Are you hoping to get more out of your patio this year? Does it look like it’s up to the task, or will it take some expense to give it a more inviting feel? But maybe your budget is saying a new set of patio furniture will have to wait.

Don’t let cost stand between you and an updated patio. You don’t have to toss out all your tables and chairs and buy new. Here are a few ways you can boost your enjoyment of your outdoor space without clobbering your wallet.

Add an Accent Piece

Don’t consign your existing furniture ensemble to the scrap heap when you can freshen it with the strategic addition of one new piece. If your space is mostly gray and beige, bring in a burst of color. Add a different material. If your pieces are metal and fabric, complement them with contrasting wicker or wood. Sometimes mix and match creates a livelier vibe than staying with the same color family.

• Chairs. Traditional patio chairs, with or without cushions, are fine, but how about one that’s totally different. For example, the Adirondack chair. Some are pricey, but others lie within reach of the frugal-minded. If you pick a new color for your accent chair, echo it elsewhere, such as in an outdoor area rug or some outdoor decor.
• Accent Tables. An extra side table or two will add convenience as well as style. These pieces will add more than a convenient place to set a drink, they can also bring a refreshing new style to your patio.
• Serving Cart or Cooler Cart. Speaking of convenience, a rolling cart, an ice bucket table, or a cooler cart are excellent additions to your outdoor entertaining. Pass a cold one!
• Umbrellas. Replace the one you have or add a freestanding umbrella. It’s a great way to introduce a new color, and make your outdoor living space more comfortable in the sunny summer months.

Even if you don’t buy new, you can assign the accent role to an existing piece. Repaint that old metal table or chair with a snappy new color. Scour off the rust and peeling paint with steel wool and spray with a rust resistant paint.

Pillows and Cushions

Continue your refurbishment of your chairs by replacing outdoor patio cushions and adding outdoor throw pillows. There can hardly be an easier way to bring new life to your back yard. You can choose from a wide range of outdoor fabrics, including premium options such as Sunbrella, which are meant to last longer with less maintenance.

Consider the color guidelines for indoor decorating. The main color, often beige or gray, should make up about 60 percent. A second color gets 30 percent and a third color about 10 percent. That new accent chair, outdoor pillows or umbrella can be the place where your color creativity begins.

Remember that 60-30-10 is a guideline and not a rule, especially outdoors where Mother Nature has something to contribute to the palette.

Don’t forget floor cushions and outdoor beanbags. These add pizzazz just with the way they look, and when the extended clan gathers the kids will claim them. The grown-ups may even want a turn.

Other Outdoor Decor

Continue your exploration of color with the little things. Few items offer a chance to dress up a patio like tablecloths and place mats. They shave the years off that old table and make it young again. Also, baskets (with or without fruit), candles and candle holders spruce up a surface. Leave them on the patio table or bring them out to make every occasion special.

And what about your keepsakes, the driftwood, shells, objects d’art and souvenirs you brought back from vacations. A few little ones on the tables or large ones on the floor will bring back that holiday mood, even if you’ve only traveled to your own backyard.

Brighten the atmosphere with a few plants and flowers, either in pots or in the ground surrounding your patio. If you have a fenced patio, attach a shelf or two and show off some plants or decor.

Elevate Your Surface

Been looking at the same concrete floor ever since you moved in? Locking patio tiles are a snap – literally – to install and give you a totally different vibe. An outdoor area rug or two can build on your new color additions and make your space the homey gathering place where you’ll want to spend your best leisure moments.

Lights and Heat

If you have only a single light mounted on the wall, it’s time to add a few more. Several subtle lights create a layering effect and yield a more comfortable feel than one bright one. Replace that bright bulb with a softer one. Add another wall light, some lanterns or some hanging lights. Make candles a part of your evenings.

A patio heater can also revitalize your outdoor room, allowing you to get more use out of your space, during cool spring evenings or later into the fall, without breaking your budget. Some even double as a bar table to welcome extra seating for entertaining.

Even if this isn’t the year you remake your patio top to bottom, a few inexpensive changes can give you more than you have today. You’ll feel you’re spending those leisurely breakfasts, relaxing afternoons and quiet evenings in an entirely new space.