Is this the year you give your patio a face lift? If the space where you sip your backyard drinks and grill your burgers hasn’t been changed in a while, you might be surprised at what a makeover can do! Just as redoing a room encourages you to spend more time there, so renovating a patio adds pizzazz to gatherings and makes you happier when you’re sitting out by yourself or with a friend.

A redesign is a good time to change the ambiance of the patio. This season, more and more people are choosing an earthy, neutral patio look. It’s a timeless direction that never grows old!

The Beauty of the Neutral Look Patio

The popularity of the neutral patio design rises and falls, but it never goes away! It works with any style from Scandinavian to rustic to modern. Its elegant appearance is tranquil and promotes relaxation.

Its soothing personality comes from the way it echoes nature. We have an affinity for the natural world, and various shades of brown with a little green mixed in promote serenity. It can even make us feel psychologically cooler on a hot summer day.

A neutral patio puts the emphasis on the colors in your yard. A straightforward patio design can reflect unique architectural aspects of the home. It doesn’t speak loudly on its own behalf but rather showcases the accents you use on and around it.

What Is the Neutral Patio Look?

The neutral look is reflected in natural colors and materials. Wood, brick and stone are prominent in surfaces and walls. Neutral patio furniture might have cast aluminum or even wooden frames. Nature-inspired fabric cushioning features earth tones. Stained and grained furniture is a hit in the neutral theme!

Design and decor companies almost all agree that earthy shades of green are the 2022 colors of the year. This year the greens are supplemented with neutrals and relaxing blues. Neutral patios don’t have to be all beige and brown! A certain amount of green and even blue provide a harmony that sings with natural beauty.

Keeping It Interesting

If you’re not careful in deploying your neutral look, you might wind up with a space that’s flat and boring. To give the look some depth, vary the shades within the natural colors, make use of texture and strategically distribute accents.

Shading

Avoid having all dark browns or light beiges, but use diverse tones across the wood-colored spectrum. Shades of gray are good as well, and remember that gray and beige look just fine together. Think wooden furniture on a gray stone surface.

Texture

Make texture work for you by employing different types of natural materials. You can use stone and brick for floors and walls and wood, rattan and wicker for furniture. An outdoor area rug provides textural contrast with the patio surface as well as the furniture. Even flowers, greenery and the pots they reside in create a textural element.

Color Accents

A predominantly neutral look doesn’t necessarily mean having no color at all! In fact, when the background is somewhat monochrome, each splotch of color stands out all the more. You make these “color pops” more interesting by matching them with your flowers, your house trim or even the water in a swimming pool.

Where to use color? One possibility is to let a single umbrella or just a couple of pillows stand out. Don’t forget that potted plants and patio decor can be color accents as well!

How much color should you add? There’s no hard and fast rule, but a good guideline is to start small and add slowly until you see the level of color you like.

Finishing Your Patio Design

When you’re designing your neutral patio, don’t forget about the features that will make it a favorite neighborhood gathering spot! For example, an outdoor space is more fun with some illumination! Use candle lanterns, string lights or even hang a pendant if you have a covered patio area.

No patio is complete without a cooking station! The standard charcoal or gas grill is fine, but to ramp up your outdoor culinary practice, consider the Big Green Egg. Its green color coordinates with the natural theme, and the Egg is a BBQ grill and more. It’s the complete patio cooking appliance that can also bake, roast and smoke!

When dinner is over and the plates are set aside, it’s great to gather around a fire table set! They’re available with natural surfaces and attractive glass fire stones, and many have wind guards to keep the flame under control as you roast marshmallows or just chat around the “campfire.”

With an earthy and neutral patio setup, you’ll have an outdoor space that’s calm, relaxing and stylish for as many years as you care to use it!