Luxury Outdoor Room Decor Ideas

Domestic Intelligence is Dandelion Chandelier’s ongoing series on the elegant mechanics of living well at home — smart, stylish guidance on interiors, decorating decisions, objects, and the small domestic choices that make a home feel beautiful, easy, and intelligently composed.

The most luxurious room in the house may not be inside it at all. A luxury outdoor room — whether a backyard, patio, terrace, balcony, rooftop, courtyard, or garden — becomes powerful when it is designed with the same intelligence as an interior: proportion, seating, lighting, texture, scent, sound, privacy, and ritual. This Domestic Intelligence guide explains how to make outdoor living feel elegant, livable, and intentional by designing around a specific hour and a specific use: morning coffee, shaded reading, garden dining, twilight entertaining, or quiet conversation.

The point is not to make the backyard look expensive. The point is to make it function like a real room: one with atmosphere, comfort, beauty, and a reason to be used.

There was a time when outdoor decorating meant a table, six chairs, a grill, and the vague hope that someone remembered to bring the cushions in before it rained.

That time has passed.

The modern outdoor room asks better questions. Where does morning coffee feel most private? And where does evening light fall beautifully? Where can two people talk without shouting across a table? And where does a book belong? Where does the first drink of the evening land? Where does the house exhale?

At-a-glance: outdoor rooms • luxury patios • garden rituals • terrace design • warm-weather living

All photographs are by Pamela Thomas-Graham for Dandelion Chandelier.

luxury outdoor room decor ideas

This is not about making a backyard look expensive. The most compelling outdoor spaces feel edited, sensory, and deeply livable — less resort brochure, more private courtyard behind an excellent hotel you only found because someone quietly gave you the address.

That is the larger promise of Living Well at Home: not decoration as performance, but atmosphere as intelligence.

An outdoor room is not made luxurious by the price of its furniture. It becomes luxurious when it knows what hour it belongs to, what kind of conversation it wants to hold, and how the light should find it.

As someone who photographs light obsessively — in cities, gardens, interiors, and the blue hour in between — I think outdoor rooms succeed or fail less by style than by timing.

The point is not to decorate the outdoors.

The point is to let the outdoors become part of the house.

why outside is the new inner room

A house with a good outdoor room changes the rhythm of daily life.

Breakfast moves outside before the inbox begins its little reign of terror. A late-afternoon call becomes more civilized when taken beside herbs, boxwood, or a quiet run of stone. Dinner feels less like logistics and more like arrival. Even five minutes in a well-composed outdoor space can shift the register of a day.

That is the real luxury.

Not square footage. Nor maximal planting. And definitely not the number of lanterns involved.

The luxury is transition: from indoors to out, from work to evening, from noise to air, from obligation to ritual. A terrace with two perfect chairs can do more for the nervous system than a sprawling yard with no point of view.

A small city balcony can become a reading room. A courtyard can become a dining room. A roof terrace can become a place for twilight. A lawn can become a salon. A garden path can become the daily walk one takes without leaving home.

The backyard, properly considered, is not the extra room.

It is the room that teaches the rest of the house how to breathe.

The strongest outdoor rooms borrow from interior design — scale, rhythm, focal points, layered lighting, tactile materials — while respecting what only the outdoors can provide: air, weather, birdsong, scent, shadow, and sky.

begin with the hour, not the furniture

The first question is not what furniture to buy. The first question is when you want to be there.

Morning calls for a different room than dusk. Morning wants freshness, shade, a small table, perhaps a chair that can tolerate bare feet and coffee. Afternoon wants cover, softness, and the ability to disappear with a book. Evening wants lower light, deeper cushions, somewhere to set a glass, and a sense that time has slowed slightly out of respect.

Design around the hour that matters most.

If the terrace is for morning, orient the seating toward light and quiet. Instead, if it is for dinner, think about circulation, table scale, service, and how the space will feel once the sun has gone. If it is for twilight, build the room around glow: lanterns, low lamps, pale stone, dark foliage, reflective glass, and furniture silhouettes that hold their own after dusk.

The mistake is treating outdoor space as one generic seasonal zone.

The more intelligent move is to give it a daily role.

This is why portable lighting matters. A Zafferano Poldina Pro on a dining table changes the room immediately: no cord, no glare, no overhead interrogation. A Fermob Balad portable lamp has a more casual garden spirit — better near a pool, under a tree, or wherever the evening is allowed to be less composed.

