https://old.rosieonthehouse.com/blog/give-your-outdoor-living-room-a-facelift

Give Your Outdoor Living Room a Facelift

07 May 2019

6 ideas for updating your backyard

1 | Think about adding do-it-yourself, built-in seating

Rosie on the House Backyard Seating You can start, for example, by learning how to build a 3-foot-high seat wall using pavers. Once you've done a small project, you might want to move on to building a small retaining wall with more seating as well. Or maybe you want to try building a raised garden plot lined with pavers. Low walls are also ways of breaking up the landscape into small "rooms" for desert plantings.

2 | Bring your indoor color scheme outdoors

Gray has been the dominant color scheme inside many newer homes for years, and now homeowners are taking the same palette outdoors. Consider using "greige" – a blend of gray and tan. It can be used in the hardscape as well as for upholstery of your outdoor furniture.

3 | Merge the indoors and the outdoors

Rosie on the House walkway and edger belgard

One of the biggest trends in new home building and in remodeling older homes is to merge the indoors and the outdoors. Folding window walls can be installed that will allow your kitchen or great room to open up into the outdoor space and take better advantage of your views as well as the fresh air.

4 | Pavers

The trend toward using larger and more linear pavers continues to grow rapidly, according to the Belgard paver company. Not only are consumers looking for clean, modular textures, they are leaning toward plank-style pavers and very large format slabs. Think about using the new look when you build a new patio or remodel an old one.

5 | Landscape lighting

In Arizona, much of our outdoor time in summer takes place in the evenings after the sun goes down, so think about installing LED lighting to make that time more inviting and festive. LEDs will also help you reduce your utility bills. If you're doing a retrofit, you can even install string lights with the popular Edison-style bulbs that have a vintage look.

6 | Shade, shade and more shade

Build a pergola over your dining area; plant more shade trees; use canopies over seating areas; put a roof over your patio.

Looking for inspiration for redoing your outdoor spaces?

Rosie on the House canopy

Be sure to visit the grand opening at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 11, 2019 for the new Outdoor Living Design Center at Marvel Building and Masonry Supply in Mesa. It's a place to find help with outdoor projects you build yourself or names of possible contractors that can create them for you. Belgard and Techniseal experts will show you how to build a small seat wall using pavers in just one hour. The showroom is located at 1113 S. Country Club Drive in Mesa. NOTE: Every mother who attends the event will receive a planted geranium in honor of Mother's Day weekend.

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Photo Credits:

Border Construction Specialties