How to Transition a Patio from Summer to Fall

For many homeowners, the outdoor patio is their favorite room at home. It’s where they lounge, dine, cook, entertain, and simply enjoy quiet moments in the warm sun.

Inevitably, though, fall comes along with its crisp air and dark evenings and that favorite room gets forgotten as outdoor furniture is covered and grills are stored away. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Patios shouldn’t just be reserved for spring and summer. In fact, fall is arguably the best time of year to be outside enjoying your patio if it’s designed with two key ingredients in mind:  warmth and light.

By adding a few well-designed features to your outdoor space, you can easily transition your patio from summer to fall and enjoy your favorite room in your home for months to come. Here’s how.

5 Ways to Add Warmth and Light to Your Patio This Fall

Fire Features

Perhaps the easiest way to keep warm on your patio this fall is to cozy up to the fire with an outdoor fire feature. There are a lot of fire feature options depending on the look you want to achieve.

There’s nothing quite like circling around a fire pit with friends and family when the temperature drops. And adding a fire pit to your patio is a fairly easy upgrade. You have two options:  free-standing fire pits, which are ideal if you want the flexibility of a portable fire feature, or built-in fire pits, which will add beauty and value to your existing hardscaped patio. Whichever you choose, adding a fire pit means you’ll be able to enjoy your patio well into fall.

Fire tables are another excellent option and a great choice if you plan to use your outdoor fire to entertain. Fire tables offer tabletop space around the center’s soft flame giving your guests some extra warmth and a space to rest a beverage or small plate.

For the ultimate fire feature, add an outdoor fireplace to your hardscaping. At Penn Stone, we can help with both wood-burning and gas-burning outdoor fireplace solutions that achieve the look and warmth you’re after. And we can almost promise that once you’ve experienced the glow of an outdoor fireplace, you’ll never want to come back inside.

Outdoor Cooking

Cooler temperatures shouldn’t keep you from enjoying your outdoor dining space. Some fire pits can double as cooktops by simply placing a grill grate overtop the fire source. Breeo offers a long list of cooking tools to help you cook over an open fire pit like a pro – from grill grates to place over your fire pit to cast iron kettles and more. Cooking meals by the fire, and perhaps a s’more or two…there’s no better way to keep the entire family spending time outdoors together in the fall.

But while grilling is great, outdoor pizza ovens take center stage as the standout feature of any fall patio. ALFA offers free-standing, built-in, and countertop ovens. And in addition to quickly cooking delicious pizzas, ALFA ovens are great for roasting meat, veggies, and more.

We offer a range of fire pits, grates, and pizza ovens in our Penn Stone outdoor living showroom in Lancaster. When you’re here, be sure to pick up one of our cookbooks with lots of outdoor cooking recipes.

Cozy Blankets

A simple and easy way to warm up your patio this fall is to simply dress outdoor furniture with cozy blankets and throws.

And perhaps the best part is that blankets and throws can double as outdoor décor to give your patio a decorative fall look. When you’re not wrapped up in those outdoor blankets, storage chests placed by your outdoor furniture are a great storage option, so blankets stay clean.

Tabletop Lighting Accents

Tabletop lighting accents are excellent options as you look to extend the life of your patio this fall.  They’re a popular alternative to fire pits because they’re easier to manage and provide a soft glow of evening light as well as heat directly to you and your guests as you sit around the table. Most tabletop heaters use one of three types of fuel: eco-energy biofuel, tiki oil, or sterno cans.

Lanterns are another excellent outdoor lighting option and are perfect for achieving a warm glow around your outdoor dining table or sitting area. With lanterns, you can go the traditional route with candle-lit models.  Or, if you’re looking for something a little more convenient, battery- and solar-powered lanterns from brands like Fermob, Maiori, Cane-Line, and Zafferno are simple, stylish ways to keep your patio lit as the days grow shorter.

Outdoor Landscape Lighting

The true key to transitioning your patio from summer to fall? Ambiance!

Thoughtful outdoor landscape lighting is the best way to keep your outdoor space well-lit and inviting. Not to mention, it can help accentuate the already beautiful colors of the changing season.

There are several ways to add touches of light to your patio and the surrounding landscape—it all comes down to the mood you’re looking to set. You have several options.

String lights are an easy way to instantly elevate the look of your patio. These simple and elegant lights typically cast a lot of soft light, so your patio stays well-lit without being overly bright. At Penn Stone, you can find a collection of string lights from Aspen Brands that showcase different styles of lightbulbs.

But when you’re looking to bring your entire outdoor patio to life this fall, well-designed landscape lighting is the way to go. In particular, our design team likes CAST Lighting and WAC Lighting. With any high-quality landscape lighting, the features of your patio and landscape are on display – not the light fixture. It’s an ideal way to light pathways, highlight stunning fall foliage, and create a peaceful, relaxed ambiance whenever you’re enjoying your outdoor spaces.

There are so many ways to transition your patio from summer to fall and continue enjoying your patio all season long. And our Penn Stone outdoor living showroom is the perfect place to get started. Our Outdoor Living Specialists will guide you through an array of products that add warmth and light to your patio in time for fall.

Visit our showroom at 190 West Ross Street in Lancaster, PA, and get your outdoor space ready for the new season.  Or contact us to learn more and get your patio ready for fall.