The distinction is useful.

A Poldina makes the table feel like dinner. A Balad makes the garden feel like mischief.

Both have their hour.

the seven rules of an outdoor room

1. make one strong seating decision.

Outdoor rooms often fail because the seating is timid.

A scattered arrangement of small chairs can make even a large space feel unresolved. One strong seating decision gives the room authority: a generous sofa under a pergola, a pair of sculptural lounge chairs facing the garden, a built-in bench softened with cushions, a long dining table under trees, or two deep chairs placed exactly where the view is best.

Think in scenes, not pieces.

A conversation scene. A reading scene. A dining scene. A nap scene. A watch-the-sky-change scene.

The furniture should help people understand what to do without being instructed. That is what good rooms do. They make behavior feel obvious.

For modern outdoor furniture with architectural discipline, the names to know are Kettal, DEDON, Gloster, B&B Italia Outdoor, Brown Jordan, and JANUS et Cie. For a less rarefied but still polished approach, Serena & Lily, Design Within Reach, RH Outdoor, Arhaus, Article, and Terrain are worth shopping selectively.

The key word is selectively.

One excellent anchor is more persuasive than a complete matching set. The DEDON MBRACE lounge chair, for example, can hold a terrace almost by itself. The Terra Outdoor Living Belvedere Sofa in Teak is a useful cleaner-lined anchor when the room needs quiet structure rather than drama.

For a small terrace, do not buy a sectional because you think you are supposed to. Two excellent chairs and one small table can feel far more luxurious than furniture that makes everyone enter sideways.

The room should begin with confidence.

2. choose materials that improve outdoors.

Outdoor luxury is not about making the patio look like the living room dragged into daylight.

The materials have to belong outside.

Teak, stone, rattan, powder-coated metal, linen-weight performance fabrics, terracotta, ceramic, concrete, cane, rope, and weathered wood all have the right vocabulary when used with restraint. They age, soften, patinate, or hold their line. They do not seem terrified of weather.

This is where the outdoor room becomes more interesting than the indoor one.

Indoors, perfection can become a little tense. Outdoors, the best materials have a relationship with time. A table darkens. A planter chalks slightly. A cushion fades by a degree. A stone surface holds the memory of rain. The room becomes more itself.

The key is to avoid anything too synthetic, too glossy, too themed, or too eager to announce resort.

The most elegant outdoor rooms rarely shout summer.

They murmur climate.

3. build the palette from the house, not from the garden center.

The palette outside should feel connected to the architecture and interiors, not imported from a seasonal display.

Start with the house. Its stone, brick, paint color, window trim, roofline, floors, and interior palette should guide the outdoor scheme. Then let the garden deepen it.

For a townhouse, that might mean black metal, limestone, boxwood, ivy, and cream cushions. For a coastal house, pale woods, canvas, sand, salt-white ceramics, and blue-gray shadows. A country property might do best with weathered stone, moss, olive, tobacco, oxblood, and antique metals. Whereas a modern home might vibe well with warm concrete, matte black, bone, smoke, rust, and sculptural planting.

Color is not forbidden. Far from it.

But color outdoors should feel intentional: one stripe, one citrus note, one deep blue, one geranium red, one saffron cushion, one extraordinary umbrella. A little confidence goes a long way.

Too much color and the garden disappears.

Too little texture and the space feels unfinished.

The trick is to let the palette feel inevitable.

4. treat planting as architecture.

Plants are not decoration in an outdoor room. They are structure, privacy, softness, scent, and movement.

Use them accordingly.

Tall containers can create edges. Climbers can make ceilings. Hedges can give a room privacy. Grasses can bring motion. Herbs can make a dining area feel alive. Trees can do the work of sculpture, shade, and seasonal drama all at once.

Even a balcony can benefit from this logic. A row of planters can create a sense of enclosure. A small tree in a pot can establish height. Rosemary, lavender, basil, thyme, mint, and lemon verbena can make a tiny outdoor table feel like a destination.

For a deeper look at trees as structure rather than scenery, A Tree House Is the New Penthouse makes the case for planting as architecture, privacy, and status — not merely landscaping.

For planters with presence, look to Serralunga, Loll Designs, Vondom, Atelier Vierkant, and Terrain’s garden collection. Long planters are especially useful on terraces because they create architecture without construction.

