Developing outdoor living space is a smart trend that has homeowners taking a second look at their backyard space. The backyard can provide a private oasis when you make the time and effort to enhance it with features like these.
Outdoor Fireplace
An outdoor fireplace provides a centralized hub where the family can be together, an additional source of heat, and a stylish accent to your patio or deck. Consider adding a fireplace to your outdoor living environment. Outdoor fireplaces can be used year round to emotionally warm up a space. Choose a stone or cultured stone chimney breast façade to make your fireplace blend in even more with nature. Place comfortable seating like a loveseat and chairs around the outdoor fireplace, and you have an area where people will congregate outdoors even on the hottest days.
Wooden Gate
A wood gate can serve as a special feature in any garden or backyard. Even if your backyard landscape doesn’t have a wood fence, a wood gate can still look like it belongs. For instance, a wood gate can be centered and installed between two adjacent hedges. The gate could serve as the entrance to your flower or vegetable garden or the gateway to a secret area that houses your children’s playhouse or clubhouse. The wood gate can be made with an arch overhead, which you can weave with flowering vines. Or imagine a wood gate with lattice, set between two stone pillars on your front walkway. You could install an outdoor shower and changing room for your pool guests that features a beautiful wood gate instead of a traditional door. A wood gate installed in the gap of your property boundary walls can serve to keep your beloved pets inside your yard.
Pergola
Another easy way to improve upon your outdoor living space is to add a pergola to your backyard concrete patio or wood deck. The pleasure of your outdoor living space is enhanced when the area offers both sun and shade. A pergola provides a break from the heat of the sun while allowing some light to filter through. Pergolas offer a distinctive aesthetic appeal to the backyard and a perceived extension to the home. If you like, you can grow climbing vines on the pergola such as roses or grapes.
Water Feature
Water symbolizes life and vitality. Incorporating a water feature into your backyard living area creates a space that feels alive and fresh. Wildlife like birds will be drawn to the water feature, making your yard serene and in tune with nature. A water feature can easily be added to any backyard, and they can take many forms. You could add a pond, install a fountain, or add a small waterfall. For added ambiance, install landscape lighting for nighttime illumination. Place stone or wrought iron benches or chairs nearby with fragrant flowering bushes a bird feeder or two, and you and your family or guests can relax to the sounds of water and birdsong.
Your custom home should be a one-of-a-kind design that reflects who you are. Express your personality in your backyard with outdoor design ideas like these. Homes by Brill has built over 500 custom homes in the Des Moines area over the years, and we’d love to help you design the home of your dreams. Contact us to get started!
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Image by Emack2020JPEG (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
