How to Create a Backyard Oasis

Summertime is by far my favorite season and I love to spend as much time outdoors as I can.  If I am at home, I am usually out on our back patio – it is where we eat most of our meals, relax, entertain, and just enjoy the beautiful summer weather.  It’s not a big space, but it still works well as a multi-functional space that the whole family can enjoy.

If you are wondering how to create a backyard oasis in your own space, here are a few tips when it comes to designing and decorating your patio. No matter what sized space you have to work with, you can have that relaxing space that you are dreaming of!

Think of your patio as an extension of your indoor spaces.

Treat your patio just like your other indoor spaces when you are coming up with your design plan.  Use area rugs, comfortable furniture, end tables, lighting, and decorative items just like you would use if you were designing a family room – just make sure they are all weather-proof for your climate! 😉

Define different activity zones within the space.

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?  Mabye 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.

Anchor the space with an area rug.

Just like my indoor spaces, I find that starting with a great area rug is a good place to start when designing and defining a room.  I found this one at Target and it feels so nice and soft under your feet despite the fact that it is an outdoor carpet.  For the rest of the design, I pretty much stuck with the blue and white color palette from the rug and just added in other colors with all of the flowers.

Add furniture.

There are so many affordable choices now for beautiful outdoor furniture, it can be hard to know where to start.  Before you get too overwhelmed, go back to number 2 and think a little more about what you are going to be using the space for.  Do you need a patio dining table and chairs or are you going for more of a lounge effect?  Start with the bigger items and then layer smaller pieces to add in function and design appeal.  Don’t feel that you have to purchase a huge coordinating patio set all at once – mix and match items of various materials to add more interest.  For those of you that are tight on space, look for multi-functional pieces such as a table that can be used as storage or a bench for seating if needed.

Create Shady Spots

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.  We tend not to get too hot around here, so an umbrella over the table is all we need, but I do know that some of your temps can get pretty high!

Add colorful cushions.

Cushions are a great way to add comfort as well as a pop of color to your outdoor spaces.  Make sure you are using cushions with an outdoor fabric to resist the UV rays and offer some water resistance.  That being said, even outdoor cushions should still not be left out in the rain for prolonged periods, so you will need to come up with some storage for periods of bad weather and during the winter months.

Consider lighting.

If you love to do a little star gazing at night or entertain later into the evening, you will want to think about some outdoor lighting options for your space.  I love the look of the hanging patio string lights but they didn’t really work in our space due to the cords and the position of our outlets. Instead we have a couple of porch lights with a variety of solar lanterns scattered throughout the patio {and on a totally different note, the kids love this little dinner bell that I picked up too!}.

I also purchased this remote control light {from Pier 1} that attaches to any sized patio umbrella to use for our above our table.  It adds the perfect soft lighting at night so you can still see the stars but don’t feel like you are sitting in the dark.

Plant flowers and foliage.

Flowers and foliage will add some beautiful colors to your space and can also help with privacy issues if that is a concern.  Place planters at a variety of heights for added interest and be creative with your containers!

You can see this planter makeover from last year HERE.

Finish with fun decorative touches.

This is always my favorite part of decorating and the easiest way to add some personality to your space.  Look for fun pieces that are both functional and decorative.

I found this cute whale water pitcher at Home Sense at the beginning of the season and, while I am not a huge “theme” person, it did inspire more of a nautical feel with the rest of the accessories that I chose.

Our golden doodle, Blue, also loves the space.  It’s the perfect spot to keep his eye on everything!

Thanks so much for dropping by!  I hope this gives you lots of ideas and inspiration for your own spaces.

For more patio ideas,you may like these posts…

How to Clean and Maintain Patio Furniture

How to Clean a Wood Deck

How to Clean a BBQ