Large patios 16 to 18 feet in diameter will accommodate large groups of people and are enough for seating. You can decorate the patio with outdoor patio couches, chairs, tables and ottomans. You should have at least a 3 foot pathway on the large patio for traffic to move around the area without stumbling over the furniture. If you have the patio by the backside of the house, the exterior house wall could be the place to put a television or stereo.
A medium-size patio that is 12 to 14 feet will fit a 48 inch dining table with chairs. You will have plenty of room to walk around the area. You don’t want to use a bigger table with chairs on a 12 to 14 foot patio or you will loose room to walk behind the table and chairs.
Small-size patios 6 to 7 feet in diameter will be large enough to fit a bistro table and two chairs. The area of the patio is small, but this is enough room to walk around the table and chairs. If you don’t have a lot of room in your backyard, this type of patio will still allow you to enjoy the outdoors while relaxing or enjoying a meal.
If you are interested in a sun patio for sunning, you can make the patio about 2 to 6 feet in diameter to fit lounge chairs and a table; you wouldn’t want to go any smaller. If you plan to have more than two lounge chairs, you would need to expand the diameter of the sunning patio by at least 3 or more feet.