Beautiful Backyard ideas for a stylish outdoor oasis
Summer is finally here! Dreaming of the perfect outdoor space for relaxation and entertaining? Try these beautiful backyard ideas to help you create an inviting oasis for family and friends.
When it comes to backyard design ideas, it’s all about knowing what you need, combined with thoughtful layout and planning to ensure you love the final result.
For our yard, we wanted a pool, a spot for dining, some separate conversation areas and pretty, low maintenance landscaping.
What you need in your dream backyard
To begin, make a list of everything you’d like to have in your dream backyard. Possibilities might include a pool, deck or patio, dining area, hot tub, fire pit zone, outdoor kitchen, reading area and garden.
Sometimes backyard design is a long game, done in stages over a few years. But if you’ve defined your needs for the space, then you will be able to incorporate them when the time (and budget!) is right.
How to start planning a backyard layout
Measure up: Before you begin sketching anything out, it’s crucial to measure everything well! That includes the full “useable” backyard space as well as sizes of the big stuff like pools, hot tubs and outdoor furniture.
Be sure to account for the extra allowances needed. For instance, things like pools and hot tubs have specifications (like being 4’ from the fence or home) which may affect your overall backyard plan.
Pro tip: To figure out what size of pool would work in our space, we used a garden hose to give us a visual of the size and placement. Orange Outdoor marking spray paint works well too.
Beautiful Backyard Ideas to try
1. The Pool Project
Once the fence went up, we were ready to tackle the backyard project. Having a pool for the kids was a priority and figuring out where the best spot would be was key. Since I wanted to see the water easily from the kitchen, it was placed directly in front of the 3 patio windows and door.
After careful consideration, we decided on an above ground pool with room for seating and a deck with a railing. By wrapping the deck around the front half of the pool, we have more of a “built in” look with a seamless transition from the patio doors to the pool.
2. The Composite/Cedar deck
Because we didn’t want the maintenance headache of a complete wood deck, we chose composite boards with cedar accents. We collaborated with the contractor on the design to ensure it was as functional as it was beautiful.
Besides pool side seating, the multi-level deck provides a conversation area by the patio doors and a bar height table overlooking the pool, on the lower level.
3. Cooking Al Fresco
An outdoor kitchen beside the BBQ was on my husband’s wish list from day one. Being avid DIYer’s, (and so that we could customize it for our space), we designed and built our own kitchen prep space with a granite countertop, a bar sink and storage on the bottom.
Check out all the details of our DIY outdoor kitchen. It was easier and more affordable than you might think!
Not ready to build one? There are lots of outdoor bar carts or “kitchen prep zones” available online or at home improvement stores that can improve the function of your backyard space. One of my favourites is this pretty wicker outdoor rolling bar cart.
4. Fire side cocktails
In addition, we wanted an area that was more cozy and private on the ground level. To give it a “living room” feel, we opted for an outdoor rug and large sectional around a pretty fire pit table.
This zone also doubles as a casual dining area and is the perfect place for cocktails on a warm summer evening.
Tips to level up the backyard design
Create zones: Organizing the space is key to make the best use of each available square foot. It’s important to establish a comfortable flow and create separate zones for things like conversation, dining, lounging, or swimming.
Consider sight lines: Low maintenance perennials or eye catching decor across from a conversation area gives you something beautiful to look while enjoying company.
For example, in order to camouflage the side of the pool while sitting around the fire pit table, I planted tall deep plum day lilies then added hanging lanterns.
To DIY or Delegate?…that is the question!
Deciding on what to contract out vs DIY comes down to time, tools and training. And given how short summers can be, the time it takes to complete projects can make the all the difference.
DIY projects vs Contracting out
DIY: Whenever possible, it’s cost-effective, custom and creative to DIY what you can. For example, we ended up doing all the landscaping ourselves because it was way more affordable (and we were younger and stronger then lol)
We also built the bar table + bench and the 2 blue wood benches by the pool. (DIY blog post coming soon!). That being said, know your limits and weigh the pros and cons beforehand.
Contract out: For things like installing a pool, deck or hot tub, it can be worth hiring a professional to get it done properly and in a timely manner. We made sure to research deck and fence companies beforehand so we felt confidant with our choices.
Though the design has evolved over the years, I’ve always kept our initial backyard goals in mind. Having incorporated abundant seating and separate zones, the backyard is now the perfect spot for hosting both large and small gatherings.
Whether it’s connecting over morning coffee, enjoying a casual meal or swimming with the kids, we use every square foot of our outdoor space. It’s truly become the beautiful backyard oasis of our dreams. Cheers to a long hot summer! 🙂
Here are some more Homes and Gardens backyard design ideas to check out.
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