We’re just about one month into summer. The weather is warmer and the sun stays out longer. It’s the perfect season to enjoy spending ample time outside. So why not make your backyard a dreamy retreat? Here’s some of our favorite ideas to help get you started:
1. Sun Shades
Also referred to as sail shades, these giant pieces of fabric are a great, easy way to create a backyard cover without a lot of time or investment. Swedish retail giant Ikea currently has some for $24.99!
You can even enhance the space with some ambiance lighting for longer nights or a mister to keep you cool on those extra hot August days.
2. Patio Furniture
Summer is the time to invest in new patio furniture. From conversation seating, to dining tables, to bistro-style furniture – the options are varied and the styles are practically endless. You can buy furniture as individual pieces, or buy a whole matching set. (Just make sure you also invest in some furniture covers, or have extra storage, to keep them out of the elements in the Fall and Winter.) You can also wait until the end of the season to get some great clearance deals on patio furniture for next year.
3. Privacy Walls
If you want to hang out on your front porch, but don’t want your neighbors to be able to watch you, it might be worth investing in (or DIY building) a privacy wall. The Garden Glove has lots of great DIYs to keep your outdoor living area secluded, as does The Home Depot Blog. These ideas can be transferred to the backyard as well, to create separate areas within the space, or even to hide eye-sores like your HVAC unit.
4. Stone Paver and Pebble Pathways
We’ve seen this patio trend popping up all over the place! When laying out your pavers to make that path from one area to another, lay them a little further apart than you would think, and fill the gaps in with small pebbles. There are all sorts of beautiful variations on this theme (like using glow-in-the-dark spray on the pebbles). Just scroll through Pinterest. To get you started, check out these helpful DIY tips from The Home Depot.
5. Fire Pits
Fire pits are a classic way to add furniture and activities to your back yard. They offer a communal area to gather and enjoy those long, gorgeous summer nights with friends and family. Fire pits can be in-ground or above ground, DIY-ed or purchased off the shelf, and come in just about any style you can imagine. Just look at these gorgeous modern fire pits in Suburban Pop’s roundup. Or you can scroll through Wayfair and look at hundreds of different styles.
6. Outdoor Lighting
Adding lighting to your backyard is a great way to extend its use year-round, but especially in the summer. Christmas Lights, etc. has this great tutorial for planning your patio lights. You can incorporate lights in many different ways, such as these paver lights that fit right in with the rest of your pavers.
7. A Pallet Bar
Pallets are being turned into all kinds of furniture and decor. Turning a few pallets into a bar space is a great way to start an outdoor kitchen in a small space. Plus, stick a mini-fridge out there, and you don’t have to keep running back inside to refresh your guests drink every half hour. You can build your own with pallets, or buy one that suits your style straight from Wayfair.
8. Giant Games
Besides lounging on your new patio furniture, or roasting marshmallows over your new fire pit, you have to have activities ready so when friends come over for a summer BBQ, they won’t forget that you’ve got the coolest backyard in town. Giant games are growing more and more popular. This is another one that can be DIY-ed or purchased. Little House of Four has a great collection of DIY games, or you can get them already made from places like Home Depot
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