Outdoor Living: Ideas + Inspiration for Spring

04 Apr Outdoor Living: Ideas + Inspiration for Spring

Spring is here, not in any conventional way, that is for sure, since we’ve all been mandated to stay inside our homes for the most part, with the exception of trips to the grocery store and exercising outdoors.  We don’t know about you, but all this time inside our homes has us craving more time on the outside … time to breathe in hope and a little spring fresh goodness in order to reclaim some sense of normalcy and create fresh spaces to retreat. It’s time to say hello to working from home or zooming with friends on our front porches or back decks, and perhaps step outside the kitchen to cook some family meals on the grill. We all may be restricted to our home fronts, but thankfully that includes our backyards, porches and patios. 

This cool + cozy porch inspires us to layer rugs, add some fresh greens and strings of lights to our outdoor living areas. At Isabella we’ve been seeking design inspiration and searching for images to inspire us to refresh our outdoor spaces (or create one). We’ve been busy pinning ideas and gathering together some of our goods to show you how adding just a few pieces of texture and color can make all the difference.

We always love this light + airy outdoor image by Design Love Fest. The essentials to make this fresh look work: pillows, plants, and a little graphic fun.  You can easily recreate the graphic impact of the tile design by adding a geometric area rug. We’ve pulled together a few of our accent pieces for creating a patio pretty in pink too. Link over to our shopify to shop these accents and discover even more home goodies.

Erin added a pop of pink to her patio with these pretty pillows by Laura Park. Our sweet shop pup Winnie seemed to like the addition…

If bohemian retro is your vibe, we have some eclectic inspiration + ideas for you too … like mixing in some rattan and lots of fringe and layers.

We love this boho backyard idea, layering natural rag rugs and sisal. We have just the items on our shopify you need to take your own spin on this organic design …

It’s about finding the right key elements to bring a look to life, like these perfect chairs for bohemian porch living. We snapped this pic back when we were in the shop on the daily, but we’ll be happy to ship your way if these are just what your outdoor space needs.

Let’s get you started with your Spring Outdoor Refresh. Since we’ve been gathering inspiration and diving into refresh mode here at Isabella, we’ve been working on our own home outdoor scenarios too. Here’s a simple step-by-step guide for giving your outdoor living spaces a re-set + refresh …

1. Spring clean. Deep clean surfaces of your outdoor areas. Fill up a bucket with hot water, vinegar and fresh lemon (squeeze in the real deal, add a few drops of essential oil or add some peels for even more citrus aroma), or use your favorite fresh-smelling cleaner. Be sure to wash any linens or pillows so they are crisp and fresh (personally, we are obsessed with the new Le Labo Laundress detergent for that amazing aroma and quality clean.)
2. Add organic greens. Add a few potted plants to your deck or patio. Bring some of your indoor plants outside if they’re hardy enough for the weather. (We have some planters available here which can be shipped direct to your door).
3. Accent with layers, color.  Add a few pillows or area rugs, layer in a throw for the cooler days and nights. Create a little cozy with texture. Borrow from the inside, just be sure to bring them back inside if they aren’t specifically made to endure the outdoor elements. If you want a little jolt of new, we’ve got you with a selection of chic outdoor pillows and rugs.
4. Think form and function.  Bring out a garden stool or accent table you had retired to the interior. Let the poufs come out to play. Comfort is key to outdoor living. Don’t forget a place to perch drinks and other outdoor life necessities.
5. Set the mood.  Don’t forget the candles for creating evening light and warm vibes. Or, add a pendant light or twinkle lights to brighten your space and enhance the mood. 

We recently had the privilege of creating an outdoor space for a local IDS Designer Showhouse. The process of developing design concepts and then realizing the vision is what we live for (so let us know if you ever need a little design nudge, we’d welcome the chance to develop plans for your home too.)

This is our favorite Showhouse corner. We love that pom-pom wall feature and the way fresh plants and bright outdoor pillows add some fun feels. Plus, trays always add pretty practicality to living spaces, inside and out (you can purchase these rattan beauties here).

We hope these images + ideas have given you a little inspiration. (Be sure to follow us on Pinterest for more design and lifestyle musings + motivation.)

We miss seeing you at the shop and look forward to seeing you again soon.  In the meantime, stay up-to-date by checking out our Instagram feed and stories .  We will also be daily updating our shopify for your home essential needs. We are here to support you in any way we can. Thanks for following along, supporting and shopping local.  We appreciate you!

Here’s wishing you some refreshing moments outdoors. We can’t wait to see you, even if just virtually for now. Stay safe!