ClickCease
Kitchen Remodel Philadelphia, PA

Recreating Outdoor Spaces: #2 Accessorizing Your Space

Now that you have your Deck all spruced up and clean, it is time to accessorize the space before all the family and friends show up!

I want to give you a shopping list of sorts. You can pick and choose the things that interest you, do more research and then head out and purchase the items that will complete the picture perfect environment that you are trying to create.

Lighting

    1. Path Lighting – make sure visitors can safely find their way to and from your outdoor space
    2. Landscape Lighting – this is the cat’s meow when it comes to creating a mood or an environment. Up-lighting trees, plants and shrubbery as well as wall washing the house and out buildings, gives the impression that you want people there.
    3. Deck Lighting
        1. Tread Lights – Light fixtures that are installed in or around the stairs leading to the Deck surfaces. Provides safe access.
        2. Under Railing Lights – These light fixtures, individual fixtures or rope lighting, can be installed at the bottom or top of the railing system to give a low laying glow to the Deck space
        3. Newel Post Lights – These fixtures can be hoisted atop a tall post or incorporated into the newel post at the railing height. Either location serves to shed accent lighting or flood the space with light.   

Seating

    1. Table and Chairs – This is where most time is spent on a deck, so choose wisely. Tables should be as large as the space allows and stable enough to handle food, drink and elbows. Chairs should be stable and comfy, nothing is worse than sitting down in a chair and having it collapse on you.
    2. Built-in Benches – These are very useful in providing a large number of seating choices, but sometimes they can be very utilitarian. Also, once they are installed that is what you have, so be careful. You may be restricting the use of your space if you have a lot of stationary, built-in benches.
    3. Varying Spaces and Uses – Remember you want to create spaces that are of interest to many different people. So providing seating of varying heights and styles around different tables and spaces will go a long way in creating an interesting and welcoming entertainment area.

 Music

    1. Speakers – This item can be as fun as it is useful. Speakers run the gamut when it comes to what they look like and how they function. If you are going to spend the money and try to provide your guests with ambiance, then don’t waste your money by going cheap. Remember, people live with enough noise. Sometimes it’s just nice to be able to sit and talk without anything else going on.
        1. Coverage – Think in triangles. Wherever you place a speaker, visualize a triangle going out from the face of it. Whether it is a basic square unit placed on the side of the house or a fun unit that looks like a rock placed in the garden next to the Deck, you need to make sure that there is not too much overlap or dead spaces. A good layout allows everyone to hear without working too hard.

One thing to keep in mind is that sometimes less is more. Don’t clutter your space with stuff. Don’t fill your space with things so much that your guests feel like they are in the way or can’t move around.

Happy Remodeling!

Next Time… Recreating Outdoor Spaces: #3 MORE Accessorizing Your Space

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