For a terrace edge, long planters are better than many small pots. On the other hand, for a courtyard, one large planter with presence is better than six anxious little ones. For a dining space, herbs near the table do more atmospheric work than most centerpieces.

The most luxurious outdoor spaces often have restraint in the planting. Not because abundance is wrong, but because editing creates calm.

One strong green structure with a few seasonal interruptions is often better than a nervous little festival of everything blooming at once.

Let the plants do their work with poise.

5. use rugs only when they solve a problem.

Not every outdoor room needs a rug.

This may sound harsh, but it will save many terraces.

An outdoor rug should do one of three things: define a seating area, soften hard flooring, or pull a dining zone into visual order. If it does none of those, let the stone, decking, gravel, brick, grass, or concrete do its job.

For serious outdoor rugs, Perennials is the most elevated source to know, particularly for custom pieces. For a more accessible room, Dash & Albert, Serena & Lily outdoor rugs, and Frontgate outdoor rugs can be shopped with restraint.

A stripe, a quiet geometric, a tonal texture, a weathered neutral.

The rug should not be the loudest person at dinner.

We all know that person.

6. design the evening before buying the day.

Most outdoor spaces are planned in daylight and used at dusk.

This is a missed opportunity.

Evening is when an outdoor room earns its keep. The air cools. The edges soften. The house glows behind you. The city quiets, the garden darkens, or the sky performs its nightly little masterpiece.

Design for that moment.

Use layered lighting: low lanterns, discreet sconces, rechargeable table lamps, candles in hurricane glass, step lights, tree uplights used sparingly, and perhaps one pendant if there is a covered structure. Avoid anything harsh, blue-toned, glaring, or overhead unless it is beautifully diffused.

The goal is not illumination.

The goal is invitation.

For lighting, the best sources depend on the mood. Zafferano and Fermob solve the portable table-lamp problem beautifully. Ambientec, Flos Outdoor, and Louis Poulsen Outdoor bring a more architectural sensibility. Terrain’s outdoor lighting collection is useful when the garden wants lanterns rather than fixtures.

A good outdoor room should make people lower their voices slightly after dark. It should make dinner last longer. Flatter faces, glassware, leaves, and stone. It should make the ordinary Wednesday feel as if someone has taken the trouble.

Because someone has.

7. give the room a ritual.

A beautiful outdoor room needs a reason to be used.

This is where Domestic Intelligence becomes practical. The room should have a ritual that is easy enough to repeat: coffee outside before the first meeting, Sunday reading after lunch, drinks at twilight, dinner outdoors on Thursdays, a ten-minute garden walk after work, tea on the terrace, the first candle lit at sunset.

The ritual gives the space emotional purpose.

Without ritual, an outdoor room can become a place admired from inside. With ritual, it becomes part of life.

Keep the objects simple: a tray, a throw, a carafe, a stack of books, a basket for cushions, a small speaker used with restraint, a lantern that lives where it is needed, a pair of glasses that somehow always feel right outdoors.

The best rooms are not the ones that impress guests.

They are the ones that change the household’s habits.

five outdoor rooms worth stealing

1. the morning terrace.

The morning terrace is crisp, quiet, and unfussy. It needs a small table, comfortable chairs, shade if the sun is direct, and enough greenery to soften the transition into the day.

This is not the place for drama. It is the place for clarity.

Use pale cushions, natural materials, a tray that can carry coffee and fruit, and planting with a clean scent: rosemary, mint, basil, lavender, lemon thyme. The mood should be fresh but not fragile, polished but not precious.

In a city, this can be a balcony with two chairs and a planter. In a larger home, it can be the east-facing corner of a garden or patio. The morning terrace should make the day feel briefly manageable before it becomes ambitious.

A civilized beginning is no small thing.

2. the shaded reading room.

Every house deserves a place where one can disappear without having to explain oneself.

The shaded reading room can be a hammock, a chaise, a deep outdoor chair, or a bench under a tree. It needs comfort, privacy, a side table, and a way to control light. It should feel protected, not exposed.

This is where texture matters: a linen-feel cushion, a throw for late afternoon, a low table for a book and a glass of water, planting that moves in the breeze. The palette can be quiet — olive, stone, cream, deep green, tobacco, blue-gray.

