Now more than ever, you may be looking for ways to create a relaxing getaway right at home – a peaceful place to land when things feel a little chaotic out there. And with summertime flowers and sunshine, soft evenings and pleasant breezes, it’s the perfect time to make the most of your outdoor space where you can relax in the fresh air too. With the right pieces in place, your outdoor life can be every bit as comfortable and stylish as the one you enjoy indoors, and here we share a few ideas to make your backyard getaway a reality.
Find a Place to Sit
For a backyard space to be relaxing, you’ll first need a place to get off your feet. If you have a hardscape patio, start with an outdoor rug to soften both the look of the space and increase comfort underfoot. Then, thinking about how you intend to use your patio – lounging, dining, or a little of both – will help you decide what type of patio furniture you’ll need and how to arrange it. Moveable pieces like loveseats, small sofas, and tables allow you to customize your space for a variety of uses – for close conversations or more spread out meetings too. And if your patio is sunny, an outdoor umbrella offers an inviting, shaded spot to enjoy any time of the day.
Make it Feel Like Home
But furniture is just the start to a comfortable room. For any living area to truly feel like home, you also need those little, sensory details that add layers of comfort, style, and ease to the space. Patio plants and outdoor planters overflowing with colorful annuals enhance the home-like feel. Hanging ferns and blooming baskets block views, increase privacy, and create that comforting sense of place we need when it’s time to relax.
Dining al fresco is another way to take life outside – a set of stylish, lightweight, and care-free melamine dishes and acrylic drinkware takes all the worry out of the experience. And don’t forget a fresh set of new pillows to sink into as you sit.
Add Season-Long Interest
To extend the season of your outdoor space, add an assortment of blooms and texture in the landscape for different times throughout the year. This could include spring-blooming perennials like anemone, columbine, Lenten rose, bleeding heart, and phlox, along with flowering shrubs and trees like serviceberry, crabapple, and redbud. For summer-blooming perennials, try coneflower, liatris, monarda, salvia, and daylily. You might also consider shrubs with colorful foliage – like ninebark or smokebush. And to extend texture and color into the fall, try ornamental grasses and fall-blooming perennials like goldenrod, sedum, rudbeckia, Joe-pye weed, aster, and lobelia.
Even as we spend more time at home – sometimes alone – we can also plan our landscapes with invitations in mind. A host of colorful songbirds, hummingbirds, butterflies, and other interesting creatures are eager to bring colorful activity to your outdoor space if you just invite them. While you’re adding more color, why not choose a variety of native plants that will turn your outdoor space into a bird-friendly or pollinator-friendly habitat too? With all the activity these plants can bring to the landscape, you’ll have lots of company to enjoy.
Live Life Outside
When everything comes together on the patio and in your landscape, your outdoor space can become the perfect space to getaway and relax in the fresh air. If you’re ready to live life outside, stop by and see us. Or visit Mulhall’s To-Go for convenient drive-through pickup. However you choose to build that perfect outdoor oasis, we’re here to help in any way we can.
