Tired of your existing yard or just need a project? Looking to scale up your lighting scheme to make the most of what you have? Bored on the weekend? No matter what it is, make 2021 your time to upgrade the outdoors and dust off your best ideas. From small to large, we have projects that can make your house into a home.
New Furniture Ideas
We’re in spring now, and it’ll be summer soon. And that means one thing: outdoor entertaining. On patios or porches, firepits or decks, you want furniture that’s comfortable, classy, and cost effective.
Scaling up your choices, you can grab things like:
· Bar stools
· Hammocks, DIY or otherwise
· Coffee tables
· Outdoor couches
· Lawn chairs
· Tables or dining tables
· Benches
A variety of furniture exists to really scale up your backyard. A hammock, for instance, is a wonderful addition between trees or with a self-standing frame. A hammock with a light, maybe a Deco Bollard, can make for a wonderful outdoor reading space. Natural rust finish lights or textured lights look outstanding on a table, especially a rustic table. Going for the classic outdoor bar? Bar stools might be a great option for you, but feel free to try out a table with chairs, or couches with elegant tables for drinks.
Feeling really crafty? DIY it and make your own furniture.
New Placement Ideas
Sometimes a simple rug can work wonders. Whether it’s on a deck or a patio, a large, elegant rug can really change up a space and provide a cozier atmosphere. A stone path is another terrific tactic to change up a living space. Whatever you do, you want it to freshen up a look or swap out an old template for a newer one.
It can also help to change the mindset. If your backyard is looking a little drab or overly industrial, with possibly too much concrete or stone, it can be refreshing to return it to the natural world. Build or buy a trellis, with real wood. Plant more trees and plants and let flowers overhang. Invest in pots and flower beds or gardens to return the natural to the environment. Build a bench around a tree, or create shade with vines and overhanging branches. A small path overgrown with plants or weeds? Remove the stones and let the grasses return and exercise your green thumb. Invest in a vertical garden or put wall planters and vertical planters on fences or walls.
If you’re concerned about environmental factors or irrigation, invest in xeriscaping. Xeriscaping is a type of landscape design that requires little or no irrigation. It’s typically used in dry or arid regions, such as the American Southwest. Palms, cacti, and thyme are all common xeriscaping flora choices. It requires minimal maintenance and adds value to your property while reducing water usage.
Conversely, if your backyard is looking a little too wild, maybe it’s time to tame nature. Remove old, dead vines or husks and clean out weeds from paths. If need be, put in paths or retaining walls to separate the natural world from the artificial one. If people are tripping or you’re worried about obstructions in the grass, clear them out and put a path in with some nice path lights to illuminate it at night. Take control of your surroundings and make it inviting and safe.
Build, Create, Make
Got an itch to make something new? Fences, firepits, outdoor kitchens, bars, and walls are all larger industrial upgrades you can make. Stone firepits are incredibly popular, and for good reason: they bring people together. Bonding around a fire is one of the oldest human endeavors, and getting to do it with friends near a new firepit is a delight, pure and simple.
Firepits can fit in psychologically to any scheme you’re going for. Returning your backyard to a pastoral or natural theme? Make the firepit subtle and highlight the fire rather than the brick or the stones surrounding it. Build an atmosphere of nature, of wilds. Construct the pit so you can look up at the stars at night and see the smoke rise. And if you want to tame the backyard, more pit, and more chairs. Pick furniture that fits in larger spaces, and feel free to add more for more guests.
Fences are a wonderful addition. Most of us think of fences as keeping things locked out or in, and they certainly have that purpose. But a fence is also an opportunity to do something new and artistic. You can paint a fence mural or add vertical gardens to it. You can plant elegant vines that make fences characters themselves; you can hang string lights on them or use them as backgrounds for spotlights or mood lighting.
Water features and fountains are also wonderful for making the most of a space. The flowing water can be soothing or calming and can provide a complement or alternative to the firepit. When we can use the four elements, earth, fire, air, and water, we can construct thematically or psychologically pleasing schemes. A firepit, a fountain, a retaining wall, and wind chimes, for instance, are examples of the four elements being used in harmony in a design scheme. Their interplay is part of the design itself.
Make It Fun
You’re never too old to have a good time. Who doesn’t want to soak up the sun and the summer warmth for all its worth? You can build an outdoor theater, complete with furniture and concessions (or drinks). Create a perfect pool or hang up games. Who said treehouses are just for kids? Build a sturdy one and have a fun place to relax and unwind. Install swings or a tire from a tree; set up a mini golf area.
Nothing changes an environment for the better like using new lights to illuminate it. From textured bollard lights to path lights, fixtures exist for any place or purpose. Light fixtures can even work around firepits, with the right creativity; we’ve seen them around fountains to phenomenal success. Lights can be fun too, with unique designs and logos that are distinctly you. Custom designs can really make a space pop.
Don’t live another day with a subpar backyard that doesn’t make you happy. Investing in your home design or your outdoor area isn’t just about making something look nice—it’s about making you happier. Changing up our spaces or our routines are great ways to boost our creativity, our happiness, and even our longevity. It can decrease stress and bring people closer together. Investing in your yard is investing in the future.