Outdoor Living Trends for 2014

Outdoor spaces such as patios, decks, and porches are no longer spots to simply house a couple of plastic chairs and a grill. Today, these spaces are being looked upon as extensions of the home, which means they have become places to be decorated! With warmer days on the horizon, it’s time to start thinking about how you’ll transform your outdoor living space. Let’s take a peek into what’s trending for this year.

Dining out at home

Outdoor kitchens (or at least bigger cooking areas) are increasing in popularity. While dining out at a restaurant can be an enjoyable experience, more and more people are taking advantage of another option: dining out right at home in a comfortable outdoor living space.

With this, comes the need for furniture that will accommodate outdoor dining and entertaining. Today, it’s more about casual, deep seating, rather than formal settings. Chat height fire pits with club chairs are becoming extremely popular because of their comfort and warmth. Bar seating, sectional seating, and table sets with cushioned chairs are a few other options to consider. For large parties, look for expandable tables, which will usually allow you to seat up to ten people.

A world of color and comfort

Comfortable seat cushions covered in colorful solids and prints is where it’s at. Last year it was all about florals and tropical themes. This year, we’ve gravitated into geometrics and ethnic, tribal themes, and the bolder, the better. Our Corner fabric, in orange, is a wonderful example of what’s in style this year. You can easily update cushions by buying them or recovering them yourself with new fabric. Not only do you get a fresh look, but you also prolong the life of the furniture.

Hot colors to look for are greens, oranges, blues, yellows, and purples. To make those colors really pop, pair them with neutrals such as gray, natural brown, and white.

For some additional flair and comfort, add some throw pillows. Pillows are a wonderful way to incorporate and switch out trends on a whim.

Out to the movies

Another growing trend for outdoor living spaces is a media area. From projecting movies on outdoor screens to blaring tunes from powerful speakers, enjoying media in the backyard doesn’t appear to be something that will fade away anytime soon.

A word to the wise

Keep in mind that outdoor furniture and equipment will be exposed to the elements. If you want your things to last, take the time to save up and invest in quality pieces. Buying low quality will often have you replacing things every few years. Even at a low price, those replacements will end up costing you more in the long run then if you just invest wisely from the start.

Stop by Cutting Corners showroom in Dallas, Tx to find your favorite summer fabrics.