Simple outdoor decor inspiration just in time for Memorial Day

Spring has taken her sweet time coming to Michigan this year (it snowed until mid May). I guess that has been a good thing during these quarantine weeks/months, but I am more than ready to drag out the patio furniture and celebrate the sunshine. I have found it’s been very hard to freshen up my patio decor this year as I like to feel cushions, throws and such online and in Michigan we are still under stay at home orders. So today I am sharing some past incarnations of our deck in Grand Rapids and our back porch here at the lake. I hope you find a little inspiration as you are pulling together your perfect outdoor space. Let’s start with the Grand Rapids deck.

These pretty solar lanterns were my favorites last summer. They looked beautiful day and night. You will often find a vase of fresh cut flowers on my deck or porch. I love how flowers connect the inside and outside.

I like to add mirrors to my outdoor spaces. I love how it reflects other parts of the yard and adds some visual interest to the boring garage and it expands the space just like it would inside. Just be careful of placement, you don’t want to start a grass fire or something weird. This one has been hanging all year round for a couple of summers without an issue.

I use a variety of containers on the deck. I love mixing concrete and then softening with woven baskets. I am not always careful with some of the baskets I chose as I tend to shop TJMaxx and Home Goods for them and if I only get a few summers of use I don’t mind too much.

As you can see, I like using blooming plants for pops of color- for example on this moss covered bench I inherited with the yard and I use lots of succulents because of the neglect they can handle (we spend a lot of time at the lake house during the summer months).

Let’s move on to the covered porch at the lake. Here It’s a much more shaded space. It is also the space we spend a lot of time at so I want it to feel like an extension of the indoors. My number one tip for making a comfortable outdoor space is adding textiles. Bring out the rugs, pillows and throws. Vary your textures, I love using woven poufs (below) as they are very comfy for putting your feet up and as a bonus can double as additional seating if needed. The goal is to make the outdoors feel as cozy as the inside.

Add some whimsy. Here I added one of my favorite signs.

In the photo above, I used perennial grasses in pots because I loved the texture. They look amazing straight through Fall.

To draw the eye up I always make sure I have a climbing plant or something really tall in this corner.

The same rules of design work in your outdoor spaces too. Staggering the heights below creates visual interest. These topiary are some of my favorite plants to group together.