Summer is finally here, and we couldn’t be more excited! With the warmer weather comes open windows, swimsuits… and more time in your backyard or other outdoor space. We have the tips you need to make sure that your patio, garden, lanai, or yard is as welcoming as the inside of your house, and the tricks to make outdoor inconveniences no trouble at all! 

Let it glow, let it glow.

Everyone knows that light is a critical component of wellbeing and happiness in a space. Who hasn’t suffered a migraine from long-term exposure to harsh fluorescents in an office setting? Outdoors, depending on the time of day you choose to indulge, too much or too little lighting can be a problem. You are going to want shade from the intense beams of the sun, and you’re going to want to study how the light moves around your yard over the course of the day. Depending on your results, you may want to get crafty and build a pavilion or pergola, or at least stick out a spacious sun umbrella. At nighttime, you want light that will read “cozy” and not “bright.” Lanterns and candles are always good bets, but fairy lights will give you a bit more light that’s fully customizable. 

Good fences make good neighbors.

Privacy is a must-have for the ideal outdoor space. After all, you want this space to feel like an extension of your home. It’s hard to do that when you can see your neighbors sunbathing topless while you are reading. Fences are the obvious solution to this, but not the only one. If you have only a balcony, a nice trellis will not only block others’ views, but can bring some much-needed greenery to your small space. Bushes, shrubs, trees, and other forms of foliage can also allow you and your neighbors some semblance of privacy without putting stakes in the ground. 

Make plants on point.

Nowadays, it seems like everyone wants to try out their green thumb. And although plants can reduce stress by surrounding you with friendly greenery, there CAN be too much of a good thing. If you went to Home Depot and went ham in the garden center, you may be left with a fussy, hard-to-maintain patch that causes you more grief than good. It’s especially important to consider a plant’s mature dimensions when you plant it. What is small and cute can quickly grow huge and unwieldy, and this is a design mistake. Allow plants plenty of room, and consider perennials that will grow back year after year. 

What will you be doing with your outdoor space this year? Time to think about it!