Mixing indoor and outdoor furnishings in or around the patio is an excellent way to your home and your garden. Some ideas, taken from interior design, can give outdoor furniture an important decorative presence.

In season, it’s great to see a patio or porch as furnished as fully as an indoor room. For instance:

• Living-room seating grouped to encourage conversation.
• Large separate dining area.
• Furniture painted one shade of green to visually unify a variety of materials
• Carpeting is made of a natural fiber.
• Draperies made from an outdoor awning.

Quick Tip
Wicker can be a pretty hard to keep clean because dust tends to settle in its crevices. Vacuum pieces regularly using a soft-brush attachment.