The Outdoor Lifestyle Blog

Want to add a little green to your outdoor kitchen or patio living area, but don’t have room for a big garden? The good news is that many plants don’t need a ton of space to thrive. In fact, many will grow quite happily in a flowerpot, decorative urn or other container.  

Container gardening is a fun hobby that combines artistic vision with a little trial-and-error experimentation. It’s a great way to enhance the look and feel of your outdoor kitchen.

Here are a few ways to incorporate container-grown plants into your outdoor living space:

Is your backyard landscaping currently a little “plain vanilla”? Maybe you’ve got a great lawn but not much else going on to attract the eye. Or maybe you’ve got a few less-than-beautiful features that you’d rather your guests not focus on.

Installing a custom pergola is an effective way to create visual interest in your backyard. Pergolas can create a focal point for the eye, no matter what size your yard is. They can also be used as an anchor to tie in other elements, such as a sitting area or garden.

Here are a few ways you can use a pergola to spice up your landscaping:

In our last post, we discussed how to supply power for backyard lighting. This week, we’ll look at some of the many lighting styles available to you. This isn’t an exhaustive list—just something to get you started down the right path!

Solar outdoor lighting

Solar path lights: Help your guests find their way through your yard when evening falls with this low-to-the-ground lighting option. Solar path lights are simple to install since they require no wiring, and they come in a variety of designs, from utilitarian to whimsical. Just be aware that they’ll fade as the night grows late, so they may not be ideal as your only light source.

Deck post lights: Provide a little extra light with fashionable solar deck lights. Several styles are designed to fit like a cap over the top of a deck post, while others affix to the side.  

Dreaming of summer evenings in your new outdoor living room, or planning to entertain friends around the fire pit or fireplace on a chilly autumn night? If you’ve got a large backyard, chances are the fire-glow and your existing porch light aren’t going to be quite enough to help people navigate after sunset.

Dreaming of the ultimate outdoor living room but aren’t sure where to start? Any major home improvement project can seem like a daunting task to begin with, so it helps to break it down into steps.

Here are our recommended steps to create your ideal outdoor living room:  

1. Determine your goals

First, ask yourself: what makes the idea of an outdoor living room so attractive to you? Is it because you want to spend more time with family? Is it so you and your spouse can spend alone time together? Is it because you want to have a quiet place to meditate and enjoy nature?

Are you considering adding a fire pit, stately fireplace or a dramatic fire table to your backyard? There’s nothing like an outdoor fire feature to take the chill off fall or winter evenings, or to add fun to spring and summer get-togethers. However, before you rush to purchase and install your new backyard addition, you’ll want to do a little planning so you can enjoy it to the fullest. Here are five mistakes you’ll want to avoid when building your outdoor fireplace, fire pit or fire table:

Dreaming about the ultimate outdoor living room? Have you already started to sketch out designs on napkins or even graph paper? The planning stage can be a lot of fun, especially as you’re collecting inspiration on Pinterest or seeing what your friends and neighbors have done in their yards.

But to get the most out of your space, you’ll want to avoid some not-so-obvious design flaws that can cause frustrations and steal a little of the joy of having an outdoor gathering spot.

Below are three mistakes to avoid when designing your outdoor living room:

An outdoor fireplace is great if you have only a few guests who fit comfortably in a semi-circle around the hearth, but fire pits offer a 360° experience that's perfect for larger groups. Fire pits are lower and more open meaning it's easier for you, your family, and your friends to gather around the fire and still be able to see everyone, chat, and laugh.

If you've considered a fire feature before but decided against a fire pit, writing it off as little more than a hole in the ground that might ruin your backyard aesthetic, we think we can convince you of their greatness.

There is a wide variety of fire pits on the market today and nearly all of them can be customized to your exact taste. Check out 5 different types of fire pits below and discover their many benefits!

Last year we published an article on 2015's biggest backyard design trends and you guys loved it. In fact, it remains one of our most popular articles to date!

So, since you're clearly interested in keeping up with the latest trends, here are the post popular backyard decorating, landscaping, and building choices we saw this year.

If you're in the process of planning a backyard upgrade, we suggest you consider adding a custom pergola to your list of must-haves!

Pergolas are great because they can be built as stand alone structures or as additions to your deck or patio, and they can be outfitted to fit nearly any function you can dream up. Aside from their versatility, here are 3 other benefits of having a custom pergola in your backyard: