treat your exterior as part of your interior and create additional living space.
The long winter has taken its toll on me a little bit and I'm determined to spend more time outside this year, if it finally stops snowing. Since I have a small condo, space is pretty much at a premium, but I bought a place with some green space so I could take advantage of the outdoors. I don't have a deck but I do have a concrete slab that I extended last year with some paving tiles.
I've decided to create that Florida beach feel that I love so much on my little concrete pad, which will be quite a challenge. I'm going to start by distressing my patio furniture. It's currently stained a redish color and was a very inexpensive Ikea purchase. I think I'll paint it lime green and then put a baby blue over it so when it's distressed the lime shows through a little bit.
The I'm going to add a little patina to my plant shelf with some turquoise paint and I'm going to highlight that paint by painting a bunch of terra cotta pots the same color. I'm going to opt for one colored flower this year, something showy and bold but because it's a small space I'm going to stick to a simple palette.
By taking some interior decorating principles outside of the house you can create your own additional living space outdoors.
