Patio Ideas to Hide Basement Doors

Paint Over

• Painting over a basement door is easy and inexpensive. Paint the door a neutral color that blends into the house or patio exterior. Stencil or draw a simple design on the door such as ivy leaves or flower vines. A more sophisticated country garden scene or mural design can cover the door and make it a patio artwork. Choose a theme that fits the patio design, such as a Western desert landscape with native plants and wildflowers to coordinate with a California mission architecture patio. For variety, keep canvas or cloth covers handy that guests or children can paint, chalk or draw graffiti on for parties or special events.

Plant Around

• Container plants with varying amounts of shrubbery can effectively hide the door. Install permanent trellis planters with climbing shrubbery around the door, or decorate with large pottery containers on rolling plant stands. Another option is placing a lattice divider across the door and planting one side with annual flowers such as scarlet runner beans or giant sweet peas. Put handles on the lattice so that you can easily lift it off the door, or stand it up by the rooted plants for emergency access. As the plants are seasonal, they will grow quickly to cover the screen and are inexpensive to replace.

Fence Off

• Surround the door with portable fence sections or room dividers. Fenced off from the patio, the door is hidden, yet accessible. Decorative dividers, such as bamboo, offer painted designs and other backgrounds for artsy appeal. Decorate plain fence sections or wood dividers with small artworks, garden signs or other décor as an art wall. Scatter tables and chairs against the dividers just as you would do for indoor room dividers.

Dress Up

• Dress up the door with outdoor fabrics. Choose upholstery cloth that matches your existing furniture and tack it over the door or staple it to lath that snubs around the basement door. Use cable ties to attach knotted beadwork or rope art to the fabric. For a pool area, cover the door with aquatic theme fabric and store life preservers by the door, add wood pelicans or seagull sculptures, and tuck rescue oars around the door. Make the design fit your lifestyle.