In an outdoor room, you’ll have your ‘walls’ made by your patio blinds or other type of living shrub, bush or climbing vines.  Your roof or ceiling to your outdoor room could be provided also by your climbing vines and other greenery or from a man-made source, such as a canopy or awning.  The floor of your room will likely be made of some type of stone or other masonry product.  If you are looking for a more rustic appeal, you could use a tumbled patio paver for a nice floor.  Then, you can have your patio furniture arranged around or on top of some outdoor rugs for a truly polished look.

A good example of how an outdoor rug can soften the patio space.

Here at Patio Covers Place, we really like the way that discussing this simple accessory can bring in so many other elements of patio living and design ideas.  This is what we live for and want to help you create.  At one point, you probably would have had to settle for some rug that you just didn’t care about anymore and so you could use it outdoors.  Well, this is certainly not the case anymore.  There are outdoor area rugs that are made just for that space and will serve you much better than using one made for indoor use.

The difference between an indoor and outdoor rug is mainly in materials at this point.  There may have been design or appeal differences in the past, but you can pretty much get the same types of styles and designs now for both.  In addition to these esthetic differences, outdoor patio rugs can also be better suited for this space because they can be found in large sizes as well.  You can still get them in a standard 6’ x 9’ size and rounds as well.

What makes them truly unique is the materials, as mentioned.  This is particularly the case with the renewable and sustainable materials we are so fond of around here.  For example, outdoor bamboo rugs make for a great look and stand up very well to the elements.  Because this material is a sustainable and renewable source, like their bamboo blind cousins, these rugs are some of our top picks.  So, if you’re in the market looking for outdoor rugs for your patio or deck space, consider these in your mix.

So, what type of material are these outdoor rugs made of?  Good question.  Aside from the obvious choice we’ve mentioned using bamboo, there are other durable materials as well.  If you’ve read our articles and browsed our site before, you know that we are highly interested in materials and practices that are both sustainable and environmentally friendly.  This is why we are such big fans of the bamboo products as mentioned.

In keeping with these principles, we also realize that not all products are made with these materials and that often we must look to other options for support of these ideals.  If you consider quality for a moment, you will realize that a quality accessory like an outdoor rug will last much longer than a cheaper imitation or poorly made one.  This is in line with our philosophy as well.  If something lasts, it will be around longer and will not be put into the trash and landfills.  The reason to bring this up is because there are many high quality polypropylene rugs.  These not only resist fading, but also have high mildew resistance because they dry quickly as well.  In the end, it comes down to your overall impact and choices for all of your patio accessories – this includes your outdoor rugs as well.

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Plus, when it is in the middle of the summer or you just need some shade to hang out there a bit longer, pulling the string or pressing the button can bring you instant relief.  We say this because there are, in fact, both manual and motorized blinds and shades.  The manual patio blind is still the most common and is fairly simple to operate.  In most cases, these styles either roll down or have a roman blind type of function, where each panel ‘slides’ down.

This rendition shows patio blinds that will block the sun and provide great privacy.

Motorized styles will have a guide wire or track in which the blinds will ride down as they unroll or slide.  In either style, the end result is a type of ‘faux wall’ that is created.  This appearance of a semi-enclosed patio can provide you with more comfort in the shade and a sense of privacy.  Because you can still see through them unless you have a solid fabric material, you don’t feel too enclosed or trapped in a small space.

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Speaking of materials, you can find outdoor shades made in a variety of fabrics and materials.  The trend is moving toward more organic materials that represent a sustainable and environmentally friendly options.  One perfect example of this style is bamboo blinds.  Bamboo is both a natural resource, but is sustainable because it is actually a grass.  This grass grows very quickly and will withstand the outdoor elements on your patio quite well.

Other patio shades that stand up well to the outdoors are the heavier canvas materials and those made with Sunbrella.  This Sunbrella brand fabric is dyed during the stage of production when the fabric material is still and is therefore locked into the final product when it is dried.  This helps to keep them fade free and weather resistant.  At Patio Covers Place, we tend to be in favor of quality materials and above all else environmental and sustainable patio products and accessories.

For this reason, we must weigh product materials versus longevity to determine a products real impact to the planet.  Often, what might seem like an environmentally poor choice, like plastic and polymer-type materials, can actually be better for us in the long run because these materials last longer.  If, for example, you can end up using a patio blind for a longer period of time, it means it is usually of better quality and it also means that it is less waste for our landfills.  This makes certain fabric choices winners in the long-term.

Outdoor patio blinds come in a variety of patterns and colors as well.  If you are trying to match the theme of your home or simply your exterior paint color, you should have no problem.  Something that is not often considered with this type of discussion is the savings in your indoor cooling costs as well.  If you can provide more shade to your patio, then your cooling costs will be less because of less sun exposure.  This is never more true than in a discussion of cooling enclosed patios and sunrooms, too.  Using conservatory blinds can save you a bundle.

This is just another reason to buy quality and consider it an investment that pays for itself.  Pricing for your blinds will vary depending upon the amount of coverage you are looking for.  Don’t be suckered in by going just for the cheap blinds to save on your initial investment.  You’ll be happy that you opted to go for the quality patio blinds.