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Spending a pleasant evening on your own terrace looking out to a gorgeous view, lost in your thoughts is an absolute dream for me. Unfortunately though, most of us are not lucky enough to have a terrace in our homes or apartments.

For those who are fortunate enough to live in homes with terraces, they often end up neglecting the space. The initial euphoria of a terrace soon gets forgotten to the grind of our daily lives and we just do not want to add terrace upkeep to a long list of to-do things.

Just in case you also fall in that category and your terrace has been neglected for a while, here are a few tips to add some much needed life to your special go-to place whenever you need to relax and take your mind off from work or whatever.

1) Heating or Cooling

If you live in a place that can get quite cold, I suggest to get a nice terrace heater. There are several portable heating solutions for terraces available in the market. They look trendy, do not cost a lot and are quite efficient as well.

Take care that you buy a model that is good enough to distribute heat as per your terrace size. Larger terraces may need a more extensive solution but for nice cozy terraces, the portable solutions are just fine.

You also need to take care that your terrace heaters come with protective grills just in case you have children around who may accidently touch the heater.

For those who live in warmer places, a portable air cooler would be a nice addition to your terrace. Something that has a nice fan with adjustable settings.

I just love sitting on a terrace with a gentle breeze blowing over my face. A cooler with a fan can do that regardless how warm it gets where you live.

Ideally the fan on your cooler should not make much noise as otherwise it can get too distracting. A protective grill is again a must to protect children from any potential accident.

2) Create a meditation space

Okay, hear me out on this. It does not matter if you are not into meditation and do not intend to start in the future.

When I say a meditation space, I basically mean a space where you can sit and just be comfortable, taking your mind off anything you want.

So you could simply add an artistic chair and table. You could use some wooden handcrafted seating. Some could actually create a meditation space where you can even sit on the floor. Whatever works for you. Make sure to add some nice pillows, maybe a small blanket or anything else that would make you feel comfortable.

Creating your meditation or comfort space will make you want to spend more time on your terrace and just give out a positive vibe.

3) Add some greenery

Plants are definitely the best way to add some life in your terrace. Depending upon your terrace size and its dimensions, you may want to try out some nice creepers that go around giving a beautiful effect on one side of the terrace.

You could also opt for simple plants on their own individual pots or even together in a garden casing.

Note when it comes to plants, choosing the right plant would firstly depend upon the weather where you live and secondly on how regularly can you water the plant.

Your choices are higher if you can water daily. However, if you are one of those lazy ones or busy ones, you may want to choose plants that do not need watering on a daily basis. There are many plants that need watering only once or twice a week.

4) Lamps and LED lighting to set the mood

I absolutely adore any kind of small open spaces with beautiful lamps just managing to keep a gorgeous glow over the area.

It is my dream to spend evenings, sipping warm tea, sitting on my own comfy place with a gorgeous lamp lighting the space just enough for me to see but not enough to make it too bright.

Playing with lamps and attractive lighting in your terrace will add an amazing charm to the place. In fact, good mood lighting can be so relaxing and it will just transform your terrace to the place you spend most of your time every evening.

Final thoughts

Everything given in this article are actually extremely simple and easy to add to your terrace. However, they make a world of difference in transforming a neglected space to your most beloved place to spend time in your home.

Just make sure that you first clean your terrace well before adding anything to it. Also remember, throw away any unwanted junk. Sometimes removing things is way better than adding things to liven up any space.

Keep Things Neutral

By choosing neutral furniture, you will be able to swap smaller things like bedclothes and décor out as they age. Though a racing car bed is cute for a toddler, they might not appreciate sleeping in it when they become teenagers. One bed made from a neutral wood or metal will be more appropriate and can stay with them as they age.

This also allows you to potentially spend a little more when you initially buy it if you have the budget to do so. Try to make a good investment that you know will last for years. The furniture could even potentially leave home with them when they get their first adult home too.

Make Storage a Priority

No matter how old your child is, you need to make sure that their room has plenty of storage. A young child is going to have a lot of toys to put away, while an older one may have interests like an instrument or art that needs storage space.

If you don’t have enough room within your home, you might want to consider renting some storage spaces nearby. Not only will you be able to keep your children’s items there, but you should be able to store other items around the house. You may have questions like “how much does storage cost?” or ‘how long will I need a rental space?’. However, you may find that it can fit into your monthly budget much easier than other items like expensive gym memberships that you hardly use. This could give you the chance to expand on your home’s storage capabilities, and leave room for some other things that might be needed a lot more.

Take Their Thoughts on Board

Whether your child is a toddler or a teenager, they will probably have some ideas on how they want their room to look. They will require a little more guidance as a toddler, and some of their ideas might need a few creative interpretations, but they can definitely still provide you with some ideas about what they would like to see in their room.

The older your child is, the more likely it is they might be able to help out with some of the choices around the room. For example, a smaller child could pick out their paint and help with the decorating. Meanwhile, a teenager could be given a complete budget and asked to handle the full renovation themselves if they are responsible enough to do so. There are many ways to get your children to help you out with a renovation, so think carefully about their capabilities before you get stuck in.

Ideally, you want to create a functional and relaxing space that is an extension of your child’s personality. You also need to make sure that you are creating a space that will last them for several years. Changing rooms for them every few years can be incredibly expensive, and just simply isn’t worth it. Take the time to speak to them and work with your children to create a room that they are going to love spending time in. From the colour of the walls to the choice of bedspread, there are tons of little things that could make a difference.