Springtime Decorating Ideas: Spruce Up Your Indoor Patio

Jessica Ackerman - Spring is here, and it's time to add a fresh new look to your indoor patio - or whatever indoor-outdoor space you might have, e.g., Florida room, 3-season porch, lanai, or garden room. Depending on where you live, you might be able to use your indoor patio space year-round. However, in most cases, these rooms are at their most pleasant during the more moderate spring and autumn days. Now is the time to give your indoor patio a fresh new look. Here are a few easy decorating tips that will have your patio space looking fresh and spring-like in no time.

Focus on the Beauty of Nature

With the trees, shrubs, and flowers outdoors bursting into bloom, you should also enjoy the beauty of nature indoors. Indoor patios are usually blessed with ample window space, providing the perfect spot for live plants to grow. A few pots of early springtime flowers or a couple exotic houseplants can really add a bright and cheerful look to the patio.

If you don't have a green thumb, focus on floral and nature-themed decorating accessories instead of live plants and flowers. For example, one or more nature-inspired contemporary metal wall hangings could be used to give the room a fresh new look. Framed nature prints or floral paintings can also be good choices, especially if your patio is decorated in a garden theme.

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Bring Out Your Favorite Summer Blooms for Weddings

June is one of the most popular months for marriages in the US, and has been for decades. With the near-assuredness of summer warmth without the heat and humidity of July and August, June is a dainty lady. Outdoor weddings are popular in June, as couples take full advantage of some of the year's best weather.

Perhaps more than any other reason, however, June and July appeal to brides for their incredible floral abundance. While modern farming and shipping allows for almost any bloom, at almost any time, anywhere, seasonal blooms are preferred for cost reasons. In the US there are few months, if any, that offer more seasonal blooms than June and July.

Delphinium, a beautiful purple-blue flower popular in large, English-style gardens, blooms in early summer and makes for a dramatic wedding flower. A hardy, long stem supports endless clusters of the delicate petals, perfect for a draped bouquet. Delphinium comes in shades of lavender but can be found in a rich, cobalt blue - a rare flower indeed, and hard to beat for drama.

(Delphinium via Aunt Owwee on Flickr)

(Delphinium bouquet)

Another long stem June/July beauty perhaps unparalleled for drama and romance is the Calla lily. Calla lillies, most popular in pure creamy white, offer an architectural foil to multi-petal flowers. With their long green stems and delicate, bell-shaped flowers, Callas punctuate bouquets but look incredible on their own. A simple cluster of stems tied with a simple ribbon exudes a refined elegance. If the stems are short, the bouquet is a bit prim. If left long and draped over the arm, a calla lily bouquet is the ultimate for a modern bride.

(Calla lily bouquet)

(Long stem calla lily bouquet)

Hydrangeas, with their big, fluffy heads of tiny petals, are very popular for summer centerpieces. Their size alone means a single bloom can fill a lot of real estate (and fill it well) and their abundance keeps the price relatively low. Happy brides who love the preppy romance of hydrangea are even happier to know that white (and a very pretty white at that) is one of hydrangea's natural colors. Brides looking for a little more punch can opt for shades of baby pink, fuchsia, and occasionally, purple and Dutch blue.

(Blue hydrangea via Wendy Cutler on Flickr)

(White hydrangea bouquet)

Cosmos, a delicate, symmetrical flower, is almost an archetype. With its center surrounded by big looping petals, cosmos is the real version of the flower any 4-yr old might draw. This simplicity and familiarity lends a sweetness to this hardy plant, and few brides can resist cosmos' straightforward appeal. Cosmos is readily available in shades of baby pink, rich pink, white, and more - but one variety stands above the rest and makes for a perfect bouquet flower for brides looking for serious drama: chocolate cosmos. As their name might suggest, chocolate cosmos are rich burgundy ranging to deep chocolate brown. The texture of their petals combined with the color gives the impression of luxurious fabric.

(Wild cosmos)(Chocolate cosmos bouquet)

Colorful and hardy dahlias are an excellent choice for a late June/July summer wedding. Grown all over the US and North America, this popular flower comes in an almost endless variety of colors, shapes, and sizes, from tiny to almost 10" wide. Even better for a bride? They can last up to a week after cutting.

(Dahlias via Muffet on Flickr)Of course, a June/July wedding is not a real wedding without the incomparable rose. Roses have a reputation that precedes them, which is both good and bad. Some brides may turn their nose up at what they perceive to be an overly popular plant - popular in the bad sense - but roses are famous because they are beautiful, and come in endless varieties and colors sure to complement any taste.

(Rose via Suchitra on Flickr)

(Rose bouquet via Muffet on Flickr)

(Pink rose via elvissa on Flickr)

Feeling overwhelmed by the beauty? It doesn't stop. These are just a handful of the many, many flowers available for June and July weddings. It is no wonder that brides can't resist celebrating their nuptials amongst such an abundance.

This article reprinted with permission from the Sheffield School. Interested in planning weddings and wedding flowers? The Sheffield Wedding & Event Planning course teaches everything you need to know to orchestrate a memorable event, from creating a guest list, to hiring vendors, to creating a beautiful wedding design.