Patio inspiration for small spaces

Have I mentioned that we’ll be downsizing when we move to DC? In Omaha, we had a two-story house on almost a half-acre of land. Our new place is a townhouse with a shared backyard resembling a college campus quad.

Before the grass begins, however, is a small private patio. It’s not quite big enough for outdoor dinner parties, but it’s just the right size for sitting in lounge chairs while watching the boys play in the yard. Or for drinking a glass of rosé while reading the book I didn’t get to finish on our vacation.

Despite having such a large backyard in Omaha, we didn’t own any patio furniture. There was a cobblestone patio where we kept our grill, but it wasn’t level enough for a table and chairs. Since we knew we weren’t in our forever home, we didn’t want to invest the money in fixing it.

If we wanted to sit outside to watch the dog run around or Levi play with his water table, we’d bring up our folding lawn chairs from the basement. You know, the kind you bring to outdoor concerts with general admission or to plays in the park. When we had backyard parties, we’d create sitting areas on the grass with large blankets or ask our friends to BYOLC (“bring your own lawn chairs”).

Ideally, I’d like to decorate our new patio with at least two lounge chairs, a small table, and possibly an outdoor rug. Because we’ll be starting from scratch (apart from those utilitarian lawn chairs), I’ve been spending a lot of time browsing Pinterest for patio inspiration and Wayfair for patio furniture. Here are some ideas I’m currently tossing around for our townhouse patio:

Patio Inspiration for Small Spaces

Adirondack chair / outdoor rug / faux sheep skin

chair / outdoor rug / throw pillow / drum table

chairs / table / patio umbrella

Which of these three patio ideas do you like best? I think I’m leaning towards #2, but I wonder if those Acapulco chairs are actually comfortable. Does anybody know?

(inspiration photo #1 by Tara Marie Donne via Domino, inspiration photo #2 via Lonny, inspiration photo #3 and top image by Brittany Ambridge via Domino)