The key to an amazing and livable garden is to make it an extension of your indoor living space. By adding modified elements from your indoor living space and incorporating the natural beauty of your garden, you can create an outdoor living space to die for.
- Plan Your Space Around Its Purpose
In the same way that you design a floor plan for your house, think about the desired layout of your outdoor living space. The planning will go smoother if you have your purpose in mind from the start. Is the space for hosting gatherings or relaxing after a long day? How many people do you expect to frequent the space and for what activities? What features of your existing garden do you want to highlight?
- Keep Everything Clean and Tidy
You wouldn’t want guests to your home to see a dirty house, right? The same goes for your garden and outdoor living space. Make sure the flower beds are weeded seasonally to get rid of excess foliage and leaf detritus. Try out a power washer for the wood and stone elements of the garden to remove dirt, lichen, and pollen. These are easy and inexpensive ways to make your outdoor living space shine.
- Add Some Shade
Is your backyard garden exposed to the sun? Add some elements of shade to cool it off for you and your guests. Covered patios, umbrellas, and pergolas are all great options to keep the sun off. Trees are a natural option, though the downside is that they take longer to grow before they can offer a nice cover.
- Build a Firepit
Firepits are the perfect communal focal point for a patio, plus they allow you to extend the amount of time you can use your space into early spring and late fall. Firepits are easily customizable — you can buy a freestanding one, build your own, or hire someone to build it into your patio.
- Choose Your Plants Carefully
You might be tempted to add the prettiest flowers you can find into your garden, but pause for a moment and think before you buy. It might be better to put plants that don’t attract bees closer to the seating areas — you want to minimize the number of insects flying close to your guests and their food. Put the pollinating plants farther out where they can be admired and add to the view without bothering you or your guests. Check out a list of flowers that bees love to know what to avoid.
- Add Outdoor Furniture
As an extension of your home, you’ll want to add furniture to your patio that will welcome guests outside and into the garden. There are plenty of comfortable options for outdoor furniture that will look like they could fit in your living room while still being durable enough to brave the elements. It’s definitely a must for outdoor furniture to be easy to clean, dry quickly, and resist bleaching from sun exposure.
- Check Out Design Trends for Inspiration
Current and past decor and design trends are perfect places to get inspiration when creating your outdoor living space. Not every trend is for everyone, so it’s great to browse so you can find what will suit you and your space.
- Incorporate Outdoor Lighting
Outdoor lighting is a must if you want to use your outdoor living space after the sun sets. It can come in the form of string lights, overhead porch lights, electric lanterns, tiki torches, and much more! Lights can illuminate garden paths and steps. Many torches and candles intended for outdoor use are made from citronella, which has the added benefit of keeping most of the insects away.
- Bring Your Kitchen Outside
Outdoor kitchens and bars are increasing in popularity. With the rise in people spending more time at home, they want to get outside while enjoying food and drinks. Grills are typical accessories to a patio, but adding in counter space, storage, and other appliances like a refrigerator and sink make it easy to bring your meals fully outside with you. Outdoor kitchens are also great for gatherings — the cook doesn’t have to sacrifice any time with guests by being forced to cook inside.
- Create Spaces for Recreation
Yard games are classic activities at any outdoor gathering. If you can, plan to create space for games like horseshoes, cornhole, or bocce. If you don’t have as much space, consider turning one of your tables into a giant tabletop game like checkers or tic-tac-toe. Games are a great way to prolong your time and enjoyment outside.
Enjoy the Outdoor Living Space of Your Dreams
Try out these tips on your outdoor living space and create a garden that you’ll want to spend more time in than your house!
Comments(1)