Firstly decide on what your patio is being used for. Are you in need of a dining area or would a seating area be more suited? Are you opting for a formal or a more casual approach to the area? This helps to determine the style of furniture you would require. Always remember to take into account the amount of space you have available including the layout of doors leading onto your patio. Often the doors impact the layout options available to you.

For patio dining, you would first need to establish how many people you would like to be able to seat. Standard six and eight seater tables are the more popular choices. This area can be changed from a casual to a more formal feel simply with the usage of the chairs. A standard dining set can be given a formal feel with the addition of smarter armchairs at the heads of the table. These extra armchairs could also be incorporated into your indoor living areas and brought out when needed. When adding decor touches, nothing says dinner more than a beautiful candelabra. This can be echoed by adding wall-mounted candle holders.

A patio seating area is easily done with a modular lounge system. The benefit of a modular system is that the pieces can be clipped together forming a solid unit, and can also be re-arranged at any time to suit your changing needs on your patio. When selecting your lounge set, always look for one with a neutral coloured cushion. Very often the cost of the cushions can outweigh the cost of the furniture, an expensive exercise should you no longer want the trend colour you purchased the previous season. A neutral base allows you to bring in touches of the indoor colour scheme in the form of scatter cushions. The benefit here being that scatter cushions can be changed with seasonal trends at a fraction of the cost of replacing your lounge set cushions. Determine the colour by focussing on the colour schemes in the indoor area leading to the patio. Your outside colour scheme may also be determined by a (focal) piece of art – pick one or two colours from within a painting to highlight outside. Repeat the selected colour outside on your patio with the use of cushions or throws.

Another point to look at would be a coffee table on your patio area. Instead of a table that matched the outdoor lounge set, select one that compliments the indoor area – this allowing the two areas to seamlessly flow into each other. Added decor pieces in the form of a throw blanket on the sofa, a vase or bowl on the table, allow for a much more casual and lived in feel. Your patio decor does not have to end there. With a flow from indoor to outdoor, you could also bring a flow from the patio into the garden. A few carefully selected plants in decorative pots pulls the garden and the living areas together. If space is limited, vertical gardening is the perfect answer. It allows a focal point on a wall – bursting with greenery and colour. Vertical gardening is also a means of making a smaller garden seem much larger and allows you to bring touches of colour onto your patio. Try incorporating fragrant flowers for that burst of morning freshness.

With advances in outdoor speciality products, there are endless choices available for your patio areas. Outdoor carpets in a variety of colours and textures are becoming popular, vinyl wallpapers for covered outdoor areas are making their appearance too. Parasols are available in a variety of colours and sizes.

Gone are the days of the plastic garden furniture. Your patio is now an extension of your home, your living areas, an extension of YOU.

It’s always nice to spend time outdoors on those odd warm summer days, with a few warm throws and a fire roaring. But you don’t have to leave your outdoor furniture in the rain all winter. Bring your outdoor furniture indoors and add some key items to create a cosy, rustic feel to your living area.

Get a few throws in neutral colours that you can drape over your furniture to create a cosy atmosphere and soften the outdoor elements of the furniture to incorporate them indoors. Also add a few scatter cushions to create further soften and warmth and seamlessly blend your outdoor furniture with the rest of your home.

Entertaining others. Few things are as pleasant or satisfying as inviting friends over and feeding them, making them feel welcome, and conversing with them. Here are a few ideas in entertaining at home this summer.

Host A Morning Brunch

Lay out a big picnic blanket with lots of pillows around and a low table just off to the side. Set up a breakfast of yoghurt, fruit and croissants. If you have the time, make some home made jam the day before and serve it with cheese for the croissants. Use colourful plates and napkins to keep things summery.

Host An Afternoon Tea

With tea cups, scones and sugar cubes . Use jars of various shapes and sizes for a sweet flower arrangement and make cucumber sandwiches for your guests to nibble on. Host your tea party under a big tree in the garden and add pretty pillows to your outdoor set.

