13 Best Backyard Ideas

If you're like the rest of the world , we all want to be outside in our backyards , enjoying our space .

We're going to go 13 of the best outdoor living ideas right now .

State at the very end , you're going to have my very favorite idea for your outdoor space that will pull you outside and get you enjoying the space very much with your family and your friends enjoy .

So idea number one is a covered outdoor living space .

Now , you're thinking of course , we want a covered outdoor living space .

But what I wanted to say is think about having a free standing structure as a destination as an idea .

So put it away from the house .

Everybody thinks that they want a covered space and they just want to attach it right to their house .

But these serve as an amazing destination .

I just want to keep saying that if you watch my channel for a long time , you know that I feel strongly about having a free standing structure as a destination .

But look at some of these examples and what you can do with a free standing structure .

So a free standing structure can be done with a gable style .

As you're seeing here , it could be done with a hip and ridge style .

It could be done as a as traditional gazebo style and it could also be done as a lean to style .

You could also do a Pergola as a kind of a destination .

But I would really recommend as the ideas that I want to give you is to cover it fully , to be able to protect you from the elements , extend your seasons a little bit and to be able to really get out and use the space in all weather .

If you do some of the other things we're going to talk about in this video , you could add heaters , you could add a fireplace , you could add an outdoor kitchen to your covered structure and all of a sudden it becomes a true four season outdoor living area with some of these structures .

You can also do a wall on the back side .

Now that will just add a little bit more protection from the elements , give you some privacy protection as well .

Now , I want to show you this too .

Something you can do for shade is you can add one of these screens and this is just the push of a button and all of a sudden that screen will go down and it'll give you great shade in the summer heat .

But this also does a great job of protecting you during a rainstorm or a windy day .

This will , this will really kind of buffer the elements and kind of keep the heat in as well for even those colder days .

Idea number two is adding an outdoor kitchen .

Now , it's not just a standard outdoor kitchen for this idea .

I want you to think about adding more to your outdoor kitchen .

Now , kitchens are amazing .

Right .

They're gonna be a destination no matter what , especially outdoors .

But if you add a grill , that's great .

But you can add a griddle right next to it .

You can add a side burner right next to that .

You could do a pizza oven as a secondary cook area .

You could do a refrigerator , you could do an ice maker to your outdoor kitchen .

You see these techniques are just gonna get you outside and it's gonna keep you outside .

Now , I want to say a little bit about these cook stations that you can have .

You can do these smokers and the green eggs are very popular right now as a secondary cook surface , some people right now are actually doing multiple cook surfaces .

So the barbecue and then here we have the green egg that we are preparing to install actually in the countertop itself .

So that's another thing I want you to really think about is get creative with your outdoor kitchen .

It doesn't just have to be the standard grill anymore .

We can really take that outdoor kitchen to the next level idea .

Number three would be creating a relaxation spot .

So , what do I mean by that ?

Well , what would relax you in your outdoor space ?

That's kind of a personal question to think about .

But here's some ideas , so a little spot in the landscape and I would always say , of course , keep it away from the house .

So make it somewhere you'd walk to or somewhere you'd see from a window and want to go out to .

But it could be a little water feature spot .

We all want a home that's warm and inviting , but not claustrophobic .

So today , we're going to look at a few universal tips that will make your home cozy no matter what your interior decor style is .

Hello and welcome back .

I am Vivian .

And today we're gonna be talking about how to make a cozy home .

When speaking of interior design , we talk a lot about styles like minimalism .

Boho Scandinavian rustic farmhouse , et cetera .

But when we talk about feelings like calming or airy cozy , we're no longer talking about styles , we're talking about emotions or feelings .

So this makes it a lot more difficult to define how to achieve this , but it also means that we can actually apply this to any style .

So today , we're gonna talk about a few universal ways that you can make your home cozy no matter what your current style is .

All right .

So the first cozy home tip is to look at your lighting .

Now , of course , you're thinking a fire pit .

Yes , we all want a fire pit .

But I want to really let you think outside of the typical fire pit box .

So there's lots of different styles of a fire pit .

You can do a fire pit that is at the end of your outdoor structure like you're seeing here , we did a little reflection wall here .

It reflects the heat back to the space .

It's almost like a fireplace , but this is a fire pit a lot less expensive .

And it really gives a lot of style to the space .

But the main point of a fire pit is it's going to draw you out with family with friends and it's just going to be a huge entertaining area .

So think about the different things that you can do with your fire pit .

It could be a seat wall on one side of it to really pack it full of people .

