Your backyard provides you with a space to relax, unwind and have fun. You are also likely to make more fond memories with your friends and family in your outdoor space. Read on for 11 items you should invest in to improve your yard’s functionality and aesthetics while allowing you to make the most out of your outdoor space.
1. Inviting deck or patio
Make your patio or deck an inviting space that triggers you to leave the comfort of your indoor room to a private oasis right in your home’s landscape. Your patio should be an area you want to spend time entertaining your guests, reading, practicing meditation and yoga, or just chilling on a Sunday afternoon. You could consider adding cushions, blankets, pillows, lanterns, and flowers to make the space feel cozy.
If you don’t already have a patio or deck in your backyard, invest in helical piles for decks to build your product within a day. Helical piles eliminate the use of concrete, saving the time spent waiting for the concrete to cure and inspections.
2. Comfortable seating
One of the most crucial features of an inviting outdoor space is the seating. Providing your family with a place to sit attracts them to your backyard and increases the time spent in your outdoor living space. Consider investing in outdoor sofas to provide your family with an adequate space to entertain. If you have a small backyard, adding single chairs could offer you an area to hold conversations. However, ensure that your seating option, whether benches, lounge chairs, upright chairs, or hammocks, complement your interior and exterior decor.
3. Outdoor lighting
If you intend to spend time in the backyard past daylight hours, you should invest in outside lighting. Outdoor lighting enhances your backyard’s aesthetic appeal, boosts security and safety, and increases the value of your home, especially when you opt for energy-efficient light fixtures. There are various cost-efficient and easy to install lighting you could add to your landscape, including:
- Solar lighting around the walkways and steps to enhance safety and security.
- Solar string lights with a fancy and unique design to illuminate your patio or deck
- Pendant lights and sconces to give your deck a lovely glow and fairytale look when hosting outdoor dinners
4. Pergola
A pergola does more than transform your dull backyard into a relaxing, chill, and beautiful living space. It also shields you from the unpleasant and overwhelming mid-day sun during the summer months. You could add chairs and tables to your pergola to create a gathering spot in your landscape, and you do not have to worry about your guest’s comfort, thanks to the structure’s open-air room.
5. A firepit
You do not have to stop the fun when the sun goes down and the temperatures start to fall. Consider adding a fire pit to your landscape to enjoy light and heat during the colder seasons. You do not need to hire a contractor to help you build a fireplace. Use angled pavers and gravel to create a simple fire pit in your landscape.
6. Outdoor kitchen
If you are fond of entertaining guests, an outdoor kitchen is invaluable to your outside living space. An outdoor kitchen enables you to prep, cook, and serve your visitors while being present the entire time, as it eliminates the moving back and forth to the indoor cookhouse. You do not even have to spend thousands of dollars building a complete kitchen; you just have to ascertain that crucial cookhouse elements, including a prepping area, a sink with fresh running water, a refrigerator, and a grill, are present to allow you to prepare meals in the fresh air.
7. Landscape storage
An effective way to keep clutter out of your outdoor living space is installing landscape storage. You will often have many backyard supplies-from your landscaping tools, and decorating accessories to kid supplies, so you need sufficient storage to avoid compromising your yard’s aesthetics. You could consider investing in outdoor furniture such as benches that double up as storage spaces to keep items out of sight while protecting them from the elements.
8. Greenery
Be sure to inject carefully selected plants into your outdoor space. Plants soften the hardscape pavers’ rigid lines and bring color and fresh air, providing an inviting and relaxing outdoor space. Add patio or deck planter pockets, flowerbeds, or garden pots to spruce your landscape.
Opt for clean plants to reduce the time and money spent on maintenance. You should also liaise with a professional landscape designer or ask for recommendations from an attendant at your local garden store for suitable trees to plant based on the region’s soil quality. Ensure that you also consider the plant’s maturation size to avoid planting trees that block the sun from hitting your windows.
9. Garden mirror
If you have a dark corner of your outdoor space with nothing else to view but cobwebs, you could install a waterproof garden mirror to develop a focal point. A garden mirror is especially essential for small backyards as it creates an illusion of a vast space.
10. Artificial grass
If you fancy having a green lawn but lack enough funds or time to maintain it, artificial grass is a perfect solution. Set the artificial grass against the fencing and decking to keep the yard lust throughout the year. You could also hang a swing chair or a hammock to prevent wear and tear while making your yard appear chic.
11. Outdoor speakers
Noise can prevent you from spending time in your backyard, especially when you live in suburban or urban areas. Invest in an outdoor speaker to help you cancel out the noise from the traffic or neighbors. A sound feature lets you bring the music and sound you want into your outdoor space. There are various ways to add speakers to your backyard, including installing them into the ground, mounting them on your fence, pergola, or house, or using wireless speakers.
Endnote
Creating a livable backyard is as crucial as developing a functional interior space. The best way to decide what to include in your outdoor space is by determining the purpose of your backyard, then evaluating how to make it more attractive and welcoming. Familiarize yourself with the above items and invest in features that help you create your ideal outdoor space.