Host A Chinese Braai

Set out bowls of cubed chicken, beef, and pork along with bowls of baby mielies, pak choi, slices of carrots and bean sprouts. Also set out bowls of cooked rice and noodles. Allow your guests to make up their own selection and braai it on a big Weber pan in some sesame oil and soy sauce. Serve with chop sticks and enjoy under the stars with some Chinese lanterns hanging from the trees.

But just because you aren’t on holiday, it doesn’t mean that you can’t still make the most of the summer sunshine! Summer is not over yet and there are still lots of hours to be enjoyed in the heat. There are so many outdoor activities that you can enjoy at your own home. Here are some fun ideas on how to make the most of your home this summer.

Sprinkler Fountains

We all have memories of playing in the sprinklers as kids. Whether it was running through them as they wet the lawn, or “making it rain” with our arms stretched above our heads, this garden tool provided hours of entertainment, whether there was a swimming pool around or not. These days there are all kinds of innovative attachments that make a variety of sprays for pretty much every occasion. From huge spinning sprays to fine mists for lounging under on the hottest of days.

A Mini-Holiday At Home

There’s nothing quite like feeling you’ve made the most of your weekend. Why not try a mini-holiday at your own home? Spend Friday buying all your groceries for the weekend: braai meat, fresh fruit, supplies for a Saturday morning fry-up and don’t leave the house for the rest of the weekend. Prepare everything ahead of time, from your loungers, umbrella and magazine stack, to the fluffy towels and clean linen. Make a deal not to turn the TV on for the whole weekend and spend time around the braai until the sun has set and it’s time to make smores.

Create A Mini-Garden

Get your hands a little dirty and create something beautiful and satisfying. A mini garden is a gorgeous feature and something that you can be proud of putting up. Herbs, flowers, anything you like, these gardens are also perfect for homes with limited garden space or as a key feature in a larger garden.

Build A Fort

Kids who love nothing than sitting indoors playing on game consoles all day long can be coaxed into a little outdoor time with the promise of a great fort. Fort’s time time, and are a bit of a mission to disassemble, but the fun they provide is all worth it. Make sure that you have lots of old sheets and large pieces of fabric, a nice big space in the garden and use garden furniture of various different shapes and sizes to make your forte an interesting labyrinth.

So don’t spend these late summer months watching reality TV, get outside and enjoy the sunshine!

Teamed with these black and white prints, these key orange-red pieces and matching coat of paint warm up the room with a classy, sophisticated look.

Patterns and colour blocking with statement pieces and touches of gold give a cozy, exotic feel to this beautiful library.

Teamed with pinks in various flowy fabrics, red and pink cushions bring romance and an element of sexiness to a bedroom.

Terracotta red as a statement wall gives an earthy, rustic feel to this room and goes beautifully with the unvarnished wooden floors and simple, classic wooden furniture.

Whichever shade of red you prefer, there are endless ways to incorporate it into your home this winter.

All images via Elle Decor.

Bees can’t see the color red, but they can see all other bright colors. Red flowers are usually pollinated by birds, butterflies, bats, and wind, rather than bees

The new showroom is close to the trendy Old Biscuit Mill and we’ll be running some exciting store opening promotions so be sure to stop by when you’re in the area!

Originally only an architect, Knoll moved into furniture design purely to meet her own needs. She worked closely with interior designers at her and her husband’s store, and only designed new pieces when the existing pieces in her collection did not fit with her vision for that particular space.

Her background in architecture is clear when looking at her furniture – Knoll often translated great architectural designs into human-sized furniture pieces. In this glass coffee table, you can clearly see aspects of the glass and metal skyscrapers that became so popular in the earlier half of the 20^th century.

The design has been adapted for outdoor use in this Tendo table available from Terrace Living.

The simplicity and comfort inherent in his design has firmly cemented Le Corbusier as one of the all-time great furniture designers.

The design has also been adapted for outdoor use in this Serena arm chair, available from Terrace Living.

Taking a space-age approach to his design, Aarnio surprised the designing community with this futuristic chair. It has been copied by designers around the world, and has made several cameo appearances in pop culture – movie buffs will recognise it as the chair in the 1997 Will Smith movie Men in Black.

The design has been loosely adapted for outdoor use in this Carmen round daybed, available from Terrace Living.