Originally Published on December 28, 2022. Last Updated on December 29, 2022.

The POLYWOOD team—and a couple of notable influencers you know and love—predicts that these 18 patio living trends will be all the rage in 2023. Keep reading to see up-and-coming designs, ideas, tech, decor, and more.

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Exterior Color and Material Trends

Suffuse your spaces with these fresh patio design trends.

1. Bold Jewel Tones

One of the outdoor furniture color trends we’re most excited about is jewel tones. Named for their resemblance to gemstones—like rubies, sapphires, and amethysts—these rich hues are saturated with color for an eye-catching, dynamic effect. Viva Magenta, Pantone’s 2023 Color of the Year, is an excellent example of a jewel tone and gives us a taste of what’s to come for tonal trends.

We suggest starting small if you’ve never decorated with jewel tones. Look for areas you want to highlight in your outdoor living spaces, such as a new lounge set, and use jewel tones to draw attention through throw pillows, side tables, or vases. For a wow-worthy dining area moment, pair chairs from our Chippendale Collection with ruby-red or peridot-hued seat cushions. Versatile, vivid, and striking in any season, we love these patio colors for year-round style.

2. Metallic Finishes

Metallic accents are steadily gaining popularity thanks to the personality and visual intrigue they bring to a space. Depending on the shade you use, these finishes can add warmth or chill vibes. To incorporate metallics into your patio aesthetic, start subtle. Try hanging wall mirrors with thin silver frames, or flank your sofa with a pair of end tables topped with burnished brass vases.

3. Sustainable Materials

A 2022 report estimates that the value of the global sustainable home decor market will greatly increase over the next decade. Valued at $331 billion in 2021, the amount is expected to reach $556.3 billion by 2031 as we seek more outdoor furniture and supplies made from natural, recycled, and upcycled materials. Here are some ways to bring sustainable style to your porch, patio, or poolside. 

• Reclaimed wood coffee tables
• Lounge chairs made with landfill- and ocean-bound plastic
• DIY planters using repurposed items
• Jute welcome mats
• Solar-powered lights
• Biodegradable pots
• Wood-burning hot tub

From shopping with eco-conscious brands to thrift shop finds, we’re reducing our carbon footprints in all sorts of ways. This isn’t a new design movement, but the underlying mission of prioritizing our planet maintains its momentum as a top trend for 2023. 

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Style, Decor, and Design Trends

We predict these outdoor design trends will elevate the aesthetic and architecture of your outdoor spaces.

4. Accessible Spaces

Outdoor areas should be safe and accessible for everyone. From national parks to private patios, we’re working our way toward more inclusively designed green spaces. There are lots of ways to ensure easier access to your yard, and these ideas will get you started: 

• Stick adhesive traction tape to the edges of steps.
• Replace your home’s address numbers with larger, reflective (or backlit) figures that can be seen from the curb.
• Place motion-sensing lights in higher-traffic areas.
• Install LED light strips on stairs, beneath railings, and along walkways.
• Place small tables by entries for convenient spots to place items before opening doors or gates.
• Update your door hardware with deadbolts that can be locked and unlocked from your smartphone.
• Replace door knobs with lever-style or push-and-pull handles.
• Install foot-operated openers on your doors’ bottom rails.

5. Merging Indoor and Outdoor Spaces 

Blur the lines that separate your indoor and outdoor spaces with a few style tweaks. Choose alfresco-friendly flooring, furniture, decor, and pillows that align with your home’s interior style to ensure flow from room to room.

If you don’t have a dedicated outdoor living space, Alyce Lopez, Owner and Principal Designer of The True House, proposes doors as a solution. “Living in southern California, square footage isn’t as bountiful,” Lopez states. “Adding bi-fold or stacking sliding glass doors is a popular way to stretch that interior square footage.” These additions let your family enjoy ample fresh air and natural light from the inside. 

6. Globally Inspired Outdoor Spaces

Dreaming of faraway places? You can easily get those destination vibes by incorporating global designs. Light your outdoor living room with metal Moroccan lanterns, or consider a romantic La Casa Café dining set styled atop a Persian-inspired outdoor rug to bring the exotic flair of faraway places.

7. Front Yard Decorating

Tidy landscaping, accent lighting, comfortable furniture—homeowners are bringing intentional style to their front yards for all to see. Whether the goal is boosting a home’s curb appeal or creating a party-ready front porch, we’re seeing more attention paid to these street-facing living areas. Turf grass is becoming a popular yard addition due to its easy upkeep and environmental benefits such as erosion reduction. “There’s an abundance of turf being applied to outdoor spaces,” Connell says. “It’s easy maintenance and is consistently lush in appearance.”

