Help me with my outdoor patio design please

[SENDkylHISPASSWORD]

Im not sure where to post this but you guys are pretty stylish and have good design concepts so... I have an balcony attached to my room at the front of my house and have been partying up there in the summer for the past two summers its been pretty fun but I want to make it look really nice this summer.

Any suggestions for design, furniture, builds to make it cool. I have carpet on the main part but am going to cover the whole balcony with carpet... you can see the table in the picture as well as some woden bench I found in a parking lot. I have some white string lites up there which look nice at night. Take a look at the layout and the best picture I could find. It's not huge but I fit 20 people up there on the right side alone and its tight but we have a good time... this summer I will be spending a lot of time up there and want to make it as nice as possible, i will be spinning up there some nights and will try and get some friends bands to play too.

The area on the left was never used and it kind of private from the rest of the area, so any ideas for that area.

notice the lawn chairs haha... i want to replace them and make the whole atmospher up there alot more cooler/sexy

my favourite things

http://mfthings.blogspot.com/

Edited by SENDkylHISPASSWORD on Mar 24, 2006 at 03:27 PM

[Proletariat]

do you have dimensions for it?

http://www.arevolt.com

[SENDkylHISPASSWORD]

If I had to guess I would say the main part is 6 feet by 18 feet and then the smaller part is same width but maybe 8 feet length

my favourite things

http://mfthings.blogspot.com/

[Proletariat]

I love the shit out of outdoor spaces. Maybe it's because mine was just condemmed by the city because it is about to fall off our building.

ok, for the smaller part I would build a bar. leave room for a few people to stand in front of it and stain it and put some heavy poly on it. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, just a wooden box with shelves on the inside and get a rubber bar mat or some towels for the top. as for the furnishings on the porch, those are pretty hideous. I would scrap all that shit and start fresh. Do you have an ikea nearby? If not, you can make some simple benches out of 2x4's and some 1x4 slats that will come out nice and if they get wet the water will roll off of them. stain and poly those to match. Then have your girlfriend or mom sew some slip covers out of an outdoor monochromatic fabric and buy some cheap sturdy throw pillows, some for the ass and some for the back. Make sure the fabric is sexy and won't get dirty, and definitely waterproof. a good silvery grey is what I am picturing. As for the floor, I'm not amped about the carpet. can you paint the concrete grey? If not, is it really stained? I would build a nice corner table to match the bar and benches where you can have some nice cheese and crackers for your guests. Get a few tall plants and build a matching planter for them and make sure they are thick and at least as tall as your rail, but not a flower producing plant because that will attract bees and shit. Get an ivy or a green plant. Finally, use a low wattage string of christmas lights to light up the rail, but no more. And you might want to put some electrical tape over a few of the bulbs. You don't want a ton of light coming off of them, just enough to give the vibe of a city skyline and a sexy glow to the buttafaces you are entertaining. finally, put a few speakers out there, but keep them low volume so your neighbors don't crash your shit.

This shit would be the cat's pajamas. Get rid of that Sanford and Son bullshit and make us proud.

http://www.arevolt.com

[SENDkylHISPASSWORD]

Thanks for that. Some excellent ideas in there. I definatley like the idea of the benches and bar. The plants are a good idea too.

I'm going to go to Ikea after my exams are done and find some stuff there. They always have some cool products for cheap.

And the speakers are a must, I have those. My solution for the hristmas lights is that I hook them up to a dimmer, so the light is there but they don't illuminate too much. Another thing that I forgot to show is there is a railing on the right side of the balcony too and its not too sturdy so I'm a bit hesitant about putting a bench against it, but I can try things out in the middle of april. There are also windows next to the door and along the house as you can see in the picture, but I dont think buildign a bench against them will be a problem. I'm also big on candles too.

And sorry to hear about your space... what did you have set up there?

my favourite things

http://mfthings.blogspot.com/

Edited by SENDkylHISPASSWORD on Mar 24, 2006 at 06:14 PM

[Proletariat]

good idea with the dimmer. what part of the country do you live in? I didn't have shit on my back porch except for a 1950's diner table and a bunch of padded chairs, and a small weber to grill on. plus the usual christmas lights. but the freaky thing is we had a party with about 10 people on the porch and come to look at it the 4x4 post is completely rotten down to about 2" thick. The 2nd floor floor caved in already and we are on the 3rd floor. someone would have been seriously injured this summer if this shit hadn't gotten checked out.

http://www.arevolt.com

[Aotearoa]

Yes, as Proletariat said carpet is really not a practical idea to have on a balcony! Like Proletariat's ideas very much. It flows very well whereas what you have now seems slightly blocked.

[SENDkylHISPASSWORD]

I am in Toronto.

About the carpet, I don't think it is too bad because it is outdoor carpet. It drys really quick, kind of like astroturf but feels and looks more like real carpet.

my favourite things

http://mfthings.blogspot.com/

[sybaritical]

Quote: You don't want a ton of light coming off of them, just enough to give the vibe of a city skyline and a sexy glow to the buttafaces you are entertaining.

My suggestions.

1) A hammock in the corner by the door instead of a bench. Much better use of space.

2) A large Hookah pipe and alot of cushions in the opposite corner.

3) A small barbecue ( always good to have available but not always present)

4) Christmas lights are the way forward.

5) Don't forget the mosquito repellent.

[SENDkylHISPASSWORD]

Some good ideas there too.. I like the hammock, will consider it not sure if it's the style im going for though.

I'm also thinking of getting rid of the carpet, although waterproof, I might put some deck tiles down instead.

Last year I did the hookah thing, but not with the pillows, that is a really good idea. Just gotta get a bunch of big ones.

my favourite things

http://mfthings.blogspot.com/

[Proletariat]

If you must have the carpet, cut it into an accent rug. Then maybe you could put that in front of a seating area, but not all over the whole porch.

http://www.arevolt.com