Truth be told, big spaces in most homes today have become a luxury that many of us cannot afford.High-rise apartments are becoming the order of the day, and since we have no option- we buy them. For the few who are lucky, buy housing units which affords them some luxury albeit in small doses.I recently attended a home expo with my partner in a bid to have an idea of what our future home will look like, and, we were very amused at how ingenious architects have become in designing homes that have everything, space notwithstanding.As we went around, I noticed that many homes have everything you need and the houses looked beautiful, but I still felt something was missing. I kept on looking until when I came to see the exact vision of a house I had envisioned for my family.Most designs of the houses that I saw were beautiful, but they missed patios. I am an outdoor person, I love sitting out on the patio to read a book when I want to or even as much as do some barbeque with my family on a Sunday afternoon. So for me to build my family home with a patio is a must.For those who have patios, it is good to know that you can change your patio into something interesting. Patio in a home is just as important as a window. As much as the window protects from so many things, patios bring out the missing link between the indoor and the outdoor. Patios are commonly used as outdoor extension of a home’s indoor living room -complete with lounge furniture, a dining table and chairs and mood lighting.Depending on your style, your patio can be decorated to function as a place for cookouts with your family members, an outdoor dinner table or that special place to relax.There are no rules in decorating a patio. You can spruce up your patio by having a vegetable garden that can also double as patio greenery, and it will serve two purposes at a go- the green scenery, and the benefit of eating fresh vegetables from your garden. If there is no enough space for a vegetable garden, you can be creative with flowers and plants. Combine various colors and textures in a single pot to make a unique arrangement. Use pots in various shapes and sizes, and recycle unused household items, like wooden crates and metal tins for your arrangements. You can choose to be in style by displaying plants on a stand, place them on the steps of a ladder or somewhere close to the connecting door between the patio and the door. Your patio space will be green, lively and have a personality all on its own.Another aspect of a patio is good lighting. This will make your patio safer and enhance your home’s security. Embedded lights, like those in stepping stones and even stairways, help you watch your step in the dark. When putting up the lights, make sure they can illuminate the walkways, which means lights can be mounted to posts, fences or walls.Patios can be turned into anything that a person wants it to be, it all depends on your taste, style and preference.