Hints on Beautifying Your Concrete Patio

A patio made from decorative concrete can be a striking and distinctive feature in its own right. However, there are ways you can maximise the visual appeal of your concrete patio to make it stand out even more.

Landscape around your patio – it’s not always what’s on your patio that counts. The landscaping around your concrete patio can beautifully complement and highlight this outdoor entertainment area, through the creative use of plants, pavers, water features, trellis and more. Conversely, thanks to the versatility of colours and textures associated with decorative concrete, you can design and construct a patio that perfectly reflects your existing landscaping.

Choose a colour, pattern or texture to match your furniture – in the same way that you can construct a decorative concrete patio to match your current landscaping, you can design the patio to reflect the colour and style of your outdoor furniture to give a feeling of completeness, rather than a random assortment of styles and colours.

Mood lighting – it might sound obvious, but lighting can really highlight the beauty of your decorative concrete patio. Imagine lighting that enhances and shows off the raw beauty of Australian stone in exposed aggregate, or bold lighting that plays with the hues and shades of coloured concrete.

Make it flow – with decorative concrete, it is possible to create a patio of the same colour and texture as any adjoining indoor area. Indoor/outdoor flow is a very appealing visual effect, and the design of your decorative concrete patio could enable this if it is close to an internal living area.

Define the space – a low wall built up around the perimeter of your concrete patio can serve two main purposes. It can provide seating for guests, and it can help define the space of your patio. Trellis or a pergola can have the same effect, and make your concrete patio feel more like an outdoor room. With the growing trend towards outdoor dining and entertaining, a dedicated area for outside fun can become a real feature and selling point.

Let decorative concrete be the star – it is possible to over-accessorise as you beautify your concrete patio. This can overshadow the beauty of the concrete itself – and yes, decorative concrete can be beautiful. Striking exposed aggregate, or the patterns and effects offered by the use of coloured concrete, deserve to be highlighted. The overall effect can be ruined by having too much stuff on your concrete patio e.g. one too many chairs, an outsized table, an excessive amount of potted plants. Decluttering anywhere can be a good idea, but when you want to show off the decorative concrete that is the foundation of your patio, then it becomes an even better idea. What’s the point in having a talking point like decorative concrete when you can’t even see it?

We’ve never been more into outdoor entertaining than we are now. The patio is often the focal point of that entertaining so it’s only natural you want it to look as good as you can. What you put on it, and around it, will have a big impact, as will your choice of decorative concrete. With the colours and finishes now available to you, there’s no reason why you can’t create an area that feels more like a beautiful outdoor room than just a patio.