Now that ‘we’re in the throes of summer, ‘it’s the perfect time to make the dreams you have for your backyard come to life. If you’ve been thinking about remodeling your backyard, then you should take this opportunity to create a yard that is truly an extension of your home. After all, landscaping should be about creating a livable space that gives your family an outdoor place to exist and thrive. Here are some tips on how you can extend your own home into your backyard to make it practically another room…
DINE OUT WHILE DINING IN
Making a space where you can eat outside is a surefire way to make your backyard a hit. You can extend your deck and craft built-in benches. Use the same material for a table and chairs, throw in some colorful throw pillows, and ‘you’ve got a designer outdoor dining room. You can furnish your patio with couches, lounge chairs, and build an outdoor fireplace as the focal point. If you really want to go the extra mile, creating an outdoor kitchen will genuinely take your yard to the next level.
CONSIDER ENTERTAINMENT OPTIONS
Your yard should have elements of entertainment to truly make it a place where you can make memories with your family. Think about what you need/want/like out of your yard and who ‘you’re trying to entertain. Do you have kids that need a play space? Along with your deck and dining area for adults, add a little house, or play structure made just for them. Or maybe you want to design an outdoor movie theatre to entertain; in which case you can let movies be the theme for all your outdoor furniture and use a wall to project films onto.
THINK STRATEGICALLY ABOUT THE SHADE
Are you dying for a place to relax and get out of the sun? Add a pergola to cover your living space. ‘It’s a beautiful piece that can provide a bit of shade and privacy. Plant vine-growing flowers to let the foliage cover you in shade, or use sailcloth to cover the overhead beams. Another structure to provide character and dimension to your outdoor garden is a trellis. It makes a quaint entrance to a secret garden, especially with an overgrown thicket.
ADD AN ELEMENT OF ZEN
Foster a little zen in your backyard by setting a space for meditation. You can have a wooden meditation room built out back to clear your mind in. Add a water feature, like a fountain or small pond, to score the experience with the sound of rain. You could also hang a hammock with a slate path leading up, so you have your own private relaxation niche. These spaces add beauty to the eye and to the mind.
ORGANIZE THE SPACE BY PURPOSE
Give your backyard structure, purpose, and flow by defining areas of living. Are you going to throw summer dinner parties with friends? Do you love to host barbeque cookouts or game-watching shindigs? Or maybe you need a dedicated reading or relaxing alcove? Let your backyard reflect your personality. It can become a functional extension of your dream home. You can start by working with what you have. Sometimes all that your backyard needs is a little reorientation of furniture to highlight the designated living areas.
UTILIZE THE NATURAL ELEMENTS OF YOUR YARD
The whole appeal of having an outdoor space in your living space is to utilize the natural aesthetic. For this reason, try to use local plants, stone, and wood to give your backyard an organic finish. It is very stylish nowadays to grade the yard and extend decks, install patios, create paved pathways, extend garden areas, or install stone or wood structures. This benefits not only the dynamics of your backyard but also helps the environment. Reducing the amount of grass in your yard means less precious water resource is being sucked into keeping it green. Work together with your climate and the kind of plants that thrive naturally. Opt for the plants that take less maintenance and deliver aesthetic appeal. Here are some excellent ways you can keep the natural aspects of your yard maintained during the summer months.
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR GARDEN
Put your green thumb to good use and add more garden space. When that mulchy, verdant area caresses the breadth of your yard, you can just breathe deeper (literally, because of the oxygen emissions). Landscaping experts recommend filling the background with perennials and the foreground with strokes of blooming, bright-colored annuals. If you have more patio space than planting grounds, fix planter boxes in the living area to grow herbs and vegetables. If you have an abundance of growth, design a walkway of slate pavers to highlight the path through the foliage.
