If you’re pining for sunny days but tired of the same boring patio, try these easy patio makeover ideas to give your outdoor space a fun facelift.

• First, sweep away all dirt and debris and get rid of broken or cracked furniture, empty flower pots, and crumbling trellises. Start with a clean slate.
• Clean your patio surface with a stiff bristle brush and small amount of detergent. A pressure washer works too to blast away green slime that collects where water has pooled. Be careful with the pressure washer, though, so that you don’t start taking off layers of material.
• Turn broken slabs and cracked concrete into superb planting spaces. They’re the perfect nooks and crannies for those lovely scented thymes. When crushed underfoot, these plants release a wonderful aroma. Turn these patio imperfections into more of a statement by taking a jackhammer to them and making the holes even bigger. A wonderful gardener in Victoria, Canada, created huge pot holes in her driveway this way and planted them up with eye-catching results.
• Cover yucky or discolored areas with outdoor rugs. These floor coverings are designed to withstand the elements and can be hosed down to clean.
• If you just can’t stand the look of your patio surface, you can recover it with a new wood deck or wooden deck tiles.
• Invest in great patio furniture. Nothing says tacky or dated than worn, cracked, plastic outdoor furniture. It may have looked fabulous when new, but now it’s time to move on. After a few seasons, not even a good scrubbing can get those white plastic chairs looking clean again. The same goes for that worn old faded patio umbrella. Instead look for tables and chairs in stainless steel with the look of wrought iron, or in outdoor wicker. Market umbrellas and patio cushions complete the look.
• And speaking of cushions, choose a palette you can live with and repeat it through out. Your best bet is to choose neutral or earth tones you can punch up with splashes of color in your containers or with vibrant throw cushions. By pairing neutrals with colored accents, you’ll never tire of the combinations you create, and you won’t have to spend a great deal to change the look.
• Invest in great containers. Glazed or unglazed terra cotta and concrete containers come in an infinite array of sizes and shapes. Colors too. Get rid of the economy plastic (you know the kind I mean). If you really like plastic because its so light weight and easy to store, pay a bit more for the terra cotta replica planters that for all the world look like the real thing but are really made from cleverly disguised PVC resin. For large containers, buy container stands on wheels so that they can be moved easily and debris swept from underneath them.
• Group containers in odd numbers: one’s, three’s and five’s. They just look better arranged that way.
• Create a simple centerpiece on your patio table with a candle or tabletop tiki lantern.
• Accent the space with whimsical garden statuary. These are the touches that make your patio interesting for you and your guests. But the trick here is not to go overboard. Bunnies and birds peaking from every corner will look comical, not artistic.
• If you have a wall and available electrical outlet, add a wall fountain. Or, hang an interesting looking wood or metal-finish trellis. You won’t have to train anything on it because it will look fabulous just as it is.
• Add several stepping stones where the patio and garden meet to transition visitor between the two areas.
• Finally, for evening entertaining, add solar light fixtures to posts, stairs, and walls to give your patio paradise a cozy glow when the sun goes down.