Style Book - Deck
Spring Patio Fix-Ups: 6 Ways to Light Your Outdoor Room Let the good times roll well into the evening with string lights, sconces, pendants and more to illuminate your patio or deck
Transition Your Porch from Summer to Fall Warm blankets, candles and subtle fall decor can make your veranda a cozy place to be as the seasons change
9 Tips for Creating an Artful Container Garden Make your potted plantings a beautiful sight with these ideas for container types, plant groupings and more
Subtle Lighting Creates a Glowing Landscape Use twinkling cafe lights, highlights for trees and other ideas to extend — and enhance — your time outside
6 Ideas for Lighting Your Patio These outdoor lighting tips can help you make the most of long summer nights
Garden room in Japan. Adding a structure to an urban garden is another way to make a space feel more private and secluded — especially if neighboring buildings look down into the garden.
Break up a larger garden into smaller nooks. This technique, a bit counterintuitively, works well even in small gardens and narrow city lots. By interrupting how far you can see across a yard, one’s eye is tricked into thinking the space is bigger than it is.
What You Must Know About the Sun and Your Home Learn about the powerful effects of sunlight on house materials and more, and see 7 homes that address the sun's rays beautifully
6 Ways to Cool Off Without Air Conditioning Turn off that cash-guzzling, energy-hogging A/C — these methods of cooling your home and your body are cheaper and kinder to the planet
Blue Ceiling
How to Hang String Lights Outdoors Bring a soft, inviting glow to your backyard, porch or patio by hanging cafe-style globe lights to twinkle overhead
Create a smoke-free “fire pit.” These homeowners used orange string lights in a bowl full of driftwood sticks. Holes drilled in the bottom of the bowl and table keep the cord tucked out of sight.
Create a warm glow indoors and out. If you change just one thing about your home to make it more warm and welcoming, let it be the lighting. To create a warm, welcoming glow, aim to have lots of soft light sources rather than a single bright one. Indoors, put dimmers on overhead fixtures, and supplement them with table and floor lamps, ideally with at least three light sources per room.
It keeps things cozy. Create an intimate seating area by surrounding the space with a black fence. This small terrace gets its snuggly feel from a wall of black overlaid with luscious green foliage. The furniture is also black, which allows it to blend into the background, adding an extra layer of coziness to the space.
It contrasts with greenery. Flowers aren’t the only things that look beautiful next to black — foliage is just as striking. The shapely boxwood shrubs are stunning against this dark fence. Experiment with the plants you choose — these are a bright shade, but a paler green could work just as well.
It showcases bright planting. If you want to display vivid blooms beautifully, a black fence can work wonders. It creates a versatile canvas to showcase bright flowers in purples, reds, pinks and yellows. Rather than blending in with their surroundings, plants can shine against the dark surface.
It zones your space. With the trend for our yards to be an extra room in addition to a leafy haven, they often have to fulfill many roles, including dining area, play space and living room. Paint can help zone a busy landscape, however big or small it is, and a contrasting color works best.
It forms a frame. The black fence perfectly complements this striking contemporary landscape design. The dark surface forms a definite frame around the perimeter and finishes off the layout.
Should You Paint Your Fence Black? If you’re wondering which color to use for your boundary, here are 7 reasons to go over to the dark side
Outside the box. I bet you didn’t expect to see a mini shed under here.
I'd like the ceiling of the deck to be painted Sky Blue.
Exterior Shades
Tools should be stored out of the elements, so if you don’t have a garage or storage shed, consider investing in a small outdoor storage cabinet where you can keep these items safely protected.
Q