How to Make the Most of Your Outdoor Living Space

by Chuck Roper 25. June 2018 04:35




One of the biggest perks to becoming a homeowner is the freedom; the freedom to tweak, design, and customize your living space down of the very last tile. Living space in this instance—especially with warmer weather on the horizon—extends beyond the walls of your home. It encompasses the front yard, backyard, and every outdoor cranny in between.


Creating the ideal outdoor living space for your home comes down to both your needs and the space itself. How can you effortlessly extend the square footage of your home into the outdoors? And more importantly, how can you make the most of your outdoor living space in a way that’s both beautiful and usable?

Furniture that’s Flexible

The furnishings of your outdoor living space should be reflective its intended use cases. For example, if you enjoy entertaining large groups, you may opt for a design that prioritizes ample seating. This doesn’t have to translate to your standard four-legged chair, however. Consider the use of large ground cushions, benches, or even swings if you have the right infrastructure to work with.


In addition to seating, consider investing in furniture that’s light, multi-functional, and easy to rearrange. Doing so will prove to come in handy should you need to do some last minute prepping for those summertime barbecues.

Account for Shade

Making the most of your outdoor living space is as much about your time spent reading in the shade, as it is basking in the sun. Be mindful of every outdoor moment you might want to account for and prepare accordingly. This could mean investing in a large, outdoor umbrella or simply positioning furniture to account for light pattern changes throughout the day. Especially on those hot summer days, you’ll be thankful for a little reprieve from the elements that don’t require you to stay cooped up inside.

Be conscious of traffic patterns

Whether entertaining guests or navigating solo, it’s important to establish some sort of common pathway from the outdoors to the inside and everywhere in between. Doing so will allow you to decorate around walkways sensibly and keep your flora free from being trampled. Lay down a simple stone path or illuminate with a lineup of outdoor sensor lights.

Organize your tools and accessories in one place

Inside, outside, it doesn’t matter — not being able to locate something you need to get a job done is frustrating. For this reason, consider centralizing all of your outdoor tools and accessories in one place. If you’re an avid gardener or handyman, maybe this means setting up a small shed out of the line of traffic for storage. Or perhaps you’ve designated a place in the garage for those needs. Wherever it is, keeping your outside organized will make it more enjoyable to spend time outside.

Zone your space

One of the easiest ways to approach designing an outdoor living space is to map it out by zones. This translates to the sectioning off of spaces in your backyard by function. There could be a zone for dining, lounging, gardening, grilling, kid’s activities; however you choose to categorize your spaces, make sure they’re reflective of your household needs for intended use.

Create a sense of privacy

Regardless of how much you may enjoy the company of your neighbors, there’s nothing wrong with establishing a bit of privacy. Consider investing in a fence, partitions or awnings. A little seclusion can go a long way in making your outdoor living space feel like an extension of your indoors.


On the hunt for the home (and backyard) of your dreams? Check out our newest listings of homes for sale in the greater St. Louis area today!



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