When the weather is nice, it is great to sit in your backyard and relax or entertain. However, if your yard has seen better days, it might not be quite as relaxing to spend time in. That is why, in this article, we have put together a list of some ways for you to upgrade your outdoor living space.
Add New Flowers
Beautiful, lush flowers and plants are a great way to bring your outdoor living space to life. Pick out some beautiful flowerpots to plant everything in that goes with your decor, and you can really bring your outdoor living space to life. You can even DIY the flowerpots by getting some that are more plain-looking ones and repainting them yourself. If your space is a patio, add some plants and flowers around it to give it a frame.
Use Vertical Space
Do you have a covered deck or patio area? What about a gazebo or pergola? If you do, do not just let that space be empty; use that vertical space. Get some hanging planters, hang outdoor curtains, or hang up some pretty lights. This will make your outdoor space feel much more comfortable and relaxed.
Light Up Your Space
The way you light an area can change its entire look and feel. Add more lighting to your outdoor living space to let you enjoy it even when the sun goes down. You can buy a lot of types of string lights, hang up lanterns, or even make your own lanterns out of empty metal coffee cans. Get creative with it and have fun.
Get Creative with Seating
Add some more unique seating options, and ensure you have enough to entertain. You can find a lot of vintage patio furniture online that can easily be repainted or upholstered to fit your style. New outdoor furniture also works, but it is often more affordable to purchase vintage furniture. It also has some unique looks that can give your home a distinct style.
Another way to add some creative seating to your outdoor living space is by getting some hanging seating. You can add porch swings or string up a hammock or two.
Take Pillows Outside
Pillows and rugs do not need to stay inside. Adding some water-resistant cushions to your outside seating can make your space look much more inviting and comfortable. Make them some fun colors that will pop and make your furniture stand out. You can also get some rugs that are water-resistant to make the space look a little more inviting and make you feel like you are in your living room.
Install Faux Stone
There are many ways that you can use faux stone or brick to give your patio the look of natural stone without the bulk or price. You can add it to your gazebo or pergola, add wainscoting to your home, incorporate it into your outdoor kitchen, and more. It is a great way to express your taste and give your living space a classic look.
Put up a Pergola or Gazebo
One thing that will improve your outdoor living space and give you some shade on hot days, or cover from the rain, is to add a pergola or gazebo to your backyard. This will let you get even more from your outdoor living space and avoid getting sunburned during a barbeque. You can even add some lights and plants to it to finish the look and let you stay outside even after the sun sets.
Add a Fire Pit
A fire pit is a great addition to an outdoor living space. It can give some beautiful ambiance to your yard and let you make some memories with your family. Plus, they are great if you love roasting hot dogs or marshmallows over the fire.
Upgrade the Patio Itself
Most patios these days are either concrete or cement. If you want to upgrade your patio more, you can get some paving stones instead. These can be installed by a professional or a DIYer, depending on your skill set, and they can look beautiful. You can choose some bigger pave stones that give the patio a more natural look, or you can get some tiles or bricks to pave it, depending on the look you are going for.
Add Some Heat
If there is a cold corner of your patio, you can create a unique DIY heater for it out of terra cotta pots. You just need to place some candles in a glass bowl and cover them with an upside down terra cotta pot. The pot will help spread the heat coming from the candle's flame will spread in the surroundings, and you can enjoy the scent as well. It is a unique way to create a warm, aromatic corner of your outdoor living space. Adding a regular heater works too, and you can find some unique-looking ones, but this is a fun DIY way to add some heat to your space.
You can also add a full fireplace to your outdoor living space to give it some warmth. This will also give you some ambiance at night when you are relaxing outside. The open flame will make the space feel more inviting and cozy as well.
Create Separate Areas
If your outdoor living space is big enough, one great way to upgrade it is to create a few separate areas. Make designated places for eating and relaxing, which can be done easily with some waterproof area rugs. The rugs can give each area a separate look, especially if you pair them with different types of lighting for each zone. You can also use your plants to help create barriers between different living spaces, making the different zones even more obvious.
Add a Water Feature
The sound of water bubbling in a fountain can add some relaxing ambiance to your patio. There are a lot of different options out there for fountains and water features, so you should be able to find one that will meet your needs easily.
Add Creative Tables
Since this is your outdoor living space, you need to have some tables. This includes tables for dining and possibly some outdoor coffee and end tables. If you want to get creative with this, you can use overturned wicker baskets or even tree stumps as little side tables. You can even overturn some of your bigger flowerpots to use as tables. These are a fun and unique way to show off your style in your outdoor living space.
Hang a Looking Glass
Mirrors can be used to make a space feel a little bigger. You can hang one up on a wall or fence to give your living space the illusion that it is a window. It can make the entire space feel a little more spacious.
Stencil Some Designs In
If you want to add a little bit of art to your patio, you can get some stencils to paint a design on the walls. This is another way to add some unique flair to your patio, and you can add a few different designs throughout the space. If you have kids, this can be a great art project for them, so they feel involved in the project.
Add an Outdoor Kitchen
If you love to have cookouts when the weather is nice, adding an outdoor kitchen to your patio is a great idea. You can incorporate your grill, add a sink, a mini fridge, a small cupboard to hold dishes, and anything else you might need. This will save you from having to run back and forth to the kitchen when you are cooking a meal outside, and it can up your property value if you end up selling your home later on.
Add a Bar
You might only want to have a small bar on your patio, which is easy to do with cinder blocks. You can stack the blocks on top of each other and add a slab of wood to the top to give yourself a small and unique bar on your patio. While this is a pretty basic design, it works. However, if you decide to go all in on a patio bar, there are much more elaborate designs for a patio bar. This will also depend on if you want a mini fridge to keep things cold, a sink to rinse things out, and space to store your glasses, shakers, and drink stirrers. It can be a fun project to design and build for your outdoor living space.
Final Thoughts
There are many fun and unique projects that you can complete to make your backyard into your dream oasis and make it a complete living space when the weather is nice. Whether you want to make it look rustic, vintage, contemporary, or something else, you can have fun with the project. This will allow you to make your outdoor living space truly yours and give you somewhere beautiful to relax and entertain.