The elements of a sanctuary differ only in your personal tastes. The perfect outdoor sanctuary will include: seating, landscaping, and the fine touches, like patio chair cushions, that make it a relaxing and comfortable space to be in. Let's examine how to use each of these elements to create a personalized and comfortable outdoor space.

Step One: Defining your space. What type of space are you looking for? What will its purpose be? Are you looking for a quiet spa like getaway or a spiritual retreat? Do you want your outdoor space to be an ultra comfortable place with lots of lush patio chair cushions where you can entertain or a location that is designed just for you? Take a moment to decide the purpose of your space.

Now, with the purpose of your outdoor room in mind, step outside and evaluate the amount of space that you have. Does your space meet your needs? For example if you want your outdoor space to be a place that you can entertain but you only have a 10 x 10 patio, you may want to reconsider the purpose of your space.

Will your ideal space need a deck? Will you need to pour a patio? The answer may lie in the purpose of your space. There is a large trend to build expansive decks for dining and entertaining. However, this doesn't mean that you have to spend a lot of money. There are a variety of materials you can use to segment your yard including gravel or wood chips. Stepping stones can be placed to create a path to and from the seating area. Keep in mind that you probably don't want you segmented space within your yard to take up more than a third of the space. This means that if you have 300 square feet of yard space, you'll want to designate only 100 square feet of it to a patio, deck or other type of material.

Step Two: Choosing your furniture. Your patio furniture sets the tone for your space. Beginning with materials, you will want to decide how your furniture will help you meet your goals for your outdoor space. Wrought iron furniture is significantly more formal than an earthy and natural teak table set. Wicker is casual and can set the stage for a comfortable cottage feel or a luxurious garden space.

Of course the pieces that you choose are important too. A picnic table and bench may fit the needs of a traditional family focused space while a simple meditation bench might be the perfect addition to a Zen Garden. If you're setting your space up for entertainment, you can look for outdoor sofas or a large dining set ? if you have enough room you can do both! The choices are many and range from Adirondack chairs to chaise lounges, picnic tables, sofas, dining sets, benches and much more. Of course, no seating, even minimalist seating, is complete without a cushion. Let's move onto Step 3 and examine how patio chair cushions and other details set the perfect stage for your outdoor room.

Step Three: The details. Looking back at the purpose of your outdoor space what details will bring it all together? If you're creating a tropical paradise then you'll likely want to do some landscaping to create a lush environment. The tropics is also full of bright colors like fuchsia, deep green, orange, and even vibrant blues. Bring these colors into your space with your patio chair cushions. Imagine the stunning effect a bright yellow or fuchsia cushion will have.

Neutral colored patio chair cushions lend themselves to a more Zen-like outdoor retreat. Of course the details don't stop with patio chair cushions. Planters, umbrellas, landscaping, and details like an arbor or trellis will also help you set the stage. Consider water features for quiet retreats, and hot tubs and outdoor grills for a space devoted to entertaining.

Follow these three basic steps when planning your outdoor sanctuary and you'll be on your way to creating your ideal space. Remember that when it comes to creating your ideal space you need to have a purpose for your space, choose furniture that fits the size of your space, the style of your yard, and the purpose of your environment. You also need to really focus on the details from the big stuff like your landscaping all the way down to the type of patio chair cushion that you choose.