Spring, in all its eye-popping color, just makes you want to get outside and beautify the yard. But sometimes it’s difficult finding colors to use in outdoor living spaces that will create cohesive curb appeal and compliment the surroundings of the home.
I like to let the existing structures, foliage and blooming plants give me a direction for color in entries, patios and outdoor spaces. To get a fresh perspective, I often walk across the street and look back at the house and yard. Then I take inventory of what blooming plants or other color accents are prominent on the property, and take those color clues to decorate outdoor living spaces.
Living in Southern California, color is in no short supply. One of the most vibrant and year-round bloomers here are bougainvillea vines that come in many intense colors. I have a bright fuschia pink vine growing on a fence in my front yard, so I have some great color to inspire the decor.
And inspire it did! I ran with the pink in a big way. In my entry, I potted pink and white flowers, added a ruffled outdoor pillow and spray painted a square natural organic wreath (both from HomeGoods).
The entry, seen from the street, connects the pink florals on the fence to the color in the entry. Pink may not be for everyone, but for me it’s cheerful, happy and unifies the bold color around the yard.
In another area of my yard, my patio got a boost of the same color, with a shot of green grass, too. Spring entertaining here would be fun to enjoy a salad with friends, a dessert with family or a Mother’s Day brunch on a pretty day.
If you haven’t guessed already, most of these pretty patio pieces came from HomeGoods! The pretty green and pink patterned pillow was the perfect jumping off piece to build the color scheme around.
I also mixed some pretty plate patterns together.
Designer Tip: If you have a great color you want to use in your yard but budget is tight, get out the spray paint and paint a few old pieces you have. I did just that with the pink square wreaths, black wicker chairs and picket fence in my patio design. Then fill in with a few new pieces that can’t be painted like pillows, dishes, throws and napkins.
So, if you’re stuck trying to figure out what colors to use in the yard, look to what colors are already there. Use those to inspire outdoor spaces that really speak and relate to their surroundings.
Happy Spring… finally! How does garden color inspire your outdoor decor? Share with us in the comments below!
Cathy Mortensen is an independent interior designer in Orange County, Calif., and has been a contributing design writer for Design Happy since 2007.
