Best Covered Patio Ideas to Open Your Space for Spring

As we enter the spring and our outdoor spaces grow warmer, we tend to spend more time on our patios, soaking up the sun. However, spring isn’t always sunny. We also encounter stints of light rainfall from time to time.  If you love to spend time on your patio soaking up the spring sun, bouts of rain can put a stop to your fun. Luckily, our covered patio ideas allow you to enjoy your spring garden regardless of the weather. 

In today’s guide, we’ll cover the best patio design ideas and which materials are ideal to shelter you from the rain. By the time you’ve finished reading this guide, you’ll know how to create a gorgeous, open, spring-ready patio area.

Patio Coverings Ideas: Ways You Can Cover Your Backyard Patio

Before we reveal the best ways to style your outdoor areas for springtime, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with patio covering ideas. The type of patio covering you choose should be a functional, aesthetic addition to your outdoor area. 

Finding the perfect patio covering for your space can be a challenge if you’re unfamiliar with how to style and utilize your patio furniture. Here are the best types of patio materials for this spring.

The Best Patio Covering Materials

Let’s look into the choice of the best patio covering materials for this spring in more detail.

1. Wood

Wooden patio covers are perfect for any garden or backyard with a biophilic design – i.e., a space incorporating natural elements. With its simple aesthetic, wood complements a vast array of styles and helps to inject charm into your patio area. 

Wooden patios can also be incredibly durable if maintained properly. However, to maintain their charm, you’ll have to sand, repaint, and re-stain the wood every so often, which can be expensive in the long term. 

Additionally, you’ll have to take into account that wooden covers are susceptible to rot and insect invasions.

2. Aluminum

Aluminum is a popular, inexpensive alternative to wooden patio covers that are both durable and easy to maintain. With their strong resistance to the weather, aluminum patio covers will maintain their integrity, color, and brightness year-round. Unlike wood, aluminum isn’t affected by rust, rot, or insect infestation. 

Regarding maintenance, aluminum covers don’t require repaints. They won’t be affected by humidity or water like wooden patio covers.

Aluminum is effective for spring as it blocks the sun and allows maximum ventilation.

 3. Vinyl

Like aluminum covers, vinyl patio covers require minimal maintenance and are incredibly durable. You’ll never have to worry about your vinyl patio cover rotting or rusting.

Aside from its practical qualities, vinyl patio covers are versatile with regard to colors, designs, and additional accessories. There’s an abundance of colors and shades. You can utilize your vinyl cover to create an outdoor patio that exudes a bright, inviting mood or a darker, more intimate atmosphere.

Vinyl patio covers usually have solid or adjustable lattice designs, meaning you can control how much sunlight enters your patio area. 

As excellent as vinyl covers are, it’s worth noting that vinyl isn’t as eco-friendly. Vinyl cover may provide less insulation than other patio cover materials.

4. Fiberglass

Although fiberglass patio covers are often expensive, their costs reflect their durability and unwavering resistance to insects and harsh weather conditions.

Aside from its strength, fiberglass patio covers are also customizable, meaning you choose a fiberglass design that suits your preferences.

It’s important to bear in mind that patio covers made out of fiberglass may provide less shade than other patio cover materials.

The Best Patio Coverings

Now that you know the most suitable patio materials for spring, let’s consider the type of patio coverings available to help you make the most out of your garden. 

Pergolas

Pergolas are outdoor structures that are built using columns and beams. They are typically used to create sheltered outdoor areas or shaded walkways.

Pergolas provide relief from direct sunlight while allowing for unobstructed air circulation, making them the perfect choice for an open, spacious patio. Typically constructed from durable materials like wood, metal, or vinyl, pergolas are versatile structures you can use to host guests on sunny and rainy days. 

Whether adorned with climbing plants, hanging foliage, or decorative lights, pergolas are focal points that blend in with your garden.

Aluminum Lattices

Aluminum lattice patio covers are abstract structures that flaunt a myriad of diamond shapes. Given this design, aluminum lattice patio covers are ideal for those who want to enjoy the springtime sunlight without dealing with the harsh effects of the sun.

Its unique lattice design and interwoven slats add a touch of elegance and sophistication to any outdoor space.

Adjustable Vinyl

Adjustable vinyl patio covers don’t just allow for sophisticated, minimalistic aesthetics; they also cater to your preferences on any given day.