All the kids could sit at that end or vice versa .

And really the main thing you're thinking about is how to get out and use the space .

So really , you don't wanna have your fire pit right next to the house , you don't wanna have it right next to all your other outdoor living area .

You wanna have it as that destination again .

A little fire pit area all by itself to attract as many people over to that while you're entertaining as possible .

No matter what age you are , we all need the break from the TV .

We all need the break from our mobile devices just to be able to spend time together and a fire pit does an amazing job of attracting people out to enjoy that time together .

My fifth favorite backyard idea is considering getting an outdoor sauna .

You're thinking what ?

But it's so fun to be able to have that sauna .

I use my sauna all the time .

I'm out there , I don't know , three times a week ish .

So really think about having an outdoor sauna , it is a nice little meditation spot , too little place to go out and just have as your kind of private oasis .

The bulbs are quite expensive , but they are worth it because you can literally put any color you want at any time and they're dimmable and they're just so much fun and I just love smart lights .

I just love them .

So I recommend you check them out .

I'll put some links in the description so you can check out what smart lighting systems I would recommend .

And then obviously , candles are part of the lighting , I guess section even though you're not going to light a whole room , probably with candles , candles are the I would call them like the ultimate cozy addition to any room .

So tip number two is to add plants and flowers and foliage , living things , plants and flowers have a unique way of breathing life into a space .

Take them away from a room and you'll see what I mean .

It's really hard to pinpoint why we enjoy having plants in our home .

Why most people do anyways , I think it's just a matter of humans being all inherently drawn to nature in some way .

And the reason is , is because an outdoor bar attracts people and attracts entertainment .

And I love a bar too because you can kind of put a bar in almost any space .

If it's a very small space , you can put a bar in .

Look at what we've done here .

We've actually put a bar in around the post of a structure .

So just this little tiny bar area , it adds so much now usable space .

You can imagine two people talking at the bar having a drink together playing some cards together in this little tiny area , which was pretty much dead space prior .

Now , of course , with a bar , you can also sneak it on top of a deck .

Look at what we've done here .

We use this little bar as a railing .

Now , this design was to go down as fast as possible to get to the real outdoor living space , which was on the lower level .

If you don't want real plant and if you don't want fresh flowers , they do get pricey .

Totally understandable .

You can go for faux .

Um I would definitely stay away from silk faux and go for plastic faux .

They last forever and there are some very realistic options out there .

Nowadays , faux plants can look amazing and really enhance the look of your space .

So you can consider that if you don't want to go the real route , if you have a black thumb or whatever tip number three is to use rugs and textiles .

If your room has tiles , laminate or hardwood , chances are in the winter , at least it's probably gonna feel pretty chilly under your feet and having cold feet is not exactly the best way to feel cozy in your space .

So adding rugs will really help bring that extra warmth and insulation to your room .

You can also consider rugs in other like non primary rooms of your home , like in hallways and kitchens and bathrooms even .

And you know , if you don't want to use rugs in the kitchen and bathroom , it's totally understandable .

So that when your guests come , they're not like walking around in bare feet or in socks and getting cold .

Tip number four for achieving coziness in the home is through texture , cozy textures are gonna be made up of things usually that are soft and that feel good against the skin .

So , you know , think things like chunky throws velvet , knits , um cushy throw pillows , crushed linen , things like that .

Things that you enjoy touching when you have elements in your room that make you think of warmth and safety and well being .

Chances are you've probably got a pretty cozy room or a cozy element on your hands .

Accessories and furniture can also provide a feeling of warmth .

Think about wood , caramel , uh colored leathers , uh warm brass accents .

Even stone can be warm and textural .

When I'm searching for like textural items , I usually like to ask myself whether or not I like to touch that item .

If I like to touch it .

Then chances are it has an interesting texture to it .

Some tips to eliminate echo are any of the previous tips that we talked about .

So hanging drapes , putting rugs down , putting throws down on your furniture and making sure that there's layers that are gonna absorb the sounds in your room and artwork .

I hope these cozy home tips were useful for you and that you can implement them in some way .

If you found this video useful , please consider liking and subscribing and if you're a returning friend , thank you for coming back to watch .

Uh I can't believe we're already almost 1000 subscribers .

It blows my mind .

So I , I guess I'll just keep doing what I'm doing and if you have anything you need , just let me know in the comments .

I always try to address comments .

I read them and you know , if you need anything , let me know and I'll make a video for you .

I'm I'm here for you .

So thanks and see you next time .

Bye .