10 Aluminum Patio Cover Decor Ideas
Your patio should be a beautiful and comfortable retreat just outside your door. A space for you to read, have meals with friends and family, play with the kiddos, date nights, or partake in your favorite hobbies. If you have an aluminum patio cover, you have so many options to showcase your patio in your very own style with patio decor.
We’re going to go over 10 different decorating ideas for your patio space and aluminum patio cover! All of the ideas we’re suggesting can be found at your local stores like The Home Depot, Lowes and on Amazon. If you’re into more unique pieces, online platforms like Etsy or WayFair could be a good option for you! I will provide some links of suggestions to give you ideas, but feel free to search your preferred stores.
Without further ado, let’s get into it!
None of the following links are affiliate links.
Images sourced from links below.
1 - Outdoor Patio Furniture Set
An outdoor patio furniture set is the most impactful way to decorate your patio. You have a huge variety of materials and colors to choose from to fit your aesthetic. From wicker to metal or solid wood. From beige to yellow or black. The possibilities are endless and you have the freedom to stay more minimalistic or go wild!
Having seating, in my opinion, is the biggest benefit you can add under your patio cover. I can go outside in my slippers and enjoy a morning cup of coffee in my big cozy chair, or my family and I can sit at our patio table having dinner together. We can listen to the music of all the birds in the trees and feel that cool breeze.
What is your favorite thing to do outside in your backyard? Thinking about what you enjoy or what you would like to enjoy in your outdoor space can be a great way to give yourself some ideas. Do you love working with plants and flowers? Painting outside with the kids? Do you have a pool or plan on adding one down the road? Do you throw a lot of gatherings or BBQ a lot? This can all determine what may work best for you under your aluminum patio cover.
Working with plants and crafts with a good potential for spills may call for a glass top or metal table. It will make things easier for you when it comes to cleaning! Having gatherings or dinners outside may call for a larger set up. Long tables will seat more for when family and friends come to visit.
Regardless of your outdoor hobbies, you’ll be able to find something that fits your needs! Places like The Home Depot, Lowes, or on Amazon are great budget friendly options to choose your patio furniture from.
Here are a few links of patio furniture sets for you to check out:
Amazon: Amazon: Modern Aluminum Patio Furniture Set
HomeDepot: Multi Brown Wicker Chair and Wood Table Set
Lowes: Bronze Patio Set with Glass Table Top
2 - Plants, Flowers and more Plants!
Who doesn’t love plants?? You can place them on your patio floor, set on furniture or even hang them from your aluminum patio cover. Find yourself some beautiful outdoor plants and place them around your outdoor space. They can add such a nice touch to your home; making your patio more inviting and homey. Plants help clean the air or even aid in repelling certain pests.
Lemon grass in a big colorful pot can be a statement piece on the sides of your door or slider to your patio cover, or at the posts just outside of the patio cover. They will give off a nice citrus scent and I also hear it works well to ward off pesky mosquitoes! You’ll have to let me know on that one!
You can also use plants or flowers in hanger pots and hang them from your aluminum patio cover. I have several hanging from our patio cover and I love when our hummingbird visitors come to hang out with us.
You can hang plants from your aluminum patio cover in a couple different ways. You can find hook brackets from your local hardware store and attach them to your patio cover with screws. Or, the way I do it, is to use Alumahangers. The Alumahanger has several varieties depending on the type of aluminum patio cover you have, whether it’s a solid cover or lattice. But the best part? No drilling or putting holes into your beautiful patio cover! You also have the freedom to move them around if you want to change your set up. I love this method because it’s easy and quick.
I won’t give you any links for plants because I’m sure you know where to find them! My local plant nursery, The Home Depot or Lowes are my go to places.
