Enjoying your outdoor living space!

This post is provided by Katherine Smith.

Your back yard is actually an extension of your entire home. Have you thought about using this quite versatile area for a gorgeous outdoor living space that can provide you with a tranquil escape while it can also vastly increase your home’s value? 

The yard can be both the most beautiful and the most overlooked part of a home. Simply decorating outdoors can incorporate more outdoor activities into your family’s daily way of doing things by creating a space away from the TV that is inviting. 

Let us take a look at some tips for an outdoor living space. Some of things you could do with your space include lavish amenities like outdoor kitchens, fireplaces, and even covered patios that can keep you protected from both the occasional shower and the hot sun. You can even get some inexpensive garden lights that can provide you with a bit of soft lighting when you want to entertain in your outdoor living space after it gets dark.

Walkways

One amazing tip for outdoor living spaces has to do with where you will walk. Regardless of how large or small your yard is, the yard and your outdoor living space will better coexist if you define where you will walk. This can be done in many ways. Some of them include laying out formal walkways, planting trees and or shrubs to establish borders and corners, and creating shifts with your hardscape materials.

Pergolas and Gazebos

One of the gorgeous and therefore most popular touches you can add to an outdoor space is a pergola or gazebo that has been enclosed with colorful curtains that were designed to be used outdoors. These can effectively frame your outdoor space and create a perimeter that is gentle. They can also give you some shade on those hot, sunny days.

Doorways

Consider how you will get into your outdoor space. You might think about using a trellis or arch as an entryway. Structures such as these can give your guests a definite sense of going into a new space. You can add to the design of them by adding some colorful plants that will climb up the trellis or arch too.

Fencing

One definite way to define the spaces of an outdoor room is with fencing. Shrubs, weathered barn wood, bamboo, and latticework are all some of the options you have for fencing materials. This will create a boundary for your outdoor living space that is stylish. After you have gotten your ‘walls’ where they need to go, you can think about getting them decorated with artwork that can stand up to the harsh outdoor elements.

Awnings

To further protect your space and its contents from the elements, you might think about covering it with an awning that has an eye-catching design. If you do this, you will be able to enjoy your outdoor space even when the weather is not too nice.

Colors

You might enjoy earthy tones inside your home, but when you take those colors outside, they can tend to blend in with their surroundings. Black might be stylish and chic inside too, but put black furniture outside and it will burn you every time you touch it. In order to complement the natural colors outside, you might add splashes of brightly colored, bold accessories. Bright red, yellow, and blue might seem to be a bit much, and indoors they would be, but when they are used outside, they can add a touch of playfulness.

Lighting

We all know that lights get strung up during the holidays. You do not have to wait until then to use them in your outdoor living space though. Sometimes it is nice to spend a bit of time outdoors when it is dark. If you want to do this, you can set a mood by using some tasteful and dramatic outdoor lighting. Lighting that is effective can turn your outdoor living space into one that is safer due to the fact that people will be able to see where they are putting their feet when it is dark. It can also serve to turn your deck or yard into a space that is more inviting to spend your time once the sun has gone down.