Use gauzy fabric in place of traditional screen.
A screened covered patio provides homeowners with three-season outdoor living space. The cover offers shelter from rain and sun, and the screen keeps unpleasant insects out. Screened patio design isn't limited to standard screen and a metal roof. Creative planning offers a more hospitable environment. Does this Spark an idea?
Safari
Use mosquito netting in place of traditional screen to create a safari patio theme. Replace a wood or metal patio cover with heavy-duty canvas. Furnish the patio with a fire pit with camp stools around it and use folding camp beds outfitted with overstuffed pillows for lounging. Set trunks around for tables and string LED lights around the perimeter. Set up a picnic table for dining, or continue the jungle theme with a round table topped by a thatched umbrella.
Arbor
Create an arbor with a patio screened by vines and topped by an open wooden framework such as a lanai or pergola. Choose vines that are hardy for your area, such as wisteria, grapes or clematis, plant them around the perimeter of the patio and train them to grow up trellises or stakes up the sides and over the top. Furnish the patio with an oak barrel table or oak barrel planters to evoke a winery. Or, go with a classic look with marble columns, wrought iron benches and terra cotta pots.
Contemporary
Build a contemporary patio with a raised teak platform and a teak roof. Add folding screened walls hung from tracks on the ceiling so the walls open to the outdoors. Install a stainless steel outdoor kitchen and a stainless bar and bar stools. Add modern seating with clean lines and solid colored cushions. Set long, rectangular planter boxes around the inside edges and grow bamboo in them. Add a contemporary ceiling fan with dimmable LED lights for romantic evenings outside.
Redo
Spruce up a dull patio with a concrete slab and metal roof. Lay flagstone or slate over the slab and replace the roof with a colorful sunshade made from UV-resistant fabric attached to the old roof's frame. Hang bamboo matchstick roller blinds around the edges or clear, heavy-duty plastic designed for use on patios in place of traditional screen. Turn the metal poles that hold up the roof into simple pillars by encasing them in wood. Add a chiminea or outdoor fireplace, a few planter boxes and wicker patio furniture.
Tags: patio with, place traditional, place traditional screen, traditional screen, around perimeter
