7 Ideas for Creating a Cozy Outdoor Oasis in Your Yard
Call it a piece of heaven, a slice of happiness, a serene sanctuary, or an outdoor living space as cozy as your indoors. Your backyard can be all that and more, as it embodies total relaxation, entertainment, and space utilization.
This outdoor oasis is also an investment toward your health and well-being. Moreover, because money and resources will be involved in making outdoor home improvements, it’s natural to consider the value these projects would add to the property.
You would want this outdoor oasis to be as lush and beautiful as it is functional and flexible for you and everyone you love so they can enjoy it and feel at home in the truest sense. Let’s help you turn your dream into a reality with these awesome ideas to spruce up your outdoor space, so you want to actually spend time there.
1. Build a Deck
When you have a deck, it’s like stepping into a new place the moment you open the door while still in your comfort zone. This deck becomes a destination: an area to dine in, entertain guests, play with kids or pets, and simply spend time in broad daylight or under the moonlight.
Composite, wood, and PVC are popular choices for decking material. Natural wood is known for its elegance, PVC for durability, and composite boards can be both.
If you are considering composite decking for your outdoor oasis, there are a number of factors to consider. These include the climate, the deck’s location, design and purpose(s) of the deck, the material’s life span and maintenance, permits, project budget, projected ROI, and the home’s personality and style.
Dressing up and decorating your deck is what comes next, and it should be a fun way to add a personal flair to this space.
2. Plant Beautifully, Purposefully
Oasis and foliage grow together. For example, trees on a property are a premium, and they can make the property more valuable and attractive. The right trees should fit in with a homeowner’s landscaping and going-green strategy.
Besides the aesthetic, you can grow plants for practical reasons. If you are in the thick of deciding which plants to grow in your yard, consider these:
Bug-repellant: If mosquitoes are limiting your enjoyment of the outdoors, try growing citronella geranium, lemongrass, marigold, and other plants that are natural mosquito repellants. Keep your area clean and rid of any standing water.
Aroma: Lavender not only repels insects, but it also smells nice. Magnolia, freesia, and rose are some flowers that lend their fragrance to your outdoor space. Don’t forget to include aromatic herbs for cooking.
Shade and privacy: Trees provide shelter and a refreshing retreat from especially hot afternoons. Shade trees that grow fast and bring in color include American Sweetgum, Sun Valley maple, and Tuliptree.
Hedges make your space more private and secure without interrupting the naturalness of the environment. Shrubs and trees that make good privacy hedges include arborvitae, yew, and bamboo.
An outdoor oasis conjures images of lush, leafy foliage. The likes of elephant ears, Canna lilies, and caladiums offer color and texture to this paradise.
3. Select the Best Seats in the House
Seating defines the outdoor living experience. Wicker sectionals can be positioned on the deck or patio, benches under a tree or near foliage, loungers by the pool, stools at the deck bar, and stone benches around the firepit.
Sun or shade is one factor that determines what chair goes where. Consider these additional points when looking for outdoor furniture:
Comfortable chairs take precedence—try sitting on them before buying.
Shop with the outdoor area’s size, shape, and surface.
Focus on the big-ticket and must-have items; best to have a list to buy for budgeting purposes.
Check for outdoor cushions and fabrics that are easy to care for and clean.
Look for furniture styles that work with events you plan to host.
4. Lighten Up the Nightscape
Outdoor lighting is designed to be low maintenance and configurable to match your nighttime landscape. Your cozy retreat deserves the best lighting setup, which can be a mix of many lighting fixtures to create scenes: subdued on wine nights, bright lights for outdoor game nights, and so on.
Smart outdoor lighting products like wall lights and pathway lights promise convenience and versatility with a tap on your phone. Solar lights for deck steps, posts, and railings are available. There are also lights to illuminate trees, walls, and noted features of your landscape.
With the lights on outside, you’ll find your way around safely while helping to keep your property secure. Consider these principles to help lessen light pollution.
5. Add a Covered Structure
Your outdoor space can embody the quintessential alfresco: an open layout with as much space for seating, relaxing, and entertaining as you like. It can also have a covered freestanding structure like a gazebo, pergola, or pavilion.
Because it is not attached to the home, this backyard structure gets its own spotlight. Furnish it with a couch, table, TV, fireplace, outdoor kitchen, or anything that makes it safe, functional, and cozy for you. Rain or shine, you’ll have an all-weather shelter outdoors.
Not sure what to build in your backyard? Learn more about garden structures to see which one is right for your needs.
6. Keep Warm with a Firepit
The presence of an outdoor firepit is a warm welcome in anticipation of colder months or as a kickoff to the summer camping season with some friends sharing stories and s’mores.
Firepits have exploded in popularity in the last couple of years, paving the way for more portable options. The traditional in-ground firepit is built using concrete, with concrete bench seating to round it off.
You can drive away insects, do some cooking, and have outdoor entertainment in the firepit area. Keep the fire burning with less impact on the environment by using eco-friendly logs. Also, always put out the fire before you leave.
7. Install an Outdoor Sauna
A sauna in the comfort of your home sounds like the perfect cure to a long and tiring week and the perfect addition to your outdoor oasis. Best of all, using this sauna at home is free and ready when you are.
You can either build your outdoor home sauna or get a prebuilt one like a cedar sauna kit. In setting up your outdoor home sauna, consider space and power sources. Permits may also be required, so check that as well before proceeding.
Whether you go solo or host a small sauna party, enjoy this wellness activity, and feel truly relaxed afterward. You deserve it.
Enjoy Outdoor Living!
You’ve been handed the keys to creating this wonderful outdoor oasis for you and your loved ones. These ideas not only aim to improve the look of your outdoor space and maximize its potential, but they also introduce new ways to enjoy nature in your backyard.
A deck acts as a new living and dining room in one. A gazebo or similar backyard structure gives you a reason to venture further outside the house. A firepit and sauna offer ways to stay warm without going anywhere else. Lighting, foliage and vegetation, and seating are indispensable elements for the safety, functionality, and beauty of your outdoor space.
Soak up the sun and have fun.