6 Smart Strategies For Designing An Outdoor Space That’s Best Set Up For You

For even the savviest of home decorators, creating a well-appointed outdoor space can pose a challenge. It’s often an undefined space with no walls or hard boundaries, and the design has to contend with the elements (not to mention birds and bugs). It’s a lot to consider.

 
That means to consider your wants and needs for space, sketch out a floor plan, and choose a color palette and style that complements the adjacent spaces. In this case, that would be the exterior of a home and the surrounding landscape.

But one person’s dream backyard may be another’s a high-maintenance nightmare. To ensure that yours is truly an oasis for you, the most important factor to consider is used. Whether you plan to host weekly socially distant dinners or want to start a vegetable garden, here’s what to keep in mind when building your outdoor space.

For the entertainer

Seating is the most important ingredient when it comes to creating a comfortable place to entertain (a host’s best trick is to seemingly conjure extra chairs from nothing). Consider how often you plan to have people over and how many you’ll need seats for, and whether you’re gathering around a dining table, a fire pit, or in a more relaxed lounge area.

She suggests thinking about how furniture can be shared across different areas, as well. For example, borrow seating from around the pool for an evening near the fireplace, or choose dining chairs that will look good near the sofa. Frazier also advises regular entertainers to opt for small tables and chairs that can be brought out when needed then stacked and stowed when they're not (though this does require storage).

Additionally, Apgar recommends using zones to differentiate areas. Perhaps an elevated deck is where you have the grill and dining table, but a few steps lead down to a stone patio with a bar area. A small change in elevation can create the feeling of an entirely different room.

For the growing family

When designing for a family, Frazier first considers the age of the children. Then, it’s about how the outdoor space will be able to evolve as they grow older (and their parents' need to watch them change).

Frazier recommends using different furniture configurations to accommodate activities for just the parents, the entire family, or just the kids. This could look like a cooking area with a grill, which is adjacent to a lounge, which leads out to the lawn and swing set.

If the family will be outside at night, make sure each zone has the appropriate lighting. Use landscape lights to mark the perimeter of walkways and patios, and add a pendant or tabletop lamp over a dining table. In the yard, you can uplight trees and hang heavy-duty string lights (use poles to elevate the strands) instead of a functional but harsh floodlight.

Apgar usually recommends a sectional sofa for families because it provides enough space for everyone to spread out, plus the modular varieties can be rearranged and moved around as needed. Choose durable materials that are kid-friendly.

For the gardener

Plants are crucial for any outdoor area, but if you want to make them the focus, there’s more to it than just throwing a few heirloom tomato seedlings in the ground.

While understanding the light conditions and maintenance that something like a vegetable garden requires is obviously key to a successful harvest, you have to start with the square footage.

Consider a container garden along with the house, or position a few tiered planters on the sunniest side of the porch. Work with the structures and furniture that are present, and fill in any dead spaces with plants: Add hanging baskets from a porch railing or plant flowering vines near a pergola.

All gardeners will need a place to store supplies, which could be as simple as a potting table with a shelf and hooks or, for larger spaces, a small shed tucked into the corner of the yard.

For the budget-conscious

If cost is a concern, the top priority should be high-quality furniture.

For another cost-efficient decor, utilize potted plants over built-in garden beds, add throw pillows with washable covers, and scour flea markets or vintage shops for tin signs or empty oversized frames that can be hung on a fence without concern for the elements. And always hang a strand or two of string lights—they are the quickest and cheapest way to add ambiance and make space feel more elevated.

For a small space

Start with your largest, can’t-live-without piece of furniture first, and then see what else fits. For example, if you add a six-person dining table, you discover that you have no room for an herb garden along the wall. Or you may have to sacrifice the chaise lounge if you also want a bar top and room to grill.
At the bare minimum, aim for at least two seats and a surface to set drinks.

For use in four seasons

No one wants to close off an entire room of their house for a season, yet few parts of the country are blessed with consistently temperate weather that allows for indoor-outdoor living year-round. The solution? Adapt your space for the climate you are in.

Colder climates will want a heat source—a fire pit or fireplace is most common, but you can also mount heaters on the exterior of the house or roof of your porch, or place an umbrella heat lamp in the middle of your deck.