How to brighten up your summer with colourful outdoor trends

This months guest blog from Trend Bible shows how you can make this summer your most stylish with three top outdoor trends to brighten up your outdoor decor no matter where you are or what you are doing.

Back in August 2009 we published our Spring/Summer 2011 trend forecast, safe in the knowledge that we will attempt to spend as much time outdoors as possible, regardless of the weather! Outdoor products are a growing market segment for retailers, and we think there are some really great examples of the key trends starting to unfold in major retailers this summer. Check out these irresistible looks that work well both outdoors and in.

The New Nautical Trend

We’ve found lots of evidence of this New Nautical trend, which is derived from our Spring Summer 2011 Collector story. A classic color palette of blue and white underpins this laid back look, with an injection of vibrant red – a very patriotic look!

The ongoing financial crisis means consumers are finding comfort in the familiar and investing money in safe and authentic products, so we think there’s a return to safe, classic looks that are fresh yet familiar. For outdoor products, think striped deckchairs, lots of natural elements like driftwood and pebble shapes, statement typography for beach mats and the ubiquitous ‘red, white and blue’ color combination for tableware.

Summertime is all about spending your time outdoors; whether it’s eating al fresco, visiting a music festival, or having a picnic in the park. So what better way to inject color into your outdoor living area than with this bright, optimistic palette?

The Festival Trend

Festival – inspired by our Libertine trend featured in our trend book for Spring Summer 2011. It celebrates a carefree attitude and a desire to live both indoors and out, to make the most of those long summer days.

Outdoor products include powder coated metal furniture in glossy bright colors, laminates and melamine tableware which take strong color beautifully, clashing chevron and floral prints, and fun temporary shelters that allow us to adapt our living spaces and blend indoors and out.

The Rise of the Staycation

The recession has been a key factor in the decline of travelling far away from home for summer vacations, and so we’ve seen the rise of the ‘staycation’.

There’s been an increase of families and couples taking vacations close to home and getting back to nature with camping trips or adventure trips. Derived from our Voyager trend, The Great Staycation celebrates The Golden Age of Travel and the concept of the journey, focusing on train journeys and road trips.

For outdoor living, think melamine picnic sets, utility styled camping stools, wicker picnic hampers and vintage road maps as print inspiration for outdoor blankets and cushions.

On mydeco.com there is no limit to how creative you can be with your outdoor decor, no matter what the occasion. For some great al fresco dining photos and products take a look at our summer table top folder, and for some ‘staycation’ inspired looks you can browse through our Great American Traveller folder.

Create your own folders and save favourite products, inspiring garden moodboards and 3D outdoor living areas in one place.

Use our image clipper to copy any image on the web – it’s saved to your mydeco profile so you can refer to it whenever you want.

Get creative this summer!