If you’re interested in using Alumahangers to hang plants from your aluminum patio cover, here is the link to their website: Alumahangers and Alumahooks
Image sourced from alumahangers.com
3 - AlumaBase
Something relatively new that many homeowners don’t know about is the AlumaBase product. It is an accessory that is made for all brands of aluminum patio covers and attaches in minutes to the bottom of your patio cover h-posts. (They are not compatible with wood patio covers).
Starting out as a patio cover contractor, many of our customers would come to us saying, “When are you coming to finish our patio cover?” The reason? The incomplete look of the bottom of the h-posts of your aluminum patio cover; where the brackets and bolts are visibly attached to the concrete. To remedy this, we soon decided to create a product to make our customers happy and we think you’ll love them too.
The AlumaBase is engineered to fit snugly around the bottom of the h-post on your aluminum patio cover. They give an aluminum patio cover a more finished look while also protecting the hardware underneath from corrosion.
We have also seen other patio contractors and homeowners use the AlumaBase at the tops AND bottoms of the posts to give it a true column look. We definitely recommend having a professional do this if you go that route, as gutter drains will likely need to be re-routed to fit the base at the top of the h-post.
We obviously have them on our patio cover and love them. BUT, we’ve had wonderful feedback from our past clients and all of our new customers. We have done our best to make them easy to install for our fellow homeowners, so you don’t need a professional to attach them for you.
To keep the AlumaBase more affordable, we opted to make them out of a highly durable ASA plastic instead of aluminum. The AlumaBase was built to withstand the elements and harsh UV rays. We even ran our truck over it to test its strength and it made out like a champ!
If you’re interested or want to learn more, or just see more sample photos with the bases on aluminum patio covers, head over to our website.
4 - Roll Down Shades
Adding roller shades can certainly be a beneficial upgrade for your aluminum patio cover. Our backyard gets a lot of sun and the patio cover does wonders, but once it gets down to a certain point, we found it to be too much. Cue the roller shades!
They come in a variety of materials and colors, but we definitely recommend a material that will last with long exposure to UV rays, so they look nice for longer. Mesh material allows more air and light to come through, while something like acrylic canvas will block out all light and UV rays. Acrylic canvas is also more durable in outdoor conditions. Choose based on your own pros and cons!
Roller shades offer more privacy while you spend time under your patio cover as well. Sometimes we just feel exposed to our neighbors. Maybe you feel the same or the back of your home is visible to the street. Roller shades are an affordable remedy that can also be stylish. I believe Alumahangers has an option to hang roller shades as well without drilling into the patio cover.
Check out some roller shades and see if you’d like them for your aluminum patio cover!
Lowes: Coolaroo Outdoor Roller Shades
Amazon: Coolaroo Outdoor Roller Shades (more color/material options)
Image sourced from links above.
5 - Propane Fire Pit
We love a good fire at our house. What’s easier than a propane fire pit? For patio cover areas that have more of a lounge vibe, you should check out a propane fire pit. Firstly, there’s no smoke like an actual wood burning fire pit. No inhaling smoke and having to move seats when a breeze comes in. Stay warm while you relax and don’t worry about the ceiling of your patio cover turning black either.
Secondly, no tending to your fire to keep it going! You connect a propane tank inside of these bad boys and they produce a beautiful flame to give that cozy, trance like ambiance. Or is that just me?
Lastl but not least, they can serve a multi purpose by seconding as a small coffee table. Set your drinks or phones on the edge for hands free enjoyment. What I love most about this option? That there are a bunch of options! You can go for a DIY approach with a company like American Fire Glass, where you can customize the look of the fire put to fit your patio space. Or go with a more affordable prefab fire pit from Lowes or Amazon. There are a variety of colors, styles and textures to choose from that you’re sure to be happy with.
Images sourced from links below.
American Fire Glass - DIY Kits
6 - String Lights/Market Lights
I know market lights are all the rage still, and rightfully so! They’re cute, provide a lot of light, and offer a certain quaintness that you don’t see with other types of lighting. There is a large selection of bulb styles, but I have provided links for the tried and true.
