Refresh Your Outdoor Living Spaces with These Pick-Me-Ups

Summer is heating up, but are you feeling less than enthused by your outdoor living space? A patio is such a great asset for relaxing and entertaining, among other things, but sometimes it is an area of our homes that gets ignored in all of the yard work, house work, and yearly repairs. 

You may feel like it is too late to spend the money to revamp your outdoor space this late in the season. Even though summer is halfway over, there are still some fun projects you can put to use to revamp your patio and create a paradise for not too much time or money. Here are our top five tips:

If you like watching HGTV or any other home and garden programming, you know how fun it is to see people create a whole new feel by just changing around a few things in a space. Your patio is no different. There are some great design tricks you can use to make your space feel bigger, more luxurious, and even more secluded. 

If you want to rearrange your space for a different feel, try adding in a privacy screen in one or all portions of your patio. You can create different areas for eating and relaxing with this simple trick. Alternatively, you can use planters or plant boxes to divide off your space, a handy trick if you have a large yard and patio. Bamboo barriers or a garden wall art installation surrounding a built-in fire pit, outdoor stove, a grilling area, or even a hammock are other ways to make your large space feel cozier and more secluded.

Outdoor furniture is a whole new industry now, with tons of options for adorable weatherproof frames and accessories. If you are shopping on a budget, try looking at Overstock or Wayfair (or Facebook Marketplace, or even garage sales!) to find deals on furniture that may be more costly in a store. Or, spruce up old furniture with new cushions and a few funky accent tables. Outdoor rugs are another way to bring color and make a space feel more like home.

If unique accents are what you want, the sky’s the limit. DIY projects will take some creativity, but in the end, you will have something unique to you and your family. You can use cheap resources, such as big concrete stones instead of pavers, palettes for a variety of gardening projects, and off the shelf materials. Shop vintage for things like arbors, benches, or tables to create a fun and funky vibe. Pinterest is the place for inspiration with a plethora of ideas for any project.

Never fear, you don’t need to be a millionaire to have a beautiful backyard patio design. All you need is some elbow grease and creativity. If you are on a pretty tight budget, just identify one area you would like to focus on per year. For example, if you really want nice furniture, you may need to forgo another design element until you have enough money. Investing in quality outdoor products, such as furniture, can save you time and money in the long run. As long as the furniture itself holds up, you can change cushions and other design elements to give your patio multiple makeovers over the years to come. 

It can feel truly overwhelming to have big ideas and know that you need to organize in order to make them come to life, especially in an outdoor space that you may not use for some of the year. Therefore, it is important to sit down and draw or write a strategy for yourself. Decide what is most important to you and your family. If you tend to eat outdoors every night in the summer and that is how you like to enjoy your space, then invest first in making the outdoor dining experience a great one. Or, if you like to read on your patio, make relaxation the priority. If a fire pit is what you really want, create a space for you and friends or family to enjoy a fire and a night under the stars. It is your space, so tailor it to reflect you!

Your patio can be a beautiful paradise come summertime. It doesn’t take tons of money to create a space where you and your family can have fun and make memories together, but it will take creativity and a little planning. We still have half the summer left … you got this!