8 Tips To Improve Your Outdoor Living Spaces

Does taking a step outside to your backyard cause you to cringe because all of your beautiful plants died during the winter?

Then it’s time to dig out those dead plants and improve your backyard for the coming spring and summer.

Dead bushes and dirty patio furniture are not what anyone wants to see during a BBQ, after all.

Are you unsure how to update outdoor living spaces?

No worries!

We have 8 tips to take your drab, dead backyard and make it an outdoor living space to be proud of.

1. Zone Your Outdoor Living Spaces

No matter the living spaces, indoor or outdoor, the key to any design is having defined areas.

The best way to define your outdoor living space is with furniture.

Uses benches to establish where the seating area is and to separate it from other areas of your backyard.

Long planters, pergolas, and area rugs will also separate spaces.

Don’t forget to leave room for walkways. Mark the areas with the most traffic and place runners there.

Arrange the seating and other areas around the marked pathways.

Your outdoor spaces will benefit from being arranged with such easy access to them.

2. A Variety of Seats

Outdoor spaces should include a variety of seating options for comfort and entertainment possibilities.

Have a variety of benches, chairs, stools, and lounges for people to sit on.

Hammocks are great for lazing about during beautiful sunny days. Or, you can relax on a bench swing with your favorite book.

A table or bar with stools provides an ideal space for working on projects at home.

You can also use your seating as storage!

For smaller backyards, look for benches and chairs that can double as cabinets for garden tools or extra planters.

3. Focal Points

Another tip for improving your backyard living space is to center the design on one specific item.

The item can be a couch, a piece of art, a beautiful table, an area rug, and more.

When you know what item you want to be the center of attention for your backyard, choose pieces with complementing colors that highlight the item you’ve chosen. These complementing pieces will support and draw the eye to the focal point.

Another option is to choose pieces that contrast with the focal point of your design. We recommend choosing items that are simplistic to not draw too much attention.

Choosing a contrasting theme works best if your focal point is something bright and exceptionally eye-catching.

Of course, large items such as a pool can also be the focal point of your design if accompanying pieces are arranged around it correctly.

4. Gardens

A great way to improve your outdoor living space for the spring and summer is with a beautiful garden area.

Gardens add character to any backyard just from the visual effects they produce.

Gardens also provide a hobby for those interested in growing flowers or their own vegetables.

Vegetable gardens can serve a practical purpose too. You can host a dinner party in your outdoor space, and you can show your guests how you grew your own side dishes.

Flower gardens not only provide visual appeal, but you can take clippings and dot your outdoor or indoor living spaces with those same flowers.

5. Bold Colors

When designing your outdoor living space, consider using bold and bright colors.

Bold colors will give your outdoor space a unique and fun flare that will liven up the area even more.

Buy planters of various shapes and sizes. You don’t need to buy the pots that already come with designs on them, you can just as easily buy a plain planter and paint on your own design.

Creating your own designs also means you can find planters you love and be able to tie them into the overall theme of the space.

If the majority of your furniture is made of wicker, then we recommend looking for bright, fun pillows to go on them.

If you have a pergola or covered patio, look for hanging lanterns and pots. Just as you can add your own designs to the planters we mentioned, you can also spray paint the hanging lanterns to a color that matches your outdoor design.

You can also look for plants of various colors to add to the design, too.

6. Wall Accents

Another great tip is to utilize the walls of your outdoor space as well.

Plain walls are boring, but you can always liven them up with wall containers, pictures, and signs.

Hang string lights along your walls to add atmosphere during the evening.

If your backyard space has an outdoor bar, then try looking for a sign appropriate for that area. A fun sign will add a little whimsy.

Adding accents to your walls is also a great way to break up long stretches of nothing; especially if the rest of the area has already been spruced up.

7. Updates

Update your outdoor space to match the new season or theme.

Of course, buying new items for your backyard doesn’t need to be overly expensive.

Most backyard designs rely on accent pieces while keeping the larger and more expensive pieces simple.

A dark brown wicker chair looks just as good with white pillows as it does with dark orange pillows.

In other words, swap out the smaller and less expensive pieces before you consider swapping out entire tables.

If you’re designing your space for the first time, think about choosing versatile pieces and adding from there.

8. Durability

Our last tip for improving your outdoor space is to choose items that will last you for several years.

We don’t just mean your furniture pieces either.

Decking and fencing need to be updated every few years as well. Even the most beautiful backyards can be marred by old fencing or dilapidated decks.

We recommend choosing durable products for safety. Vinyl or composite are great choices. Wood can be used too, but it needs to be specially treated to protect it from the elements for as long as possible.

When picking outdoor furniture such as couches, we suggest looking for pieces with little fabric or with fabric that is quick drying and designed to be used outside.

No one wants to sit on a molded couch while enjoying the view.

Have Fun With It

When coming up with designs for outdoor living spaces, the best thing to remember is to have fun.

Your outdoor space should bring joy to you and no one else. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter if what you want doesn’t match up with the year’s outdoor fashion trends.

If you enjoyed what you read or have any questions, then feel free to contact us for more!

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As a top Chandler landscape design company, we have the expertise and design sense to help turn your outdoor living space into your favorite spot!

Call Edgewater Design Company at (480) 397-0224 or schedule a free design consultation.