How to furnish a terrace

Summer is on its way, and with it the pleasure of living in your outdoor space.

It’s time to furnish your terrace and transform your outdoor area into the ideal place for relaxation and enjoyment, with the right furniture, paving and solutions.
Here are some hints on the best approach to furnishing your outdoor terrace.

Furnishing your terrace: where to start

Whether it’s a panoramic rooftop or a small city-centre terrace, with the right choice of materials, furniture and decorative solutions your (often underused) outdoor space can be transformed into a private oasis.

The first step when furnishing your terrace is to decide its function: relaxation space, dining area, urban garden with a little vegetable plot, or all these in one.

If you have a large terrace you can create separate functional areas, but for a small terrace it’s fundamental to make full use of space with folding furniture and tailor-made solutions.

It’s also important to assess exposure to the sun and wind, so you can choose weatherproof features to protect the space.

For example, a sheltered outdoor terrace can be protected from the sun with standard awnings, while a terrace more exposed to the wind, or in specific climate zones, may require a more substantial, high-tech covering.

Outdoor paving: reasons for choosing stoneware

Porcelain stoneware is definitely the best terrace paving material, due to its intrinsic qualities:

it’s flame retardant, hygienic and high-performing
it withstands thermal shock, rain, damp and wear
it’s easy to clean and doesn’t need any extraordinary maintenance
it perfectly replicates natural materials such as stone and wood

This means it enables you to decorate your terrace to suit your own taste and style, combining looks with convenience.

Roots: the warmth of wood for Nordic style terraces

The ROOTS collection combines the natural beauty of wood with the durability of porcelain stoneware. Ideal if you want to create an inviting yet high-performing surface.

A rooftop terrace paved with ROOTS Taupe Out can be quickly transformed, with an easy installation process, into a place for relaxation, with a warm, simple, tactile paving that inspires contemplation.

A genuine Nordic style terrace, understated yet contemporary, finished to real interior design standards.

This wood-effect stoneware’s veining dialogues with minimalist matching furniture, natural fabrics and green plants, and provides attractive contrasts with metal or stone furnishings.

Warm and extremely realistic, the ROOTS Honey Out oak-effect stoneware paving is perfect for creating more tactile, time-worn design schemes, in ethnic or biophilic style.

Its similarity to the original is incredible: knots, veining and flaws are all present in this wear-proof wood, a stoneware with perfect finishes where only the fragrance of sap seems to be lacking.

Vento del Sud: a terrace with Mediterranean appeal

For anyone aiming to re-create the sun-kissed mood of the Mediterranean, the Vento del Sud collection provides the perfect solution for furnishing their terrace.

This stone-effect porcelain stoneware transforms an outdoor space into an open air room, which merges into or re-creates the beauty around it.

Its tactile textures and subtly varied colours evoke Mediterranean stonework and architecture and combine to perfection with herbs, colourful pottery and light awnings.

Vento del Sud is therefore unbeatable for a terrace with plants.

How to make your outdoor space more practical

Apart from aesthetic considerations, your terrace has to be practical.

The terrace’s furniture plays a fundamental role: extending tables, stacking chairs, cushions with removable covers and storage boxes optimise the use of space.

To create areas of shade, you can opt for awnings, bioclimatic pergolas or adjustable sunshades that provide protection from the sun and add comfort.

How can you brighten a terrace, if it’s often in shade or has a permanent roof?

Once again, Vento del Sud comes to your aid, as its lighter shades brighten the environment with their colours and reflected sunlight on surfaces.

At night, we recommend diffuse lighting, with low-energy outdoor LED fittings which are not only an environment-friendly choice but also provide a warmer, more relaxing light, making the terrace a more attractive place to be enjoyed to the full.

Solar lamps and strip lights also help to build the mood and ensure the terrace’s safety. Layered lighting, with ambient light and focal points that emphasise each corner, is also an excellent idea.

For a terrace with plants, we advise you to opt for tough varieties: geranium, lantana, verbena, not to mention, lavender, rosemary and other herbs such as sage, mint, thyme and basil, ready for your dinners on the terrace. Last but not least!

Automatic watering, to simplify their care.

With the right design choices, furnishing your outdoor terrace is a way of improving your daily quality of life, with a space to be enjoyed, shared and loved.

Explore FAP’s outdoor products!