Creating Your Outdoor Space With April Pardoe

The start of summer brings opportunities for late-afternoon barbecues and sunset dinners on the deck . Don't miss your chance to show off your outdoor space and host the next one! Interior designer April Force Pardoe shares her inside tips on how to create the perfect place to host your next summer get-together.

Function First

• Consider how you want to use your outdoor spaces before beginning to buy or place furniture.
• If you host a lot of big dinners you’ll want a table that can hold your meals and comfortable chairs to hold your guests.
• If your evenings include drinks and conversations that run all night, consider creating seating areas that foster conversation. A dining table may not be needed.
• Keep in mind who uses the space (kids, families, couples or business associates) when making a selection.

Mirror your interior style

• Use the same color palette from inside your home when you are decorating outside. If you have warm, neutral tones inside, don’t add cool, vibrant tones on your deck. The two spaces should work well together.
• The same goes for style. If your home is modern and minimal, your exteriors should reflect that in furnishings, colors and plants.

Bring the indoors out

• Hosting a big fancy dinner? Use your dining table linens, china and stemware to elevate your patio table
• Fill your sofas and chairs with pillows - there are many lovely indoor/outdoor fabrics now that are so nice they could be used inside.
• Hang art on walls or fences to decorate your outdoor rooms. Some pieces can come out for the night and others, that can withstand the elements, can stay.

Don’t forget plants!

• Select a color scheme for your flowers that match your decorating style.
• A monochromatic color scheme can work great for small outdoor space - a variety of flowers all in the same color makes a HUGE impact and makes shopping easy.

April Force Pardoe is interior designer and owner of AFP Interiors.

"What excites me about my work as an interior designer is the look of absolute delight that shows up on my clients’ faces when they see their finished rooms. Their ‘wow’ reaction lets me know that my listening skills and ability to envision what they could not see, has made a profound and happy impact that will last for years."

Find out more about AFP Interiors.