A Room With A View

Now that it's fall, we don't think much about our decks and patios. But can you see your deck or patio from inside your house?

If your living rooms and family rooms are now perfectly arranged, you can spoil the entire effect if the view from these rooms is one of mismatched chairs strewn around a deck with an empty table at the other end. The view is even worse if you see scattered empty flower pots.

It is so difficult to be objective in our own homes; we simply do not see the clutter or the absolute eyesores. Now I am inviting you to be objective and to take a good look at the view form your family room or living room. It is just as important to correctly position your outside furniture as it is your inside furniture.

We can start with size, working with largest pieces until we reach the smaller items.

Any dining table outside should be placed so that it is centered on something. One position I like is centering the table on the sliding doors leading outside. Of course, this depends upon the position of the deck to the room. You might also consider centering the table on the deck or on one area of the deck. Try different positions until you decide which one looks best from inside.

Be sure to place the chairs around the table.

If you own a chaise lounge or two or three, place them so that if anyone were lying in them they would be facing the table or would feel part of the conversation group. Just as you arrange your furniture inside, you are creating an inviting conversation grouping.

If you have an umbrella place it near the table. Two large pieces placed together creates a grounded center from which all your smaller pieces can radiate.

Smaller tables can be used several ways, but they should always be placed so that they relate to another piece. For example, use a small table near a chair with the idea that it can be used for food or drinks. You might also place a small table near some plants and put one of your favorite plants on it.

Arrange your flower pots as though you were planting a garden. Just as you wouldn't leave a bare spot in a well-tended garden, you don't want empty pots, or worse, pots with dead plants.

Pay attention to the different shapes and textures of potted plants. A miniature rose will look nice next to another rose or a nice shrub. But a rose does not look particularly attractive next to a cactus.

Graduate the heights of plants. Begin with a tall plant and work down to a very low plant. You will lose symmetry when very tall plants are placed next to very low plants.

Stick with one type of pot for your plants. You don't want clay, ceramic, and plastic all mixed together. Use one or the other (and I am biased toward solid colored pots) with perhaps one that is different to serve as an accent piece with your prized plant.

And, finally, now that you have everything arranged, take a good hard look at the condition of your outdoor furnishings. Replace, repair, or at least remove, anything that is broken, torn or has peeling paint.