Clever Small outdoor living space ideas that don’t need much storage

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As the days get longer, the sun shines warmer, my energy levels are rising.  I want to do more, play more, and be outside more.  This Spring energy boost has me thinking of small outdoor living space ideas to share with you.  I know what you’re going to say, “I don’t have anywhere to store it!”  You know what?  Same.

Just because we live in a small space, doesn’t mean we don’t want to implement small outdoor living ideas into our life!  That’s … space-ism!  Outdoor living seems like an extravagance that isn’t always feasible when you have a compact living lifestyle.  But I’m here to save the summer and show you clever small outdoor living space ideas that don’t need much storage.

DOUBLE DUTY PIECES

We’ve all seen the cliché bachelor apartment photo with lawn chairs posing as everyday furniture. As cute as some outdoor chairs may be these days, no thank you.  I would argue that there are some pieces in your home which you can use inside, which would also work well as clever small Outdoor living space ideas.  If you’ve ever followed me on Instagram , you’ll know that I am an advocate for multi-purpose furniture pieces in small spaces.           

A side table in your house would be a perfect spot to pop a drink down while sitting outside.  Best part?  It’s light and easy to move.  A perfect double duty indoor item that can be a multi-purposed outside.

When I was on a trip to Morocco, I picked up my favourite leather pouf.  I use it in my van as a footstool, but it also holds all my extra blankets.  Throw it outside and it can be used as a footstool or a seat for a visitor.  If a trip to Morocco isn’t on the cards, they’re quite a trend and can be found everywhere these days!

Look around your house and I’m sure you will find easily portable items that you can move from inside to outside with ease.  You’ll be creating an outdoor oasis without having to store a single item!

FIXED AWNING

Whether you are in a house, an apartment, or live in a van/RV, a fixed awning is the perfect small outdoor living space idea that requires absolutely zero additional storage space.  The best part of an awning?  It expands your outdoor living area even on less desirable days, by giving protection to a possibly unused space on a rainy day.

OUTDOOR MOOD LIGHTING

For those of us that take down our Christmas lights after Christmas, that typically means that for 10-12 months, they’re just sitting in a box in storage.  Why not set them up outside during summer?  Repurposing “Christmas Lights” to “Outdoor Mood Lights”, is one of my favourite small outdoor living space ideas to suggest.  It is an item that you have designated storage for, and now you’re getting more use out of something that you already own.  Multi-purpose items are an integral part of small space living.

FOLDING FURNITURE

Not everything is as easy as not needing storage or re-purposing something you already own.  But if you do need to purchase something, why not make it light, compact and easy to?  On the list of small outdoor living space ideas that I couldn’t live without are my folding chairs. 

Before I bought my Helinox Chairs, I was a skeptic.  How could something so small and light and portable possibly be comfortable enough to sit in for extended lengths of time?  To be honest?  I still can’t tell you the answer to that.  But these chairs are a dream!  They weigh next to nothing (1.475kg/3.25lbs) and I can store them pretty much anywhere because they are so compact.  I can’t tell you how they are so comfortable, but I can tell you that if space, portability and comfort are important to your small space living, then these are worth the price tag on them.

MULTI-FUNCTIONAL AND COMPACT

The unicorn of small outdoor living space ideas would be to not only be compact and easy to store, but also be multi-functional.  I searched high and low (lol, that will be funny in a minute), before I found the perfect outdoor table for my van.  Outdoor living and vanlife go hand in hand, but so do lack of storage and vanlife. 

I know how I live, and I like to have options with my outdoor living set up.  I wanted a table that could be a table for working at, eating off of and cooking on. But I also know that I like to kick back and relax and have my outdoor living space be casual.  My folding Camco Bamboo Table is the best of both worlds.  It folds up so compact that it’s not a problem to store in my van.  It also has two heights that I can lock the legs at – standard table height and coffee table height.  I couldn’t believe my luck when I found it.  A multi-functional, versatile, compact and portable piece like this is one of my best finds for small outdoor living space ideas and one of my #vanlifeessentials

Just because we live in small spaces with limited storage, doesn’t mean that we should be penalized by not having amazing outdoor living options.  I hope these small outdoor living space ideas were helpful and gave you some inspiration to create an outdoor oasis to extend your small inside living space into the great outdoors this Spring/Summer season! 

Looking for more Small Space Living ideas?  Another one of my favorite articles is The top 5 tricks to organizing seasonal clothing.  I’m a huge advocate of a seasonal wardrobe as a way to create less clutter in your closet and simplify your morning routine.