Gorgeous Summer weather invites us to spend more time outdoors, whether it’s to savor al fresco dining, read a book by the garden, or share laughter around the fire pit.
However you choose to relax or let loose, enhancing your outdoor living area to match your lifestyle is a game changer. Your landscape should be an extension of your home, blending indoor comforts with the beauty of nature to create practical and inviting outdoor spaces. Here are 7 essential outdoor living elements to elevate your landscape!
1. Stay Lit with a Fire Pit
Adding a fire pit to your patio area or yard is the perfect way to extend quality time with family and friends well after the sun sets during any time of year. Along with Pacific Northwest charm and ambient lighting, outdoor fire pits provide warmth for those chilly evenings. Contact our landscape designers for a custom fire pit that matches your aesthetic!
2. Stay Cool with a Pool
There’s nothing like a dip in the water to cool down and escape the heat during Summer. A quick trip to the river or lake is always fun, but why travel farther than your own backyard if you don’t have to? Whether you envision a large, modern pool for everyone to enjoy or a private, natural looking pool for your backyard oasis, there are infinite pool design options that can fit your style.
3. Seek Shelter from the Elements
One of the biggest benefits of living in the Pacific Northwest is that it’s beautiful year-round, but it also gets quite rainy, as we know. With a covered patio or sheltered outdoor living area, you can enjoy your landscape and the outdoors in rain or shine and hail or heat.
4. Let the Games Begin
Add a special game area or sport court to your landscape design for a fun escape when you’re feeling stressed, as a way to get the kids outside, or for some friendly competition after a dinner gathering. From a bocce ball court or a basketball court to a mini-golf course, there are so many options to choose from, no matter the size of your landscape!
5. Unwind in a Hot Tub
The best way to give yourself a much-needed staycation is to implement relaxing elements into your landscape. Create a secluded area with an above-ground hot tub, an attached jacuzzi by the pool, or an in-ground plunge bath to take a load off after work with a tasty glass of Oregon Pinot Noir. You might just feel like you’re on vacation!
6. Serve It Up Outside with an Outdoor Kitchen
Barbecuing is a Summer staple. After all, cooking and entertaining is way more satisfying under the warm sun or twinkling stars surrounded by nature and good conversation. Take your patio and al fresco dining to the next level with a fully functional outdoor kitchen and “dining room”!
7. Enliven Your Environment with Plants
An outdoor living area isn’t complete without plants. Enhance your outdoor space by adding border plantings or seasonal container plantings. Not only does this give you the ability to play with color and texture, you can also grow herbs and veggies to use in your outdoor kitchen!
Outdoor living has endless possibilities. No matter what your landscape, home, or interests look like, there are features that are suitable for your space. Give yourself an excuse to get outdoors and create a place to gather with family and friends (or just by yourself) in your own backyard!
Take the first step to creating the backyard you’ve always wanted by contacting one of our award-winning landscape designers! We’ll work with you to understand your goals, space, and budget, then create a custom landscape design and install it, transforming your landscape! Get your free landscaping quote here.