Its flexibility with regard to sunlight exposure will enable you to control how much sunlight your patio is exposed to. With adjustable covers, you can control how much sunlight your patio plants and flowers receive throughout the day. 

Acrylic Awnings

Acrylic awning fabric is incredibly effective in protecting yourself and your loved ones from long-term exposure to UV rays.

Awnings not only make your garden seem more spacious, but they also increase the overall value of your home. Aside from being a functional addition to your patio, they also have a traditional and timeless design dating back to the early 19th century. 

The Best Backyard Covered Patio Ideas

After exploring the range of patio cover options to elevate your outdoor spaces, read on for more inspiration. Deciding on the perfect patio cover design for your garden is just one consideration when designing your patio space. 

Here are the best backyard-covered patio ideas to help you create a stylish patio for this spring!

A Haven With a Hot Tub

There can’t be anything more appealing than enjoying the spring by sharing a hot tub with friends and family under a sleek black pergola.

Not only does the color black look elegant and dramatic, but it also absorbs the most heat, meaning that you can transform your detached patio into a summer-esque retreat!

Speaking of dramatic aesthetics, why not also add a hanging pendant light to your pergola covering? The pendant lights from Jenn Pablo Studio celebrate the style of the Modern Spanish Revival, which will serve as a powerful, timelessly bold addition to your already opulent hot tub haven.

The Charming Outdoor Culinary Station

Small outdoor kitchens have proven a popular staple of modern garden and landscaping design, especially given the prominent allure of alfresco dining.

Under an adjustable vinyl structure or a fiberglass patio cover, you can enjoy a bright spring day as you embrace your inner chef!

Bringing the Movie Theater to You

A fun and affordable way to make use of your detached patio is to create an outdoor cinema.

With a couple of blankets and a few cozy cushions, you can create a comfortable seating area for your outdoor cinema.

All you need is a projector, a speaker, and a linen screen, and you can bring the movie theater to your backyard. You could even add a small fire pit to recreate the nostalgia of sitting around a crackling fireplace, roasting marshmallows as you rewatch your favorite movies during a cool spring evening.

Excellent Attached Covered Patio Ideas

Patios can look detached from the rest of your landscape design. However, this doesn’t always have to be the case. Attached patios, especially with the addition of a patio covering, elongate your living space, appearing like an extra outdoor room.

Read our attached covered patio ideas to create more synergy between your interior decor and landscape design.

Soft Fabric Meets Hardscape Materials

As extensions of your home, attached patio covers should complement the style of your house. However, that doesn’t mean your patio cover needs to match your interior precisely. 

Your patio area should exude an element of softness to give your attached covered patio more depth and dimension. Whether you’ve opted for a wooden, metal, vinyl, or fiberglass patio cover, why not add soft fabric like a shade sail or textured linens?

By doing so, your outdoor space creates an almost vacation-esque feel that you won’t ever want to leave.

Add string lights to your chosen patio cover to enhance the ambience and create a delightful romantic retreat.

A Bioliphic Design Fit For Nature-Lovers

Consider using wooden patio covers if you’re an avid lover of all things nature-related. A naturally  colored wooden pergola can add visual prominence to your space while still looking rustic. However, a white pergola will be the perfect backdrop if you’ve decorated your patio with colorful flowers. Picture how vivid your hydrangeas, wisterias, or ivies would look against a gorgeous ivory pergola.

The Allure of a Classic Awning

There’s something about a classic awning that speaks to nostalgic sweetness and timeless allure. Given traditional awnings’ striped, colorful appeal, you could almost create a perfect alfresco dining area for your backyard.

Imagine walking out on your patio in the spring sunshine with a cool drink while breakfast cooks in your small outdoor kitchen. 

What’s more, given an awning’s versatility, you have an endless range of colors and patterns to experiment with, so you’ll never have to worry about finding a style that complements your home.

Final Thoughts: Your Covered Patio Ideas

The best covered patio ideas combine functionality with aesthetic appeal, whether they are attached or detached from your home.

Imagine the joy of gathering your loved ones around the fire pit on your patio, watching the sunset after a long day in the sunshine. Is there anything more relaxing than enjoying a warm springtime on a delightfully covered and stylized patio? You tell us.

With the helpful advice in this blog, you’ll be able to create the perfect covered patio that compliments your garden. Be sure to take plenty of photos of your stunning patios, and remember to tag us on social media so we can see your creations!

For more tips related to landscape design and gardening, check out our blogs.

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