Saw a couple of posts about new patio furniture and thought this topic might deserve its own thread! What kind of patio, deck, etc. do you have (or wish to have)? What about furniture and other things outdoor? Let’s chat and share photos if you’re so inclined!
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We did away with a patio large table and have four smaller tables that can be moved around with our chairs on our deck.
This year, my goal is to actually plant flower boxes for that area. It will look nice opposite the hanging plants.
But first up…that deck needs to be power washed!!
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In our previous house we call House1, we built a large deck in the back, but we rarely used it other than to grill a few things for dinner. The deck had no cover, so couldn’t be used when it rained, even with an umbrella, and the mosquito population in that area was epic and very vicious! We also had a front porch, just big enough for a swinging loveseat and a couple of side tables. So that’s where we mostly sat with our evening beverages, but it was not a space large enough to share with friends. The mosquitoes, to our surprise, were not as plentiful on the porch.
We were pleased that the previous owners of our current house (aka House2) added a large covered deck. The layout and the concept was great, but lack of regular maintenance made that space look sad and potentially unsafe. I tried my best to restore the wood, scrubbed the lichens and moss off it, and stained it. Still, we knew the days of that wood were limited. It took us a lot of $$ to bring the space to its current glory lol, but we both agreed that it was the best home improvement project we paid for. We bought a large firetable and side chairs for the covered space, and I use the uncovered space as my deck garden. We have bodies of water not that far here, too, but the local bats and birds seem to do a great job of keeping mosquitoes in check! Haven’t needed bug spray at all in all these years of enjoying our deck.
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We purchased the below earlier this week. It will be delivered (and put together) on Tuesday. Our current patio furniture is 12 years old, and we have talked about getting new for a couple of years. This year I didn’t do much analysis - just went for something that met our general requirements that was on sale at Costco.
ETA - unfortunately, most of our yard is in the front. We do have a back yard, and a deck that is the width of our house minus the garage, so it’s plenty big. It’s not completely private in the back, but we have some trees that help make it feel private. We get a lot of different kinds of birds (there’s a river at the end of our street) and plenty of foxes and deer go through. Before our back neighbor moved in and put up a fence for her dogs I think we got more, but we still get some. We often sit out on the deck and read/enjoy our adult beverages/have dinner when the weather is nice.
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Looks awesome!
We did a major backyard revamp about five years ago. We’re in coastal southern CA and can entertain outside all year. The umbrella is giant, on wheels, and can tilt. Two dining tables that can seat six each, and are easily movable if we want to put them together. The best part is the seating around the fire pit. We did not skimp, and I don’t regret it. It brings me joy every day!
The picture is from an Aussie party. Those decorations were temporary.
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The one thing we are lacking and I have had on my request list since we moved her 2.5 years ago - a fire pit area. Apparently it’s not on my H’s priority list!!! 
This afternoon I’m actually spending some time looking for a bench for our front porch. We currently have 2 Adirondack’s there but the front porch is NOT someplace we’d choose to sit for more than a brief time (like putting on shoes or waiting for someone to arrive) so I want to move the Adirondack’s to the back (preferably around a fire pit but for now, in a shady area that I like to sit in the evening and read.
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The screen porch practically sold our house to us. We have a round table which seats six, and a sitting area with a couch and two rocking chairs surrounding a fire pit table. The table has a large enough surround to put plates on so it’s also additional eating space.
ETA: No picture yet because I haven’t “opened” the space for the season yet. I have to clean and vacuum a lot!
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This is my outdoor space. There is a Japanese woman in my building who likes to do gardening. The building gives her some money to buy plants and she makes it look very nice. It is open to all residents. We can have small gatherings at the garden.I have to admit, I probably only use it 2-3 times a year.
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A little piece of heaven! 
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Ordered my front porch bench! It is protected where it will be and I think I’m not going to use the bench pad - because I don’t like it (also how will it EVER stay white, even protected!)
It fits the modern, with-some-personality look I wanted. A giant pot of flowers next to it, it will (hopefully) be great!
https://www.wayfair.com/outdoor/pdp/alcott-hill-wooden-garden-bench-w000926556.html
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I wish I had a deck or a patio - I’m jealous of the beautiful spaces above. I have a large, very nice yard, but no dedicated outdoor area (we just move outdoor chairs onto the grass if we sit outside). We have an aluminum porch off the back, which is nice for sometimes - but it gets too hot in the summer and really needs to be replaced. It’s got 35 year old sun bleached carpeting and it’s decorated with our old couch & loveseat, so not exactly stylin’. This is not something important to H, though, so it’s not likely to happen. Sigh. But our gardens are very nice.
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Our AZ house has a front courtyard and a back patio that connects via large doorwall to the dining room. When we have parties, we leave all the doors open so guests can mingle in both spaces.
Front:
Back:
At the cabin, I live on the porch where I read, nap, crochet, and feed the chipmunks from my swing:
We are waiting for our contractor to deliver a quote for a screened porch which would be an addition that wraps around the side of the cabin behind the grill in that bottom pic (leaving the front porch open). Honestly, if I get that screened porch, I’m not sure I’ll want to return to AZ. The cabin is my happy place.
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Love your red porch. Also love all the pics and text with your post except for feeding the chipmunks! 
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Maybe a bench glider (covered or uncovered) or a hammock?? Beautiful gardens are something many wish they could achieve!
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I’ll feed anything that scampers across or flies onto the porch.
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See this is the problem.. SCAMPERING. 
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Our son gets impatient feeding the chipmunks one peanut at a time. Instead, he feeds them a buffet of “toenuts.”
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We did a ton of work on our outdoor living spaces. We started with a cracked concrete pad in the back yard right up against the house with minimal landscaping:
A few years after we moved, we installed a big brick paver patio, bought new furniture and made some “zones”. We also moved the old patio furniture to the front porch:
Fire pit area:
Dining Area:
Grilling area:
And we did a lot of updating of the landscaping in the ensuing years:
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That firepit is so cool! I’ve never seen one like that - beautiful!