Backyard Patio Design Ideas

Create your own backyard retreat with these beautiful backyard patio design ideas. Easy tips to help you design and style your outdoor spaces.

Summer Seasonal Simplicity Series

Welcome back to the last week of Krista’s Seasonal Simplicity Summer series! Each week, my blogging friends and I have been sharing our favorite summer ideas to help you celebrate summer in style. This week it’s all about those outdoor spaces. From patios and decks to backyard designs, we’ve got you covered! You can find everyone’s gorgeous outdoor inspiration at the end of the post, so be sure to visit around. If you missed the previous weeks, you can check them out here…

• free summer printables
• dining room summer home tour
• DIY popsicle stick picnic table place card holders

Our Backyard Patio

Welcome to our backyard patio! We did a big patio makeover a few years ago  and we’ve definitely taken advantage of having the extra outdoor space during the summer months. Our patio is east facing, so these clubhouse chairs are the perfect spot to catch the morning sun before it gets too hot.

The other benefit to having an east facing patio is that it’s in the shade by the later afternoon and cools off just in time for dinner on the patio!

Unfortunately, an east facing patio is also hard to photograph as the light is really only even first thing in the morning when the sun first comes up. Since I’m never up that early, you’ll have to put up with some color variations with the photos. 😉

Backyard Patio Design Ideas

Today I thought I’d share some backyard patio design ideas with you to help you create your own space. It may take a little time {and money!}, but it can be a great investment for your home and family.

Invest in good quality patio furniture.

Furniture choices can often be one of the most difficult {and most expensive!} decisions for your outdoor space. I like to pick the larger items first and then “fill in” additional furniture pieces where there is space {and need}. If you have a small patio space, look for furniture that serves more than one function or can easily be stored away when not needed. Pick materials that will wear well in your particular climate and do your research on what maintenance and winter storage is required. We went with resin furniture (with a rust-proof frame) since it holds up well in the rain for our west coast weather.

We’ve had our patio furniture for five or six summers now and it’s still going strong. The cushions wash up really easily and have held their hue really well due to their lighter color. Almost everything was purchased from the Canvas line at Canadian Tire. Since it’s so old, I don’t have any specific product links for you, but I know they still have similar furniture pieces with their current lines.

I love the round table design for the patio as it creates more flow throughout the space. It fits 6 people comfortably and you could probably fit 8 if you had different chairs. Since our table is concrete, I do usually paint the top of it once every year or two, but other than that, it’s been very low maintenance.

Define your zones.

Before you start the actual design process, take a few minutes to visualize what you would like to use the space for.  Do you envision yourself eating outside on a regular basis?  Are you looking to create more of a quiet retreat or a place to read a book?  Or do you want a great entertainment space to enjoy with your friends and family?  Maybe it’s even all of the above!  Write down everything that you would like to use your space for and use that as a springboard for your patio design.  If everything will not fit on the patio itself, consider creating other “rooms” elsewhere in your backyard.

Create some shade.

Even if you’re a sun lover, you’ll still likely want a covered space to take shade. Use patio umbrellas, pergolas, arbors, trellises or shrubs to provide at least a little shady space on your patio to get out of the sun. If you have the room {and budget} for it, a partially covered patio is definitely worth the investment. It’s perfect for a cool spot to relax or a dry spot to go if it starts to rain.

We actually use our covered area all year long for BBQing, and it also provides some quick storage for our patio cushions on the uncovered deck when we have rainy days. Having this covered space has made our patio so much more functional for us.

Make it cozy.

Make everything comfortable and cozy with throw pillows and comfy blankets. You can store blankets rolled up in a basket for when those cooler nights hit or use them to throw down on the grass for a picnic blanket. I also like to keep a throw blanket down where the cat likes to sleep as it’s much easier to wash the blanket than it is to take off the sofa covers.

If your fabrics are going to be out in the sun for any longer length of time, be sure to get a good outdoor fabric or spray them with a fabric UV protectant.

Add a fire pit or fire table.

One of my favorite things about our patio is our fire table. It’s a great place to relax with friends and perfect for those family s’more nights!  While I do enjoy a good campfire in the summer, I love the ease of the propane fire table and not having to worry about summer fire bans.

Bring on the plants and flowers.

Flowers and plants are the perfect way to add a little life to your patio – especially in the summer! I’m definitely not the best gardener out there, but I really enjoy all of my patio planters. There are so many different flower and plant options to choose from these days – it can really customize your space. While I do love all of the colorful summer flowers, I’ve been hooked on white flowers for the past few years and stuck with the same color scheme again this year.

My biggest advice with the plants and flowers is to not go too crazy. The flowers especially can be a lot of work and a few well taken care of flowers looks a whole lot better than a bunch of dead ones! Plants are generally a lot less work and can look really pretty too, so add a few in with your flowers. You can even add in some faux options to decrease your workload! Be sure to always check the sun and soil conditions when choosing your plants and flowers to make sure that you choose the best location for them.

You can find my tips on how to care for hanging baskets and planters HERE.

Light it up.

I’m always a big fan of pretty lights, and summertime is no exception! Whether you’re needing more ambient lighting or a more functional light source, there are so many ways to make your outdoor space glow. String lights, pathway lights, lanterns, solar lights, twinkle lights, outdoor candles – I love them all! We’re still actually working on adding more lighting to the covered space and our stairs, so I’ll be sure to share all of our lighting choices when we’re done.

Add a little each year.

Backyard patios are definitely an investment, so don’t worry if you can’t get everything you want right off the bat. Taking your time with the design also allows you to live in the space a little to see what you really love and need. Each year we’ve been adding a few more little details to our backyard space, and this year my husband finally got the hot tub that he has been wanting since we first got married.

We put in a paver pad for the hot tub in the spring and add a little paving stone walkway lined with solar lights. I love the look of the lights and it marks out the pathways nicely at night.

I hope you enjoyed the tour and you find the tips and ideas helpful. If you have any questions, just let me know. Happy Summer my friends!

More Summer Outdoor Space Tours

For more summer outdoor space inspiration, check out all of these beautiful ideas from my blogging friends. Just click the links below the photos to tour around. Enjoy!

Sharing Wednesday….

The Happy Housie // Joanna Anastasia // Cassie Bustamante // The Tattered Pew

Life is Better At Home // Tatertots and Jello // Finding Silver Pennies // Lemon Thistle

A Pretty Life // Dans le Lakehouse // Clean & Scentsible // Willow Street Interiors

Sharing Tuesday…

Inspiration for Moms // She Gave it a Go // Grace in My Space // Deeply Southern Home

Life is a Party // Nina Hendrick // Happy Happy Nester // Craftberry Bush

Maison de Cinq // Hallstrom Home // House by Hoff // My Sweet Savannah