Design Ideas for a Small Outdoor Space

With help from a professional interior designer, Sarah Raskin and husband John Kerl (not pictured) had the small, lackluster covered patio of their Brooklyn, N.Y., apartment turned into a colorful, relaxing outdoor living room for their newborn daughter, Orly; John's daughter, Emily; and rescue dog, Scout.

Prior to the redesign, Sarah and John’s colorless 9-by-10-foot covered patio lacked a true space plan and was consequently underutilized.

In its new state, Sarah and John’s 9-by-10-foot covered patio is a full-fledged outdoor living space thanks to colorful indoor-outdoor furnishings, including an L-shaped sectional sofa, a graphic area rug and a custom coffee table.

Although the L-shaped sectional has the look and feel of an interior sofa, it's made of indoor-outdoor materials that can withstand the elements, including woven acrylic upholstery fabric, stainless steel legs and a woven acrylic base that has the look and feel of brown wicker.