At Collingwood Apartment community, residents enjoy large floor plans with lots of indoor space. But perhaps just as important is the outdoor space that accompanies each apartment home in the form of a porch or balcony. Our residents love to use these spaces for entertaining friends and family, or just to enjoy the relaxed feeling that comes from spending time outside in a beautiful setting.
The Idea Specialists© at the Collingwood have been compiling ideas, trends, tips and techniques designed to inspire– on how to furnish your outdoor area and make it completely yours.
First, consider outdoor furniture that fits your lifestyle. Keep the weather in mind. You’ll want to choose furnishings with attractive finishes that will hold up in the elements. Shops and stores near Collingwood that offer a selection of outdoor furniture include American Backyard, Parr’s Furniture, and Sweetland Outdoor.
A word about accessories: Don’t forget that pillows instantly refresh or pull a look together. Add in decorative outdoor-friendly pillow in the colors your desire. Feel free to mix patterns and prints to truly express your own personal style. And to provide even more ambiance, consider hanging soft lighting to enhance the ambiance of your special outdoor area. According to Best Reviews, the five top styles of outdoor lighting include Brightech light strand, Lighting Ever LED curtain lights, Brightown globe string lights, Taotronic LED waterproof string lights, and Urpower LED solar lights.
Of course, no outdoor area would be complete without a variety of flowers and other easy to care for plants in beautifully designed containers. Get the look you want by following the three-step formula of thriller, filler, spiller. Find the container that suits your style at nearby shops including Pike Nurseries, which has several locations throughout the Alpharetta area, Urban Hardware, Lowe’s Garden Center, and Home Depot. Or to learn more about gardening, plan to visit the Alpharetta Garden Club, which meets the fourth Tuesday of each month.
“Start with thriller which will be the big, bold focal point of your container plant designs. This plant provides an eye-catching vertical element. Angelonia is a good option,” says Melissa Scott, community manager for Collingwood Apartment homes.
Other options can include tall ornamental grasses such as Purple Fountain Grass, or flowers such as Cosmos, Salvia and Dahlia.
Filler is usually composed of mid-size, mounding or rounded plants that surround and enhance the thriller and fill the space in the planter. You can use one filler or opt for two or three different plants in your container gardening design. Lantana or Vinca are also good options because these selections do not require deadheading. Other filler options include: Petunias, Begonias, and Ageratum to name a few.
Spillers are splashy plants that cascade and tumble over the sides of the container. Scott recommends Trailing Vinca. “It’s a beautiful plant with marvelous training capacity,” she says. She added that “Some residents prefer to acquire a ready-made container planting so they can simply can enjoy right away.”
Other trailing options include: Sweet Potato Vine, Ivy and Alyssum. And get ready for the Fourth of July with Pike Nurseries Patriotic Planter class on June 22. Details can be found here.
So, relax and luxuriate in your own personal outdoor retreat at Collingwood’s beautiful apartment community and share your personally decorated space with friends and family this summer. If you want to enjoy the advantage and spaciousness that our community provides, feel free to schedule a tour with our team members by calling us at 770-667-3211.