2024 Outdoor Living Trends

Your home is more than just the space inside the walls. Sometimes we prefer all the comforts that come with being indoors, including highly styled spaces and furniture that puts equal focus on comfort and fashion. Other times, we may prefer fresh air and communion with nature that’s found in the outdoor portion of our homes. A patio, poolside, garden or deck has the best of both worlds, allowing homeowners to enjoy all the beauty that outdoor spaces have to offer, while still maintaining the comfort and high style of indoor living spaces.

In 2024, homeowners will continue to invest in outdoor spaces. With the assistance of a good interior designer, you too can have a magnificent outdoor space that will impress your guests. Designers can help you choose custom furniture with the fabric, size and finish for a bespoke look that will make your patio a unique outdoor showcase in the neighborhood.

The Case for Quality Outdoor Furnishings

You’re particular about the furniture you choose for your living and dining rooms, and you should be just as selective with outdoor items. Today there is a wide range of high-quality outdoor furniture that will suit both the style preferences and high demand for quality of even the most discerning designers and homeowners. These investment pieces allow users to not only enjoy style and comfort this season, but will last and retain their optimal condition for years to come, making high-quality outdoor furniture a sustainable option as well.

Fine patio furniture is built with metal, wood and sometimes even recycled plastic. The sturdiest metal pieces are of wrought iron, favored for their elaborate scrolled designs as well as their durability. Some people prefer cast aluminum, which is lighter but can also be elegantly patterned. Lighter weight extruded aluminum can offer a contemporary look for poolside, urban deck and casual outdoor spaces.

Wood, with its natural beauty, continues to be a top choice in luxury outdoor living. If you want the very best in wood furniture, take a long look at teak. This gorgeous classic with the lustrous golden color is unfazed by foul weather and can literally last a lifetime, either maintained to keep its golden hue or allowed to age with rustic grey tones that suit many of today’s biggest contemporary design trends.

Wicker is still an excellent choice, and while classic options still abound, 2024 brings some new variations as well. For example, there’s polyester rope treated with UV inhibitors. This option frees the weaver’s imagination and allows them to design a variety of creative furnishings from traditional weaves to contemporary woven designs.

2024’s cushioned pieces feature durable outdoor fabrics that are as exceptional in details and textures as the frames. The best outdoor furniture uses solution-dyed acrylics, where the fiber is dyed before it’s spun. This technique enables a rainbow of long-lasting colors, allowing designers and homeowners to select the colors that will look optimal in their outdoor space and suit their personal style preferences. The possibilities abound, however, lighter, natural color tones are trending this year with many top manufacturers adding these palettes to their outdoor furniture collections. These performance fabrics can be readily cleaned and retain their original dyed-in colors for long lasting aesthetic appeal.

How Will You Use Your Outdoor Space?

The top 2024 decks, patios and pool areas are arrayed with items that are not only attractive but designed for easy functionality so that friends and family will want to spend time in the space. Additionally, they boast a coordinated style that gives their owners a sense of inspiration. Designers often recommend extending the motif of the indoor space so that there’s consistency within the walls and outside of them. Others will use the outdoor space to create a new lifestyle design experience that offers variety from their indoor world.

As you develop the ideas for an outdoor retreat, talk with your design consultant about how you envision your specific outdoor room. Do you desire a space to show off and enjoy your culinary creations? Do you like to chat over drinks and games the same way you do in the living room? Is the area used for sunbathing or dips in the pool? Does the patio space require functional versatility, depending on the occasion and the guest list?

Outdoor Dining

Most patios and decks spaces feature some kind of dining format. It may be just a bistro table with a set of chairs, or it could be a family style setting with a combination of swivel host chairs, dining side chairs and bench seating options. If it’s the latter, the table will be the defining piece that sets the tone. This year’s tables and chairs are less likely to feature elaborate designs, as contemporary sleek lines and mid-century modern styles are trending in outdoor furniture.

There are abundant outdoor dining set choices, including tables with glass tops, wrought metal, outdoor wood or even eco-conscious recycled poly-wood blend. Many of this year’s decks will spotlight balcony height tables with coordinating chairs or stools, especially if there is a railing to see over and a view worth enjoying.

Outdoor Living Room

The outdoor living room will continue to gain favor in 2024. Manufacturers have crafted patio sofas, sectionals, armchairs, rockers and even recliners with substantial cushions that rival the comfort and durability of their indoor counterparts. Some patio furniture will feature deeper seats, often with soft pillows and textured fabric, for a more relaxed atmosphere.

You can purchase a coordinated patio seating set or opt to mix and match. Add an outdoor coffee table and an ottoman, as well as a rug and some outdoor accessories, and your outdoor living space will have the same completed and balanced look as your indoor spaces.

More Hours and More Days Out of Doors

Patios aren’t just for daylight hours in the summer. Once you’ve fashioned the perfect outdoor setting, you’ll want the option to stay there as long as possible, especially if you are enjoying hosting your family, friends and neighbors. With lights and heaters, there’s no need to go inside when it’s dark and chilly.

Lighting is decorative as well as practical. There are wall-mounted lamps, table lamps, floor lamps and lights that are strung overhead. Solar lights are delightful on a pathway or at the patio’s edge, and the energy they use is natural and free!

Heaters can be electric wall mounts or free standing gas-powered heaters. However, nothing gets the party started like a fire table. There’s a surface for laying out s’mores ingredients or the snack of your choice, and available shields protect the fire from wind and little fingers from the flame.

Don’t Forget the Accessories

A few personal touches elevate your outdoor living space and give it a customized look:

· Add drama with color and the added comfort of a few extra pillows and cushions. If you’re ready for something different after a few years, a change of cushions can give a familiar outdoor sofa a fresh, new look.

· An outdoor area rug does wonders to create a living room definition.

· Decor items such as weather-friendly wall art and a few potted plants help provide a finished, designer-approved look.

· Have fun with the umbrellas! They’re a great way to emphasize color and add architecture details with high quality fabrics that are fade resistant.

· Protect your furniture investment with outdoor covers. Stock sizes or made-to-fit for solutions are available to fit most of your outdoor furnishings and decor. Well made and well fitting outdoor covers are important for outdoor storage during inclement weather as well as off-season storage.

An Outdoor Space That’s Truly Yours

When considering current trends, choose carefully from the options that will reflect your lifestyle.. If you don’t find quite what you want in the showroom or on a website, be sure to consider customized furniture. Many manufacturers offer a wide range of custom options, so you can get the color, size, pattern, material and style you’ve always dreamed of - or perhaps something even better than you had envisioned. It’s a way to create a patio like none other in the world.

To build an outdoor space that ticks off all the boxes – unique, personalized, stylish, functional – think about working with an interior designer. Despite their job title, they design exterior living spaces, too! The result will be an outdoor room that not only works in 2024 but is the foundation for years of backyard enjoyment.