If you’re looking for a more unique option, Etsy would be a great place to start. They are more pricey, but you are buying something that is more hand-made. Be sure to check if they’re plug-in or battery powered! Wouldn’t want you to be disappointed when they arrive.
As with hanging plants, Alumahangers and Alumahooks also work great for hanging string lights on your aluminum patio cover without permanent damage.
Images sourced from Alumahangers.com
Amazon - Addlon Outdoor String Lights
7 - AlumaTable
Do you enjoy a quiet moment with your morning cup of coffee? We sure do. Caffeine is mandatory at the start of our day; otherwise, how do we function??
Our backyard has a beautiful view of the hills. We love to sit looking out with our morning cup of coffee before we hop into work mode. I am also an avid reader and I use my mornings to get a little reading in. How can I do all these things at once comfortably? With these magical tables attached to our patio cover h-posts. I can easily rest my Kindle and cup of coffee on our AlumaTable while I enjoy the scenery from my comfy chair.
Or perhaps you’re having a family or friend gathering at your home? There is always that group that will migrate outside. Give something for the dads to rave about and have AlumaTables on your patio cover. They can rest their beers on it as they talk about the mechanics of your sprinkler system or the features of your BBQ.
What’s best, is the AlumaTable comes in four beautiful colors to choose from, that can match any color aluminum patio cover. No tools required and installation is easy-peasy.
Here is the link to check it out! Heads up though, they won’t attach to posts that have the downspouts for the cover’s gutter system.
8 - Outdoor Rug
A rug is a piece that ties the whole area together. With all of the different elements of your patio, an area rug will be a central place for gatherings. From lounging to sharing meals together.
There is a whole art to choosing and designing a space with rugs, but I’m not going to pretend like I’m an expert at that. I say, choose what doesn’t clash with the rest of your design elements. Unless that’s your vibe of course, we don’t judge here! Some people are maximalists.
The rule I live by personally, is to not choose a busy patterned rug to go with patterned furniture. Our patio furniture is more simple with solid colored fabric, so we went with a statement rug that has an intricate design. You can always do the opposite with a patterned patio furniture design and a more simplistic rug that ties it together. Pinterest is a great source of inspiration for this!
Images sourced from links below.
Lowes - Jonathan Navy/Green Flower Outdoor Rug
9 - Accent Decor
This is broad, I know. But, there are so many things that fall under this category and this blog could go on forever with all of its sub categories. We know you have lives and other things to do, so we’re going to brush over some examples.
Accent decor pieces can be pottery, candles, lanterns, wall hangings, pillows, throw blankets, ceiling fans/lights, wall sconces, vases, ladder plant displays, and so much more. It is quite literally endless with options, especially if you’re more creative. You can choose to make these accents blend in or to give little pops of color to your patio space. I have quite a few accent pieces under my aluminum patio cover that both blend in and give little pops of color. Without going overboard, I think it gives my patio space a more welcoming/homey vibe and I love it.
10 - Curtains/Drapes
While roller shades are excellent for providing more shade and privacy for your aluminum patio cover, some prefer the look of curtains or drapes for this same purpose. Having curtains on your patio cover can also help protect your patio furniture and other design elements from the weather/sun exposure.
Depending on the style you choose it can give a more luxurious, cabana look to your patio space. You can also choose an option to give your patio a nice summery vibe with pops of color or patterns.
Even if you don’t get enough curtains to cover the full opening between your patio cover posts, they can be great accent pieces as well! One in each corner, flowing freely or tied is quite beautiful.
Images sourced from links below.
Amazon - Outdoor Solid Colored Curtains
If you have made it this far, we hope that you have found a few goodies in here that you love to decorate your patio cover! There are so many options to consider and we encourage you to keep an eye out for our future blogs with updates on decor options or anything related to your aluminum patio cover.
https://www.lbstructural.com/blog
Until next time!
-Your friends at LB Stuctural Inc.