Summer Patio Ideas
Summer sparkles here in our seaside town and I’m so excited it’s time to start thinking about summer patio ideas!
If you follow along with me on Instagram Stories or Facebook Stories then you know we’re actually undergoing a HUGE backyard transformation. We demolished our old deck and tool shed (both from the 1960s AND very rotten) over the weekend with our boys. We’ll be adding a new patio with lovely cottage style plantings and a new tool shed for my hubby.
We’re hoping to get all of this done during the summer so will have some lovely reveals to share soon! Until then I thought I’d share some summer patio ideas.
It’s the first Saturday of the month which also means its time for the Cozy Living Series hosted by my friend Jennifer over at Town and Country Living. Be sure to see all the cozy ideas for June at the bottom of this post.
What is a Patio?
The word patio derives from a Spanish word, patjo, meaning courtyard or little garden. Our yard is filled with small little patio areas for intimate dining and outdoor living.
Why You’ll Love Having a Patio
Patios can be made out of anything really – concrete pavers, aggregate (like our pool deck), natural stone, crushed shells, marble chips, pea gravel etc.
Why you’ll love it –
- An instant gathering space
- a designated patio looks clean and fresh
- the perfect spot to relax
Summer Patio Ideas
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The thing I love about outdoor spaces is they don’t need to be expensive. Often times you can do all of it yourself, or a portion of it. In these ideas you’ll see a mix of both! I hope you enjoy them and it gives you inspiration for your own home.
Line a Patio with Hydrangeas
Our driveway is lined with gorgeous hydrangeas and it looks beautiful in the summer. Imagine a patio lined just like this. Perfectly coastal.
See this display of hydrangeas.
Make Your Own Outdoor Dining Table
I fell in love with a teak table when we originally moved into our home and we just couldn’t afford it. So my husband built a more affordable option for us out of cedar. We still have the table now (while weathered to a lovely gray and still love it!
Learn to update a tired deck with a rug, some plants, and newly built table.
Create a Pretty Marble Chip Patio
When we first created our she shed. We installed a marble chip patio. This created a lovely spot to enjoy morning coffee and by using an easy weed barrier and affordable marble chips we created a quick and easy entertaining space.
Crushed Shell Patio
After a few years, of the marble chip patio, we decided to add crushed shells. Being so near the coast it made sense for our seaside home. We simply scattered the shells on top. In fact, we loved the shells so much that we used them instead of mulch in our pool area!
A Few Things to Know About Crushed Shells
I LOVE this look and living by the sea most companies will deliver crushed shells as a mulch alternative. We’ve had luck here with Go Green and The Green Connection.
Things to know about crushed shells:
- When they arrive they appear much darker but the sun will bleach them out.
- They have a slight sea odor which dissipates.
- It’s best to wear flip flops when walking on.
- As with everything the price has increased due to Covid. We ordered shells a few years ago and it was $42 a yard and now it’s over $60 a yard.
Using Crushed Shells in Patio Beds
Reasons I love using crushed shells:
- It adds a lightness to our yard.
- Our plants LOVE it and seem to thrive where the shells are.
- No mess! Our dogs run through the shells and track it onto our pool deck and it doesn’t look messy like mulch wood.
- You don’t need to add more shells every year like you would with mulch.
How to Build A Retaining Wall
We had to build a retaining wall when we put our pool in, but I love the beautiful focal point it makes. It was pretty easy to construct and took us a weekend. The blocks we used had an interlocking system that made it easier.
Here you can see the “after”.
Aggregate Pool Patio
I often get asked about our pool patio or decking. We went with aggregate and LOVE it. I shared how the pool reveal when we first finished it four years ago and also shared things to consider when installing a pool.
We went with an aggregrate that had warm tans and cool grays. Perfect for our coastal setting.
From a distance it looks like one color, but it isn’t slippery or sharp. It still looks as good as new four years later!
Paver Patios
We don’t actually have a paver patio but we did create a paver walkway and the process would be very similar to creating a patio. I also highly recommend planting lovely peonies or sweet autumn clematis near your paver patio for fragrance from summer to fall!
A peek in the fall with the lovely sweet autumn clematis (if you look close enough you’ll see our black lab’s head poking out under the fence).
Teak Furniture
Teak ages well and looks so perfectly coastal, especially when it weathers to a natural gray. I was lucky to find our main set at HomeGoods! What a lucky find!
I also found an affordable source for a little patio set by the pool house.
Add Ambiance with String Lights & Candles
For a long time I’ve camouflaged our old deck with an outdoor rug, wisteria and beautiful lighting. That rustic charm really works here by the coast.
String lights from Target woven into the wisteria and metal punched lanterns with flickering candles.
We’ve also added white string lights to our pool patio.
Warm Up with An Open Flame
Over the years we’ve enjoyed two kinds of focal points with an open flame in our yard. The first was a fire fountain which would be so tranquil to add to any patio. We had this set up prior to our pool.
The sound is so lovely!
For my birthday in 2020 Luke surprised me with a solo stove. They no longer make the size we have but I’ve linked to one similar. It’s been a wonderful addition to our yard and we use it year round. What I love is it throws so much heat and it doesn’t smoke.
Not to mention the marshmallow roasting only takes a few seconds and they come out perfect!
More Outdoor Summer Ideas
I hope this post gave you a few ideas for your home and yard. Looking for more ideas?
- Outdoor Movie Night
- 21 Cozy Outdoor Ideas
- Cozy Exterior Ideas
- New England Coastal Living Ideas
- Summer Entertaining Ideas
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Check out all the Cozy Living Ideas
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Absolutely gorgeous!
So many beautiful spaces around your yard and pool. I really want one of the smokeless fire pit inserts and after you saying it really doesn’t smoke I want one all the more. I love that you have crushed sea shells in the landscape beds. That’s not a thing here in Michigan but I bet it’s beautiful. Have a wonder weekend.
Hi Dawn, I’m so glad you enjoyed this post. We love our fire pit and have used it so much in all seasons! I wonder if the shells are more a New England coastal thing… Many people use wood mulch here.
Your backyard is just beautiful! You have everything you need to make the most of the long summer days . Enjoy!