It's in to be out.

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Relax on a patio or take a leisurely nap by the pool in this Pemberton double chaise. $1,499 chaise, $479 double cushion at Smith & Hawken.
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These clam-bake colanders in vibrant hues look festive in casual outdoor dining rooms. $36 for a set of six at Pottery Barn, www .potterybarn.com.
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Accent pillows warm up an outdoor room and provide a splash of color. Filled with nonallergenic fiberfill, the pillows have fade-resistant Sunbrella covers. Blue bandanna and blue stripe pillows, $39 each at Smith & Hawken.
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Instead of just stopping to smell the roses, people are spending many of their leisure hours among them by creating outdoor rooms where they can relax and entertain with nature at their elbows.

An outdoor room can be any space — yard, patio, deck or balcony — decorated with the same care and with many of the same elements found inside the home. The focus of the room typically is centered around dining or entertaining, or it can simply be used as a quiet sitting area.

Anyone can turn an outdoor space into a room, says Bill Logan, president of Logan Gardens, a garden shop open to the design trade at the Atlanta Decorative Arts Center.

"You can do something moderately for a couple of hundred dollars," he says. "And if you're thrifty, you can do secondhand shops and yard sales to create a fun environment."

CREATING AN OUTDOOR ROOM

• First, identify where the room will go. A deck, patio or balcony is an obvious choice, but also consider open, grassy areas suitable for larger features such as canopies and tables with umbrellas.

• Acknowledge obstacles such as a poor view, traffic noise or lack of privacy from neighbors, then consider ways to make the space more intimate. Trellises, pergolas, gazebos and arbors help define space by creating instant walls. Hanging plants offer partial privacy.

• Before investing in furnishings, decide how the area will be used. If the primary use is dining or entertaining, perhaps an outdoor table with six to 10 chairs would be a good buy. For a place to relax, mimic living room decor with lounge chairs, ottomans, a sofa or love seat and end tables.

• Choose a color scheme. For inspiration, look to the palette inside the home or the flowers and environment outside. Trendy colors this season include spa colors such as soft blues and greens; spicy hues such as paprika and mustard; and bold, intense shades such as orange, turquoise and ocean blue. Stripes are also popular. And off-whites that can be accessorized with any color never go out of style.

ACCESSORIZING OUTDOOR ROOMS

The difference between an outdoor room and a conventional patio is that furnishings and accessories are taken up a notch. Consider such design elements as:

• Area rugs made specifically for the outdoors in synthetic materials that don't fade, shrink or hold moisture. Or, paint a faux rug or stencil a border on a concrete slab to dress it up.

• Accent pillows that add color and pizazz.

• Lighting — lanterns, oil lamps, torchieres and light strings are cool. But outdoor lamps with water-resistant shades and bulbs sealed in a watertight enclosure are even cooler.

• Wall art created for the outdoors that is moisture-resistant and fade-proof.

• An outdoor sound system for ambience.

• Focal points such as an outdoor fireplace or water fountain.

• Textures. Vinyl and resin are so passé. Upholstered cushions add warmth and richness and don't have to cost a lot to look good.

• Decorative plates, glasses, serving ware and bar items that coordinate with the outdoor color scheme. Paper items will pass, but unbreakable plastics and stoneware have more class.

— Sources: Smith & Hawken and Bill Logan of Logan Gardens

FLORAL ACCENTS

Coordinate your flowers to match your outdoor furnishings. Here are some suggestions:

Orange/coral color scheme

• Orange daylilies

• 'Lucifer' crocosmia

• 'Bengal Tiger' canna

• Orange marigolds

• Coral geraniums

• Orange zinnias

• Coral hibiscus

Blue color scheme

• Plumbago

• Forget-me-nots

• Petunias

• Ageratum

• Veronica

• Salvias

Green color scheme

• 'Aaron' caladiums

• Chartreuse coleus

• 'Marguerite' sweet potato vine

• Any white or green-and-white variegated foliage

HELP ONLINE

Having a hard time choosing a color scheme?

Visit www.hgtv.com/color. The online companion to HGTV has an interactive "Pick-a-palette" link that enables users to see color combinations for rooms and provides tips on how to mix and match colors.