8. Cottagecore Style

Grounded in countryside style and slow living, this trend is warm and welcoming with a hint of vintage appeal. Cultivate this look in your outdoor spaces with thrift shop treasures, a small herb garden, rustic planter boxes, and inviting rocking chairs. 

9. Eclectic Style

Why settle for one aesthetic when you can combine multiple for a look that’s unique to you? Outdoor eclecticism is gaining momentum as more homeowners discover the fun and freedom that comes with this design style. Introduce this trend to your patio by mixing and matching fabrics and opting for statement decor. Roll out a patterned rug under neutral-hued furniture and layer on pillows and blankets in varied shades. For your final touches, add a few oversized lanterns, abstract metal wall art, and assorted planters. 

10. Work-From-Home Spaces

One of the most popular outdoor design trends that moves interiors to the open air is clean and comfortable patio workspaces. Get the job done under the sun by using a spacious all-weather table as your desk—complete with an umbrella if you want to opt for shade. A chair cushion keeps you comfortable from 9 to 5, and small accents like a water feature and hummingbird feeder will make those long work days a little more delightful.  

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Landscaping and Garden Trends

Turn your backyard into a verdant vision with these top landscaping trends.

11. Drought-Resistant Plants 

Droughts and extreme weather conditions have put water conservation top of mind, and more homeowners are opting for climate-appropriate plants for their landscaping designs. Bring this eco-friendly trend to your turf with the help of the EPA’s digital tools, where you’ll find water-efficient landscaping tips, the best drought-resistant plants for your area, and other water-wise ideas.

12. Kitchen Gardens

Just as the name suggests, kitchen gardens are plots or planters arranged in or near outdoor cooking spaces. This trend is on the rise because culinarians are finding that it’s an effective way to use space and keep fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs close at hand. If you’re working with a small space, start a kitchen garden that doubles as decor. Use pots of basil, parsley, and mint as a dining table centerpiece—then mix up a batch of mojitos or fresh pesto to share with family and friends.

13. Vertical Gardens

Touted for their space-saving abilities, vertical gardens are ideal for creating privacy and optimizing the square footage of balconies, porches, and fenceless backyards. Try a tall trellis with climbing clematis or hang wall planters filled with fresh herbs for a vertical kitchen garden. These think-outside-the-bed gardening trends continue to grow, and we predict more upward mobility in 2023.

14. Mediterranean-Inspired Landscaping 

Mediterranean style is sweeping the land(scapes). Taking notes from the calming, culture-rich homes seen in Spain, Italy, and Greece, Mediterranean style plays up natural materials, earth tones, and lived-in textures. “Add pea gravel, olive trees, or a vine trellis,” Lopez suggests. “This introduces European inspiration to your home.” Other ways to evoke these vibes in your backyard are terra-cotta decor and turf-block stonework.

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Outdoor Technology Trends

Give technology the mic and let it enhance your (outdoor) user experience.

15. Moody Outdoor Lighting

Dramatic lighting was a prominent fixture at the fall 2022 High Point Market (a semiannual furniture and design trade show). Our team was particularly dazzled by the glamorous chandeliers, dusky smoked-glass sconces, celestial-inspired lamps, woven rattan shades, and marble bases.

Bring the drama to your outdoors with curvy pendant lights, floor lamps featuring heavy natural stone bases, or black lanterns filled with fairy lights. “Outdoors, one of the most crucial components to consider is lighting,” Daw states. “It’s magic, elevating even the simplest of spaces into something fantastic. And we will always love cozy fire features and soft, layered landscape lighting that highlights garden and architectural features, or even just provides a nice glow.”

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Outdoor Dining Trends 

These patio living trends serve up fresh style.

16. Expanded Outdoor Kitchens

Since families spend more time outside these days, it makes sense to bring indoor comforts along. Expect to see alfresco kitchens fully stocked with large appliances and furnishings, including:

• Weatherproof furniture
• Sinks
• Dishwashers
• Cooking drawers
• Built-in gas and charcoal grills
• Side burners
• Kegerators
• Mini refrigerators

17. Small Appliances

Less-permanent gadgets are finding their way into outdoor kitchens and bars. Outdoor pizza ovens, mini tabletop fire pits, rolling bar carts, and other entertaining essentials let families make meals extra special.

18. Inspired Grazing Boards

Entertainers and home chefs are coming up with new charcuterie-inspired creations that go beyond meats and cheeses, such as breakfast foods, seasonal desserts, s’mores essentials, tailgating fare, and other delectables. We love finding new ways to serve joy and gather together outside, which puts these new takes on a pre-supper staple on our list of patio trends this year.