Making Your Backyard More Inviting

Having a beautiful backyard feels like you’re on vacation every day of the year, if you know how to get the most out of your space. You can make your backyard feel like an outdoor oasis, by creating a space where your family and friends can spend time, have fun, and enjoy the outdoors. Here are some things you can do to make your backyard inviting and useable for friends and family throughout the year:

1. Create Outdoor Rooms. Your outdoor space is no different than the indoor areas of your home. Having “rooms” in the landscape that have purpose and reasons for being will make you and your guests feel more of a draw to visit these rooms and enjoy the outside spaces surrounding your home. Empty rooms in your house have no purpose and thus go unused.

2. Structure in the Garden Equals Strength. One of the most important factors in making your outdoor spaces feel permanent and inviting is structure in the garden. Large native trees are great structural components, but not always available. If you have a blank pallet, start with a fireplace, wall, or pergola to ground your space and make it feel permanent.

3. Surround the area with trees, flowers, and hardscaping. Beautiful landscaping is the key to making your backyard feel like a private oasis. We’ve designed the rooms, added the structure, now we must add the floors and the décor with amazing plants and hardscape spaces.

4. Add a fire pit. This is the perfect way to gather everyone around and make the space feel more like home. From roasting marshmallows to telling stories, a nice fireplace or firepit with nice seating will have your backyard going from drab to fab in no time.

5. Add lighting in your backyard to make it feel romantic, and pleasant for night gatherings as well as to add interest since you’ll be enjoying the landscape from inside your home on many occasions.

6. Have us build you a pool. Having a pool brings your friends and family together to build fun memories and to enjoy the outdoors. It also allows us to add water features and the sound of falling water in conjunction with a swimming pool.

7. Have an outdoor kitchen and place a dining table outside for summer entertaining. The busiest room in the house is the kitchen and it’s no different when the kitchen is outside. Build a kitchen/bar space in your outdoor oasis and everyone will flock to this central feature.

8. Purchase some nice outdoor furniture. This will create an area for your guests to sit and relax. Although plastic chairs are inexpensive, they are definitely not the most inviting. We design our outdoor rooms around the furniture that will occupy each space. Whether it’s deep seating, dining, fire, bar seating, sunning, or vista, the furniture will set the tone and style.

9. Add a hammock. This is perfect for those days and nights when you just need to relax, rejuvenate, and recharge.

Having great food, people, drinks, and of course a backyard will create lasting memories for everyone. The only problem you will have is getting your guests to leave!

State of the Art Landscape is the superior resource for every residential landscaping need—including designing and building beautiful outdoor spaces. Contact us today to make an appointment for your initial consultation. We would love to have the opportunity to work with you. Call us directly at 703-421-3666 or click here.