Patio Design Planner

Patio design ideas

• Dining patio: a table and chairs close to the kitchen door.
• Lounge patio: an outdoor sofa or lounge chairs around a fire pit.
• Grill station: a grill with prep space, placed with safe distance from the house. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions and your local rules.
• Mixed materials: pavers, flagstone, deck boards or concrete, all available as surfaces.

As a rough guide, allow about 3 feet around a dining table so chairs can pull out. SpaceTease measures this for you.

Patio decorating ideas

Good patio decorating starts with where the furniture goes. Plan the layout first, then decorate around it:

• Anchor the seating with an outdoor rug sized so the front legs of every chair sit on it.
• Add planters at the corners and along the edges, where they won’t block a walkway.
• Place shade where you sit: an umbrella over the table or a pergola over the lounge area.
• Layer the lighting with string lights, lanterns or path lights, so the patio works after dark.
• Pick one color theme for cushions, pillows and planters, so a small patio looks pulled together.

In SpaceTease you can place the table, chairs, umbrella, planters and grill to scale, then check the walkways before you buy.

Plan for sun and shade

Open the Patio template to start right at a back patio. Set your home’s direction, then move through the seasons and hours of the day to see where shade falls on the patio. Find the best spot for the table, see where an umbrella or pergola will help, and avoid a patio that bakes in the afternoon sun.

Front and back patios

Plan the front yard and backyard around your home’s real outline. Add a front porch seating area, a back patio, a garden path and the driveway, all to scale, and see how they connect.