The Backyard Trends

Want to take your design skills out to the backyard? Backyard staging can be a great part of your gig! Whether you're designing a bright and cheery place to welcome in the spring and summer, or a cozy fireplace deck to welcome in fall, you can add to your skills and income by making a client's outdoor sanctuary an addition to your decorating skills. In this chapter, we'll dive into some great tips and tricks you need to have up your sleeve to make your client's backyard a beautiful oasis without the hassle.

- IMPORTANT TIPS FOR THE PERFECT BACKYARD SPACE -

1. Add Lighting For Ambiance

The right lighting can completely transform a space, especially outdoors. There are a lot of fun ways to light a backyard. We recommend installing a few sources of lighting to keep it varied and interesting, such as in-ground lights along a pathway, string lights over the dining or seating area, and rope lights around oak or palm trees. Uplighting is another great feature to make the landscaping look more upscale at night and create a beautiful sense of ambiance.

2. Install A Fire Pit And Grill

A fire pit is a wonderful backyard feature to have. Not only does it look great within the landscaping, but it also offers a nice place around which your client's can gather with friends and family to relax, especially during the winter months. You can place it on the patio or build a separate patio for the fire pit. A round patio made of stone or pavers looks great for this - with the option of building the fire pit right into it, and you can easily arrange seating around it.

Outdoor grilling is a quintessential pastime, whether it's with charcoal or gas. Add one to your client's yard to have backyard barbecues, dinners cooked on the open flame, and a great reason to spend more time outdoors. 

3. Install A Water Feature

A water feature is another great way to take advantage of the elements. Something as simple as a waterfall provides a relaxing sound and visual component to your client's backyard. Or, you can go a step further and install a small pond that will make your backyard truly feel like an oasis.

4. Creating Shade With A Pergola

If your client's backyard gets a lot of sun, consider installing a pergola to combat it and offer some shade. You can then put a seating area or dining area beneath it. We especially love the look of vines growing over a pergola to create a dreamy garden effect that makes the pergola become a part of the landscape. You can even hang string lights or a chandelier from it to make it extra charming.

5. Create An Outdoor Movie Theater

Outdoor movie nights are becoming more and more popular since projectors have become so affordable. You can project the movie right onto an empty wall of your client's house or purchase an inflatable outdoor movie screen that goes up in minutes so your clients can enjoy fun, relaxing movie nights right in their backyard!

6. Bring Indoor Elements Outside

To create a comfortable and stylish backyard, bring décor elements from the inside to the outdoor living areas. For example, place an outdoor area rug under your seating, accessorize the furniture with accent pillows, and hang curtains around the patio for shade and style.

7. Get Creative With Your Landscaping

Of course, the most beautiful backyards have great landscaping. You don’t necessarily have to do anything extravagant, though, to take advantage of nature. Hang a hammock between two large trees, create privacy with full green hedges, and create wall art with some lattice work and succulents. Nature can be used in a variety of ways to create a truly magnificent backyard. Don't forget to build out a garden. You can build one showcasing beautiful flowers or one full of delicious veggies and herbs!

8. Build A Playground

One of the best parts of enclosing the backyard is creating a private place for your client's kids to be able to play. Once you’ve installed a fence, why not add a playground? Their kids will love being able to run outside and swing, slide or climb to their hearts’ content.

9. Add A Fence

Adding a fence to your client's backyard is a great way to gain privacy, boost security and enhance their property’s aesthetic. Keep kids and pets safely near their home, and enjoy entertaining without neighbors’ watchful eyes. You can also enhance their fence with flowers and climbing vines.

10. Build A Patio Or Deck

Imagine your clients entertaining guests and hosting backyard barbecues on their private patio or deck. Think of how relaxing it would be for them to sit outside beneath a patio umbrella while they watch the sunset. Whether you decide to build a deck, pour concrete, or lay bricks - when you add a patio or deck, you create more enjoyable outdoor space. A patio or deck is a selling point for a home because it adds usable living space outside. 

No matter what direction you go with your client's backyard space, take the time to sit down with them and discuss their preferences the same way you would if you were to stage the inside of their home. You want to provide them a mock-up of the final staging concept, and ensure you pass photos you find of similar backyards from Pinterest back and forth to make sure you have your eyes set on a backyard project that ends up being exactly what your clients want and need.