A house is built with different rooms; each has its purpose. According to House Beautiful magazine, you should do the same to your yard. If you designate spaces for various activities, you should apply the same idea to your yard to foster outdoor living.
Since the pandemic began, most people have stayed indoors. And while it’s safer to stay home, you can still enjoy your yard with your family. What better way to enjoy your yard than a special area where you can sit back and relax while the kids have their space to play in?
This article aims to help you create zones in your yard, so you have different areas that you and your family can use and enjoy.
Create Different Levels
There are different ways to make divisions in your yard. You can use plants, outdoor furniture, trellis, and other kinds of outdoor structures. However, the best way to create divisions is to level your yard in varying heights.
Creating levels can help maximize your space. For example, you can create a sunken lounge area or an elevated dining area.
Put together different levels that step down into one another. This way, each level will create its own space where you can add a pocket of the garden. Pair each level with a raised garden bed with tall lush plants that will provide a sense of privacy for each space.
Add Weather-proof Outdoor Furniture
Aside from raised beds and pocket gardens, add them all over your yard to make each space alive. Adding greens can give your yard flexibility. You can easily design each space with plants as your background and base. And then add weather-proof outdoor furniture.
With gardens, or even if just a few plants, outdoor furniture increases the flexibility of each space in your yard. It gives you another area where you can entertain guests or have a serious talk with your kid. It’s a space where you can walk around or sit in the sun.
Mix different styles of furniture. You don’t have to stick to a theme, and that proves the flexibility of outdoor space. Let it stand out with the right accessories and furnishings. Just make sure that you’ll use fabrics with UV stability ratings to prevent sun damage and fading.
You should also use water-resistant washable fabrics. If you use natural fibers, you’ll have to bring them inside the house overnight.
Create Color and Textural Contrasts
You can achieve different contrasts in each area using different colors and materials. Just like with your indoor space, don’t stick with a single color or building material. Consider experimenting with diverse rocks, pebbles, tiles, paving stones, wood, vinyl, and other materials. Use them on hardscapes such as pathways, walls, and water features.
For example, you can create a pathway with white rocks. Its border can be laden with bricks. This can stand in contrast to the adjacent green grass. Again, add plants with complementing colors to make each space unique.
Create a Safe Space for the Kids and a Lounge Area for the Adults
You’ll feel like you’re on a vacation if you create separate spaces for you and your kids. The kids can play games or sports in one area, safe. You, meanwhile, can sit back and relax with your spouse in your own outdoor living space.
According to Country Living, what’s great about having a separate play area for the kids is that you can encourage them to spend more time outdoors, move around, and be physically fit. Just make sure to install an insect-killing lamp outdoors to protect them from insect bites.
Your own space is essential, too. You can place a hammock, lounge chair, an outdoor sofa, or anything that you’ll be comfortable in. Install a trellis or arbor that will provide shade and shelter. Wood arbors are expensive. If you want to save money, you can use a plastic arch and let creeping plants cover it.
Keep Your Space Private
While plants provide a sense of privacy, nothing beats a full composite fence from brands like Trex. Best of all, Trex seclusions fencing cost is low.
Having a fence will give your space a secluded feel, away from the prying eyes of your neighbors. And it’s less imposing than a solid wall. You can further soften the look by adding climbing plants.
Your Yard as a Destination
The average person might see a yard as a broad outdoor space. But if you’re tired of the indoors because of the pandemic, you’ll do everything to turn that space into beautiful, usable spaces. In fact, if you love to design spaces, the yard hardly feels massive. For you, it’s a wide usable outdoor space that can be designated into specific zones, flowing into each other.
After this project, your yard isn’t just a yard anymore. For you and your family, it is a destination.
