It’s such a satisfying feeling when you get to help someone get what they really want out of their patio decorating. With so many choices of cushion styles, umbrella styles and covers, frame colors and outdoor fabrics, it’s sometimes hard to put it all together. At Cushions And Umbrellas, we try our best to guide our customer’s through this decision making process, by giving them tips on these various elements that go into a satisfying outdoor decor project.

For instance, Mrs. Laurie Metsner from Colorado (thank you for the permission Laurie) had a particular problem with a small lounging area in her garden. The lounging area basically consisted of stone, plants and flowers, and beautiful wooden posts that she used as separators for walkways and viewing areas. She had decided on beautiful teak furniture to play off the subtle grays of the stone, and to stand out and compliment with the greens and colors of her garden, but wasn’t exactly sure how she wanted to finalize the look. She liked standard neutrals, but was open to different colors.

So we suggested that she look into a combination of stripes and solids that would best match her personal style, and really add some happiness and excitement to her lounging area.

We started with a base color of Cardinal Red, which is a great fabric for wood furniture cushions. Cardinal Red adds bright but organic look that really set off against the grey of the stone and the green of her plants, and really brought out the beauty in her teak furniture.

She chose traditional Wood Furniture Chaise Cushion, two Wood Chair Cushions, and a 5 foot Bench Cushion to finalize her furniture set.

Laurie also wanted to accessorize her new cushions, but not to overpower them. We showed her our great line of outdoor pillows, and suggested that she consider the very comfortable 22″ Floor Pillow. It adds a slight traditional coastal look to her garden, but was unobtrusive enough not to get in the way of her teak look. She decided on a great printed fabric which would compliment it all, Bonaire Crimson.

Laurie wanted an outdoor umbrella to tie this look up in a very special way. But she didn’t want just any umbrella. She wanted a patio umbrella that would make this area comfortable and beautiful and really pull together her garden as a showplace. There was really only one choice. We showed her the 9 Foot Deluxe Wood Market Umbrella, a deluxe model umbrella with metal couplings that would really make a complete outdoor area showplace.

Laurie is incredibly excited with her choices. When she put it all together, she immediately called us to tell us how wonderful it all looked. She promises to send a picture.

It makes us happy to know that we can help people who need that little extra push in the right direction. But there are some things that you can do to keep your patio decor design looking beautiful in your mind and then in your patio.

1. Make sure to take your surrounding area into consideration. Although patio furniture may look beautiful in the store, it might not look good in your patio. What is your major defining element? Is it grass or wood or stone? What is the seating area near? A wall? A pool?
2. Use colors that compliment your area, not contrast. Contrasting colors is very difficult to achieve in a satisfying way. A sharp contrast can literally tear your outdoor area apart. Use a complimentary color scheme to blend your look to your patio. Use contrasting colors for decorative accents.
3. Patio Umbrellas are not accessories. Consider them furniture when placing your outdoor furniture. Use your patio umbrella for it’s size and features, but remember to place it in conjunction with your patio furniture.
4. Only order from Cushions And Umbrellas.

Well, that’s not a rule, but something to definitely remember.