Summer Deck Decorating

Happy Memorial Day everyone! With this patriotic holiday upon us it got me thinking about summer decorating. Outdoor spaces are a great place to have fun with color and to make bold choices. With Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day all falling in just a few hot months, the red white and blue color scheme is a great one for your deck during the summer. This is also a kid-friendly color scheme.

Oakland Living Red Cooler

Deck decorating is all about how the space will best serve your family’s needs. Before you start revamping your outdoor space, take a minute to think about the various members of your family and how they would best use the space.

If you have a reader, why not add a big comfy chair with deep seating. If you have a large family, a sectional sofa might be a better choice. Let your needs dictate the furniture selections because when you have the right setup, you won’t believe how much time you will spend outdoors.

I have three small children and for us, the summer is a time of a lot of playing outside. Once evening arrives, we fire up the grill and gather around our patio table. If this sounds familiar, why not take a little bit of time to spruce up our outside spaces in preparation of kids being home from school.

Decking out our deck for summer didn’t have to be expensive. We started with an outdoor patio table large enough for our family of 5 and then starting shopping around yard sales for great outdoor entertainment for our kids. What we came away with was a little climber with a slide and an adjustable basketball net.

Just inside, in our kitchen actually, I have a drawer of our most common art supplies including crayons, scissors, glue, construction paper, and coloring books. The accessibility of them allows my girls to get them out and put them away on their own. The umbrella in the center of our table goes up, shading the kiddos as they draw princesses, dogs, rainbows, and all their favorite doodles.

With all the time outdoors that we enjoy, it is inevitable that the neighborhood kids will be joining us. For times were the masses descend upon our home, I stay prepared with easy-to-grab snacks and a steady stockpile of juice boxes. Keep those treats chilled and ready to serve by loading up a great big deck cooler.

I am sure I will continue to add things throughout the summer, but for now I think I have the ideal set up for my young family. What items are essential to your yard, deck or patio?