A chaise or lounge chair from Gloster, B&B Italia Outdoor, or DEDON MBRACE makes sense when the chair is the room. For a softer budget, Article’s outdoor lounge furniture can work if chosen with discipline.

A reading room outdoors does not need to be large.

It needs to feel claimed.

3. the garden dining room.

Outdoor dining is where the backyard most clearly becomes part of the house.

A good garden dining room starts with proportion. The table should fit the space generously but not dominate it. Chairs should be comfortable enough for people to linger after dessert. Lighting should be low and warm. The table should feel considered, not staged.

Think of the garden dining room as hospitality with oxygen.

Use durable linens, ceramic or stoneware plates, heavy glasses, candles protected from wind, and flowers or branches that make sense in the season. Skip centerpieces that block conversation. Skip anything that requires too much fuss once guests arrive.

For more on the intelligence of the seasonal table, The Gathering Hour: The Spring Table explores the quiet discipline that makes flowers, linen, silver, and candlelight feel effortless once guests arrive.

The easiest upgrade is not a new table. It is glow.

Two Poldina Pro lamps down the table can do the work of a full tablescape. For a more informal garden dinner, a cluster of Fermob Balad lamps keeps the mood mobile. Durable ceramics from Heath Ceramics, Mud Australia, or L’Objet are useful if the table needs weight without fuss.

The elegance is in the pacing.

A table under trees. A candle in glass. A carafe catching the last light. That is enough.

4. the twilight lounge.

The twilight lounge is the outdoor room with the most glamour.

It is designed for the hour when the day loosens its grip and the house begins to glow behind you. It wants low seating, side tables, layered light, deeper colors, and something reflective: glass, metal, water, polished stone, a pale cushion in the shadows.

This is where navy, charcoal, oxblood, bronze, bone, dark green, and soft white come alive. Where lanterns matter. Where silhouettes matter. This is where a plant with dramatic leaves earns its keep.

For a large terrace, begin with a sofa that has enough weight to hold the space: the Terra Outdoor Living Belvedere Sofa in Teak, a modular piece from Gloster’s Grid collection, or a sofa from B&B Italia Outdoor. For the chair that steals the scene, the DEDON MBRACE lounge chair is the move.

Then stop before things become theatrical.

One side table. Two planters. Low light.

That is the formula.

The twilight lounge should not feel like a party setup.

It should feel like an invitation to stay.

5. the courtyard salon.

A courtyard salon is for conversation.

It can be formal or relaxed, grand or miniature, old-world or modern. What matters is enclosure. Courtyards are powerful because they hold people. They create a room without a roof and make the sky part of the ceiling.

Use symmetrical seating if the architecture calls for it, or an asymmetrical mix if the space is more intimate. Add one focal point: a tree, sculpture, fountain, urn, planted wall, or exceptional table. Keep the palette restrained and let the architecture do some of the speaking.

For planters with presence, start with Serralunga, Atelier Vierkant, or Vondom. For antique urns, benches, and weathered objects, 1stDibs garden antiques and local architectural salvage dealers are worth the search. This is one of the few outdoor moments when age really does the work.

This is the outdoor room for people who love the indoors but want the air.

A very particular, very excellent category.

where to shop for the room without a ceiling

The smartest way to shop for an outdoor room is not by category. It is by role.

Choose the anchor first: the sofa, dining table, pair of lounge chairs, or bench that tells the space what it is. Then choose the atmosphere: lighting, planters, rugs, and tabletop objects that make the space feel intentional once the sun begins to move.

For serious design: Kettal, DEDON, Gloster, B&B Italia Outdoor, Brown Jordan, and JANUS et Cie.

For polished accessible luxury: Serena & Lily, Design Within Reach, RH Outdoor, Arhaus outdoor furniture, West Elm outdoor furniture, Article outdoor, Terrain, and McGee & Co. outdoor.

As mentioned previously, for portable lighting: Zafferano, Fermob, Ambientec, Flos Outdoor, and Louis Poulsen Outdoor.

For planters: Serralunga, Vondom, Loll Designs, Atelier Vierkant, and Terrain garden.

For outdoor rugs and performance fabrics: Perennials, Sunbrella, Dash & Albert outdoor rugs, Serena & Lily outdoor rugs, and Frontgate outdoor rugs.

Great places for garden atmosphere: Terrain, 1stDibs garden antiques, local nurseries, architectural salvage dealers, and antique shops with outdoor objects. A weathered urn, old bench, or excellent lantern often has more soul than anything described as a patio accent.

