Fall & Thanksgiving,  Home,  Home Decor,  Outdoor Living

Creating a Cozy Fall Patio – A Farmhouse Style Outdoor Living Space

October 15, 2020 / 395 Comments

Creating a cozy fall deck or patio in your backyard in a neutral farmhouse design style requires just a few must have elements – you just need the right cozy outdoor furniture pieces, a beautiful and durable outdoor area rug, a quality gas fire pit, a few fairytale pumpkins and some faux fall floral stems. One you have the right neutral and cozy outdoor pieces, its just a matter of setting everything up in an inviting and cozy manner. After that, you can enjoy cozy fall fire pits and s’mores right in your backyard, wrapped in a cozy blanket and sipping on some coffee or cocoa while you breathe in that cool, crisp autumn air.

Our back deck has gone through quite the transformation over the past couple years, from being completely refinished and repainted to being redesigned and adding a new covered pergola – everything done as a DIY project as we worked to make our backyard a cozy outdoor living space for our family. This year we actually transformed our entire backyard into a cozy oasis for entertaining! But our deck is covered and right off the main living area of our home, and that’s where we spend the most time – and where I like to update seasonally.

Here is a look at how I created a cozy fall outdoor living space in my backyard in a neutral cottage farmhouse design style, and how you can recreate this look at home.

Choose Durable & Comfy Furniture that Fits Your Space

The first thing you need to do when designing an outdoor living space, like a deck or patio, is to choose the right furniture for the space. Be sure to choose pieces that fit the space well and don’t take up too much of the space, but also be sure to provide enough seating to accommodate your family. We are a family of five and always entertaining so I chose a couch and two lounge chairs, which is enough space for 5-6 people comfortably. There is still room enough on our deck to add extra chairs if we have guests without the space feeling too crowded.

Before selecting this set, I had gone through a variety of cheaper quality outdoor furniture pieces that quickly became damaged from the elements, had uncomfortable thin cushions, and really didn’t look amazing with my farmhouse cottage style home. When I found this set I knew it would be perfect for our family. The couch and lounge chairs are made of study wood and the cushions are thick and comfortable in a beautiful linen/sand color (my favorite choice for furniture!)

When selecting furniture for your space, consider the color and style you want as well as the quality. Outdoor furniture has to stand up to the elements, even if protected by a cover or roof – rain and dust has a way of getting everywhere no matter what you do.

Select a Large, Neutral Farmhouse Style Outdoor Rug to Center the Space

Next, find a good quality outdoor rug that is large enough to center your outdoor furniture on. The rug in this space is an 8×10′ and is the perfect size for the couch and two chairs. Since the rug is outside, even if its covered, it needs to be a durable material that stands up well against dirty and rain. And to have a beautiful farmhouse look, pick a rug that looks vintage or distressed, in neutral tones.

This Kiron Area Rug from Boutique Rugs has a beautiful floral pattern in shades of charcoal and grey, a good option for an outdoor rug. It looks amazing with the lighter neutral toned furniture on top of it. You can use code rainandpine60 or rainandpine55 if the first one isn’t active at checkout.

Add a Gas Fire Pit for Entertainment and Cozy Nights in Place of a Table

Instead of a coffee table, add a gas fire pit. If you select one with a ledge like the one I have in my outdoor space, you can use it like a coffee table when not in use. But for those chilly fall nights, nothing says cozy like sitting by a a warm fire outside with a cup of coffee or cocoa! Fire pits make gathering more fun, and do warm you up while your outside.

I think a fire pit is a must have for a cozy fall outdoor space if you can swing it. I opt for a gas fire pit because my outdoor living space is on a wooden deck, with a covered pergola – a wood burning fire wouldn’t be safe to use. I also enjoy the ease of using a propane fire pit – easy on and easy off with no mess to clean up and no smoke to deal with. I linked one like mine below.

Decorate with Cozy Throw Pillows and Blankets, Fairytale Pumpkins and Faux Floral Stems

Finally, the best part about decorating for fall – the decor! For any room I like to add cozy neutral throw pillows and blankets to make the space look and feel extra cozy. In this space I have some of my favorite fall indoor pillows layered throughout the space.

These pillows are all from Linen & Ivory, one of my favorite pillow makers. I love the linen color covers, and I always order the 20″ size for my printed pillows. These grey and beige striped pillow covers are perfect layering pillows for the printed covers. You can use code RAINANDPINE to shop.

I use these pillows throughout my home to decorate and did not want to go buy special outdoor pillows just for this space, so I just use them out here as well. I take them inside when not in use to protect them from the elements. For a pop of color and extra coziness I tossed a mustard throw on one of the chairs.

Next I layered a couple gourds with a few green, white, and orange fairytale pumpkins I picked up at Trader Joe’s. To give the space all the fall feels I added a few vintage crocks full of fall faux floral stems and set out one of my favorite fall candles on a couple stacked vintage books.

All of which was decor that I already had inside my home that I moved outside to decorate with. You don’t always need to go buy new things to decorate a new space, even if its outdoors. I love to reuse and repurpose what I have!

Here are a few more photos of the whole space. I love how the whole space comes together. From the large charcoal outdoor rug to the cozy linen and wood furniture – and all the pretty neutral and rustic fall colors in the pumpkins and faux florals – this space really feels like a cozy outdoor living space that our family can enjoy together throughout fall.

Now we just need to go have our first fall firepit of the season and enjoy being cozy!

Happy Fall Y’all!

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