Decorating A Gazebo And Outdoor Living

Decorating a gazebo or any outdoor area isn’t all that different from designing any area inside of your home. Keep in mind though that there is more wear on our outdoor furnishings that are exposed to the elements. I try to budget for a few new key pieces to have a fresh look every spring and in this post I’m sharing what I’ve done!

If you have a porch or patio or even a small garden, you can define and delineate the space and create a backyard room. We are fortunate to have a big piece of property and years ago we extended our patio area. We utilize all of the seating areas outside daily to enjoy the beauty of our tropical garden. Not only that, but also the design of the interior of our 60’s ranch home doesn’t offer much room for entertaining. If there are guests or even just the family…outdoors it is and we want it to be comfy/cozy for all!

Last week I shared the post – Patio Decor To Freshen Your Home. Our gazebo area was looking tired and I mentioned that I’ve ordered some new pieces. While I do advocate shopping your own home to save money, it’s not always practical when decorating a gazebo or outdoor “room”. Pieces get worn and faded and the rain can bring mildew, mold and rust. It’s definitely a challenge here in Miami, which my husband calls “the mildew capitol of the world”! Before the spring and summer season begins we pressure clean this area and use bleach on the patio pavers. Then it’s time to take stock of what we need and decorate.

We have had our gazebo or pergola for a few years now and it gets daily use! I share the installation and product information in this post, and it’s held up beautifully! The pergola came in a kit form and we installed it with a little bit of help from my husband’s team, since they were available. One of the best things that we did this year was to add a shadecloth cover and I don’t know why we didn’t think of this before!! Find some similar composite pergola kits below and depending on where you live, I do recommend vinyl or composite over wood.

Decorating A Gazebo And Outdoor Living – The 20 Minute Process

Step 1.

To define the area we added a heavy duty outdoor area rug. The size was a sticking point between me and my husband, as I wanted larger and he wanted something smaller. Since he will be pressure cleaning once a month during the mildew months, practicality won out.

Adding the few items that we ordered took just a few minutes, but the impact is huge and the rug tones set the colorway. Find it below, along with another true outdoor rug that I considered.

Step 2.

As I mentioned, things REALLY wear out here and sadly our firetable rusted and had to be tossed. We purchased THIS faux wicker coffee table from Walmart in a dark brown (practical;-) to replace it.

Step 3.

Pillows are the fastest way that I know how of to change the look of a room! All of the pillows were replaced and although I’m still waiting for 2 more to arrive I love the fresh look! Outdoor (Sunbrella type) fabric has definitely come a long, long way over time. If you’re shopping these pillows (below) I would not wait, because without a doubt they are going to sell out soon.

Step 4.

Accessorize with things that you’ll need on a day to day basis. When decorating a gazebo keep in mind that they are not waterproof, so bring out serving pieces as needed. I mix old with new and in this case a trio of some favorite candles (help keep mosquitos at bay) on a tattered vintage tray.

A personal sized fan (electric) is another must have and we have several of these that we use on our patio. Highly recommend and I love the retro vintage look!

A great sunhat is also a must have and I’m all about practicality in keeping the sun off my face! This one goes into the pool with me and I have it linked below.

Whether you have a pool or not, you’ll likely want to have some towels outside with you during the warmer months. This towel rack is a new addition from Pottery Barn and will get a workout over the summer!

String lights, plants and a few lanterns are all permanent fixtures, so decorating a gazebo like this seasonally is a breeze (pun intended)! Who wants to come over for a swim? Your pink flamingo is waiting for you!