The rule is simple: buy fewer outdoor pieces, but make each one solve a real problem.

Comfort is a problem. Shade is a problem. Glow is a problem. Privacy is a problem. A place to put the glass is absolutely a problem.

Solve those, and the room begins to behave beautifully.

the senses no one plans for

A room without a ceiling still has a soundscape.

This is where many outdoor rooms go wrong. They look beautiful, photograph well, and then proceed to assault everyone with a speaker balanced on the windowsill, a neighbor’s leaf blower, or the faint mechanical wheeze of an overworked fan.

Outdoor sound should be intentional and low.

If the outdoor room is permanent, built-in speakers are usually the most elegant solution because they disappear into the architecture. The Sonos Outdoor Speakers by Sonance are useful when a terrace, patio, or covered outdoor room needs real sound without visible equipment. For a smaller balcony, reading corner, or occasional dinner outside, a portable speaker is often enough. The Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore is compact, weather-ready, and mercifully free of camping-equipment energy.

The rule is simple: sound should support conversation, not compete with it.

Think less beach club, more private courtyard. Jazz at the edge of audibility. A piano trio before dinner. Brazilian guitar in the late afternoon. Birdsong, if you are lucky. Silence, if you are wise.

Chimes are trickier.

A beautiful wind chime can be lovely in a country garden or breezy coastal house. In a dense city, townhouse row, or shared courtyard, it can become a social crime in under twelve minutes. If you use one, choose a low, resonant tone and place it where the wind is occasional, not constant.

The goal is atmosphere, not percussion.

Scent outdoors should be even more restrained.

The best outdoor fragrance comes from plants, soil, stone after rain, herbs near the table, and the faint green snap of leaves in warm air. Rosemary, lavender, basil, mint, thyme, lemon verbena, jasmine, gardenia, boxwood, fig, and tomato leaf all do more sophisticated work than most scented candles outside.

For a fuller argument about why green, herbal, and botanical scents feel more modern than conventional florals, Luxury Spring Home Fragrance, Reimagined is the indoor companion to this outdoor room.

For dining, avoid heavy fragrance entirely. Food should lead. Scented candles, diffusers, and incense can fight the meal, irritate guests, and turn the terrace into a department-store vestibule. If scent is used, let it live away from the table: herbs by the seating area, jasmine on a trellis, lavender along a path, fig in a planter, mint near the morning terrace.

In other words, plant the fragrance.

Do not announce it.

Then there is the least romantic requirement of all: insect control.

There is no luxury in pretending mosquitoes are not happening.

Citronella has its place — a nostalgic smell, a little summer theater, the faint suggestion that someone has thought ahead. But it should not be the plan. In still air, close to the table, it may help at the margins. In a real garden, on a humid night, with eight people trying to enjoy dinner, it is not enough.

The more elegant answer is preparedness.

Keep a small, good-looking basket near the terrace door with a few EPA-registered insect repellents, preferably in wipes, sprays, or lotions that guests can use before stepping outside. The CDC recommends EPA-registered repellents with active ingredients such as DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, PMD, or 2-undecanone, and the EPA maintains a useful tool for choosing the right repellent by insect, active ingredient, and protection time: Find the Repellent That Is Right for You.

This does not need to look medicinal. Use a small tray, lacquered box, woven basket, or lidded outdoor container. Add repellent wipes, a couple of sprays, perhaps a picaridin lotion, and a small card that says something simple:

“Mosquitoes are uncivilized. Please help yourself.”

That is the entire tone.

For the space itself, layer the defenses: remove standing water, keep planting trimmed, use fans where possible, and consider a low-profile mosquito repellent device away from the table if the setting calls for it. A Thermacell Patio Shield Mosquito Repeller can be useful for creating a protection zone without smoke, open flame, or citronella theater.

The point is not to turn the garden into a tactical operation.

The point is to make comfort invisible.

A room without a ceiling still needs a host. Good sound, subtle scent, moving air, and quiet insect control are part of the hospitality. They are how the room says: stay a little longer.

what ruins the mood

Avoid buying everything as a matching set. It can make the space feel flat, like a showroom that escaped.

Avoid furniture that is too small for the scale of the yard. Outdoor rooms can tolerate larger gestures than indoor rooms because sky and distance absorb them.

