(Back) Yard Beautiful

Replenish. recharge. refresh: three words that have become increasingly more important over the past year when faced with the pandemic, its’ lockdowns and the many restrictions.

Replenish your energy levels.

Recharge your soul.

Refresh your mind.

Finding ways to nurture these elements within the confines of your own home has been the mandate of late. Luckily, the warmer days are increasing (and hopefully going to stick around) so it is the perfect time to start thinking about extending our living to the great outdoors and spending as many days as possible enjoying our outdoor spaces.

Bring the Indoors Out
Backyards, porches, decks are now part of everyday life: outdoor home office, outdoor dining, outdoor entertaining spaces, you name it. Consider what you love about your indoor space. Reflect that indoor vibe outdoors with playful colour (see Let’s Talk About…Colour), inviting furnishings, tantalizing textures and maybe even modern conveniences (outdoor TV, anyone?).

But maybe it’s time to step it up a notch further.

Define Your Deck
A straight-forward upgrade like redoing a deck can dramatically improve yard aesthetics by creating definition amongst the wilds of nature. Take a page out of nature’s book and slow down a little; create the perfect look of luxurious serenity or a bold, modern retreat. With many choices of wood materials, the aesthetic you’ve been visualizing can easily come to life. However, with the price of lumber at the moment, composite materials are a viable and affordable. Composite doesn’t have the same natural look wood does but will provide a stylish, low maintenance and durable option.

Rhatigan Ridge Deck and Pergola

Create Your Oasis
A pergola is something else to consider. A simple yet striking structure, this adds to back (or front!) yard appeal but it also provides the practical use of protection from the elements. Adding greenery such as climbing flowers and leafy plants overhead can create a dense covering that could result in a serene sanctuary providing peacefulness and the warming comfort that we’re all seeking these days.

There are so many options to optimize the space in your backyard, front yard and even side yard. By creating distinct outdoor areas, these spaces can serve different purposes: relaxing, dining, entertaining (socially distanced, of course) and if you’ve got kids, a play area!

Sherwood Path Front Deck and Pergola (Photo: Archive Client)

Sherwood Park Backyard Basketball Court (Photo: Archive Client)

Once upon a time, the idea of ‘indoor/outdoor living’ was a something you’d see on HGTV. It became a slow moving trend but has gained popularity over the years. Homeowners have realized there were many benefits that optimizing outdoor living spaces can bring: a quicker, more economical way to enhance a home without a huge renovation or addition and increased the value of the home to name a few. But it cannot be denied that spending more time outdoors provides enormous benefits to our health and well-being which is something that we all need in these uncertain times.

For that reason alone, are you ready to upgrade your outdoor living space?