6 Ways to Turn Your Backyard into Paradise

It’s beginning to cool down a bit, which means it’s a great time to begin the process of designing or revamping your backyard. Even for smaller yards, it can be stressful to know where to begin, and most importantly, where to put most of your budget. After all, renovating a backyard is not cheap.

Before you get started, we’ve come up with several tips to help make your backyard your dream. Hopefully this guide will help make the process of designing your backyard smoother, quicker, and more exciting.

1. Bring the indoors out.

Especially for those designing their very first backyard, it’s all too easy to treat your outdoor space just as it is: an outdoor space. But instead, it’s important to treat your backyard as if it’s an extended part of your home – because it is.

Bringing the indoors out means treating your backyard as if it isn’t outside by implementing décor, pillows and other comforting objects, and an overall impressive design that would make people forget that your backyard isn’t indoors after all.

While it is true you’ll want to ensure the furniture and décor you opt for in your backyard will be a bit tougher to withstand the elements from rain to frost or high heat, don’t forget that a backyard is just as deserving of a beautiful design just as an interior design. Throwing a picnic table outside isn’t really treating your backyard like it’s a crucial and loved space. Being creative through the process of designing your backyard will be key to ensure you make your backyard more than a backyard.

2. Incorporate plenty of lighting.

Fully enjoying your backyard means being able to spend time in your outdoor space any hour you wish. But without the proper lighting, it can be hard to enjoy your yard. That said, it is integral that you have outdoor-friendly lighting installed outdoors.

Add barn lights on the walls of your patio or around your home for added security. Install pendant lights or a chandelier in the center of a nice gazebo. Even opt for table lamps or candles to place in the center of an outdoor dining table, hang string lighting around an umbrella or pergola, or place LED yard lighting along pathways or around a pool or other feature.

Outdoor lighting is important to expand your outdoor hours, provide a romantic feel to your space, and even to provide safety. You can find thousands of beautiful, outdoor-safe LED fixtures from Cocoweb.com in several colors and styles.

3. Get your hands dirty, and start gardening.

For a more organic and peaceful feel in your backyard, it is crucial to utilize proper landscaping. You may choose to plant your own flowers, vegetables, or herbs in your backyard or just purchase ready-grown flowers, shrubs, trees, and other plants from a local plant nursery.

If you live in a dry, hot, or even droughted region, opt for drought-tolerant plants such as agave, palo verde trees, deer grass, rosemary, lavender, and Santa Barbara daisies. Consider having a theme or color pattern through your landscaping. Maybe you’ll choose pinks, reds, and whites or only plant flowers that are of heirloom varieties. Others may want to utilize only edible plants in their backyard landscaping.

If you aren’t really into traditional landscaping or gardening, instead think about placing your plants in beautiful pots or raised beds. That way, it will be much easier for you to weed and water your plants.

4. Consider a shade structure.

Especially for those particularly hot, sunny days, you’re going to need some shade. Think of the different options: a pergola, gazebo, hung shade cloth or sun sails, umbrella, or awnings.

If it rains or snows frequently where you live, you may especially consider a shade structure that doesn’t contain slats or permeated materials that may let rainwater or snow fall through your seating area. This is important if you wish to sit out in your backyard all year ‘round.

However, if you don’t wish to opt for any of the latter shade structures, especially if your backyard already has plenty of shade, consider shaping your exterior design around large trees or other shady regions of your backyard.

5. Place different seating areas around the yard.

When designing a backyard, some prefer to just have one seating area, typically a set of table and chairs. But especially if you have a larger backyard, or simply want to enjoy the entirety of your backyard space, it will be important to create multiple seating areas in your yard.

Perhaps to tackle this, you will have a rocking chair on two on the patio and a dining table and chairs near an outdoor kitchen. Then by the pool, maybe you’ll have lounge chairs. Then by a walkway by a shady tree, maybe you’ll place a bench. Having these many seating options allows you to enjoy all of your backyard. You don’t have to implement them all, but it is nice to have options and versatility in your space.

To only have a tiny part of your yard for seating means you’re strictly limiting the full potential of your outdoor space. But throwing in one or two other options for seating in the mix can really complete your backyard. Best of all, not all seating has to be expensive. You could start off with plastic chairs around the pool and a used rocking chair on the patio and still make your space work.

6. Add a water feature to your backyard for a touch of elegance and peace.

After you have indoor features, lighting, landscaping, shade, and several seating areas in your backyard, it’s time to add a bit of something more to your space. We recommend opting for some sort of water feature: a bird bath, pond, pool waterfall, stream, water fountain, ornamental pool, water garden, the list goes on. As a bonus for your water feature, you may decide to implement lighting to help illuminate your feature beautifully in the dark.

There are several reasons why picking a water feature for your backyard is important:

• Water features make a backyard look less manmade and more natural.
• The reflection of water offers a playful touch.
• Moving waters such as those of water fountains provides texture and motion in a flat, bland space.
• The sound of water splashing, flowing, or trickling is incredibly relaxing and can mask annoying noises such as cars driving by or nearby neighbors talking.
• Adding water to your backyard can provide a drink or way to bathe for birds and other creatures.

Adding a water feature doesn’t have to be extravagant or cost thousands of dollars. It all comes down to your budget and what you want in your backyard. You can find plenty of portable, ready-to-use, affordable bird baths or water fountains online or in-store.

Conclusion

When you’re seeking to redesign your backyard space, it can be a big project. However, with the above tips, you can ensure a less stressful and funner process. In the end, making your backyard what you want is most important. Apart from this, making your space functional is just as crucial.

For all your lighting needs, and for more design and illumination advice from our nifty blog, scope out the rest of our website here at Cocoweb.com.