Avoid lighting that feels functional before it feels atmospheric. One glaring fixture can undo an entire evening.

Avoid treating the garden as a storage area for design leftovers. The old indoor side table, the random cushion, the inherited pot, the chair that never worked inside — outdoors will not redeem them.

Avoid over-accessorizing. Wind, rain, pollen, and life will edit the room whether you do or not.

And avoid chasing a theme.

Tuscan, tropical, coastal, safari, Hamptons, Provençal, Moroccan — all of these can become costume very quickly. Better to borrow qualities than copy locations: warmth from the Mediterranean, shade from North Africa, restraint from Japan, color from Mexico, structure from English gardens, ease from coastal houses.

Influence is elegant.

Impersonation is tiring.

final thoughts: the room without a ceiling

The best outdoor room is not the one with the most furniture, the most flowers, or the most ambitious outdoor kitchen.

The best outdoor room is the one that changes how the home is lived in.

It gives morning a softer beginning. Gives work a better pause. It gives dinner a little more ceremony. It gives solitude somewhere to go. And it gives twilight a place to land.

This is what luxury at home increasingly means: not accumulation, but atmosphere. Not more square footage, but more intelligent use of the rooms we already have. Not performance, but pleasure with a point of view.

The room without a ceiling may be the one that teaches the whole house how to live more beautifully.

And if you need us, we will be outside.

Preferably just after sunset.

faqs: luxury outdoor room decor ideas

How do you make a backyard feel like a luxury outdoor room?

Start by giving the space a clear purpose, such as morning coffee, outdoor dining, reading, or twilight entertaining. Then define the area with seating, planting, lighting, and materials that create enclosure and atmosphere. The goal is to make the backyard feel like an intentional extension of the home, not a separate seasonal zone.

What is the most important element in outdoor room design?

Seating is usually the most important decision because it determines how people will actually use the space. A generous sofa, a pair of deep chairs, a proper dining table, or a shaded chaise can instantly clarify the room’s purpose. Once the seating scene is right, lighting, planting, and accessories can support it.

Can you use interior design principles outdoors?

Yes. The best outdoor rooms use the same principles that make interiors work: scale, proportion, seating plans, focal points, layered lighting, texture, color, and circulation. The difference is that outdoor rooms also have to account for weather, shade, scent, sound, insects, and the changing quality of natural light.

How can a small patio or balcony feel luxurious?

A small outdoor space can feel luxurious when it is edited with precision. Choose one purpose, such as reading, morning coffee, or evening drinks, and design around that ritual. Two excellent chairs, one small table, layered greenery, warm lighting, and a restrained palette can make even a balcony feel like a private outdoor room.

What are the best places to shop for luxury outdoor furniture?

For high-design outdoor furniture, start with Kettal, DEDON, Gloster, B&B Italia Outdoor, Brown Jordan, and JANUS et Cie. For polished but more accessible outdoor pieces, Serena & Lily, Design Within Reach, RH Outdoor, Arhaus, West Elm, Article, Terrain, and McGee & Co. are strong sources when shopped selectively.

What is the easiest way to upgrade an outdoor space quickly?

Lighting is the fastest upgrade. A rechargeable table lamp, hurricane candles, low lanterns, or discreet sconces can make an outdoor room feel intentional almost immediately. Warm, layered light is especially important because many outdoor spaces are used most beautifully at dusk.

How should you use scent in an outdoor room?

Use scent sparingly and let plants do most of the work. Herbs, jasmine, lavender, fig, tomato leaf, mint, and lemon verbena create a more sophisticated outdoor fragrance than heavy candles or diffusers. For outdoor dining, avoid strong fragrance near the table so the food remains the focus.

What is the best way to handle mosquitoes at an outdoor dinner party?

Do not rely on citronella alone. Keep a discreet basket of EPA-registered insect repellents near the terrace door, remove standing water, use fans where possible, and consider a low-profile mosquito repellent device away from the table. The best mosquito strategy is layered, practical, and handled before guests start slapping their ankles.

What are the biggest mistakes people make with backyard decorating?

The most common mistakes are buying matching furniture sets, using lighting that is too harsh, choosing pieces that are too small for the space, over-accessorizing, and treating the outdoors as a themed destination. The most elegant outdoor rooms feel connected to the house, shaped by the local light, and edited with restraint.