Monthly Archives: March 2018

DIY Backyard Design Ideas: Tips For Lighting Your Space

We’ve all seen those outdoor spaces that take our breath away. A truly beautiful backyard with attractive outdoor patio furniture is what takes a nice house to the next level, making it a destination for friends and family to gather and make memories all year long.

However, it can be tricky to know what goes into making the perfect backyard if you’ve never done your own landscaping. If your yard is lacking a homey, inviting feel, we have some tips on how to transform your space with the help of backyard lights.

1. Patio String Lights

Most people would agree that there’s nothing better than dining al fresco on a warm summer night. If you want to bring the high-end restaurant feel to your space, the first thing to do is add patio string lights to your yard. Patio string lights come in a variety of styles and price points. They’re sure to wow your guests, making them the first on our list of backyard design ideas.

2. Outdoor Fireplace

A fireplace is a great way to immediately change the ambiance of your backyard. We love the idea of tabletop fire pits which provide a more modern, sophisticated fire feature.

3. Space Heaters

In most parts of the country, backyard activities are a seasonal affair. But if you’d like to extend the season a bit, space heaters are a great way to do it. Space heaters add a soft light glow and will keep your friends and family warm in the early spring and late fall. With a few strategically-placed space heaters, sitting around your patio on your comfortable, high-quality outdoor furniture can be something you enjoy year-round.

4. Light Pole Stands

If you don’t have an overhang or gazebo to string lights on, light pole stands are a great way to achieve the same effect. These stands can be installed for permanent placement or put up for special occasions, making them a great, versatile option for any home.

5. Illuminate Pathways

One of the most important outdoor design ideas is understanding the powerful effect of illuminating pathways in your yard. Using simple tea lights or other forms of lighting is a great way to draw people into different parts of the yard and highlight the dynamic elements of your landscaping.

6. Tree Spotlights

Trees are a gorgeous way to add dimension and a secluded feel to your backyard, so make sure they don’t disappear when the sun goes down. Tree spotlights can be used in bold or softer styles to draw attention to your greenery.

7. Water Feature Lights

Lighting waterfalls, pools, ponds, and streams is a great way to bring a peaceful, calming vibe to your backyard. Water lights are a chance to get creative with different colors and light patterns as well.

8. Mounting Lights For Plants

Even if you don’t have massive trees in your yard, you can illuminate your smaller shrubs and vines for a similar effect. Mounting lights are a natural choice for drawing the eye toward your landscape.

9. Artisan Hanging Lights

Make a statement to your gazebo or pergola design with some creative ideas. Artisan hanging lights are a great way to make a statement to your outdoor patio and gazebo. You can also string classic Chinese lanterns along your yard to add magic to your outdoor space.

10. Led Lights

LED lights don’t provide a huge amount of illumination, but they’re a popular trend for those wanting a subtle, modern lighting effect in their backyard.

By taking a few of these DIY backyard design ideas into account, you’ll be roasting marshmallows on an outdoor fire table, wining and dining with friends, and thoroughly enjoying yourself in your backyard before you know it.

Spring Living Room Color Ideas To Brighten Your Home

When the leading names in color selection release their seasonal color picks, it can be difficult to decide how to update your home interior design to match current trends. As winter comes to a close, the spring colors have been released along with plenty of living room color ideas.

It’s important to remember that not every color is going to be a fit for your house interior. Keeping up with trends is all about incorporating the interior home decoration ideas that fit your personal sense of style. We’ve outlined a few ideas that work with different decor preferences. No matter whether you like loud color combos, a softer approach, or sticking to neutrals, you can keep up with the current trends.

Bold and Striking

If you like to make a strong statement with color, you’ll love the popular living room colors for Spring 2018. Gone are the days where the only spring house decoration options came in various pastel palettes.

Bright, bold colors like Lime Punch, Cherry Tomato, and UltraViolet are taking center stage both on the catwalk and in the home. That being said, you probably shouldn’t rush to paint your walls lime green while simultaneously picking out bright purple carpeting. When using strong shades like this, it’s important to balance the room with neutral colors, like high quality cream furniture especially in spaces like living rooms.

Pick the specific elements of the room you want to make a statement. If you choose to paint the walls a vibrant color, choose neutral colors for your flooring and larger pieces of living room furniture. If you’d like to pull in multiple strong colors, then use accents like throw pillows and other smaller pieces of furniture.

For those who prefer deeper shades, you may find a new favorite home decor color in Chili Oil, a deep crimson shade that can look good in any room in the house. When using such a dark color in spring, make sure to pair it with softer hues in a room with a lot of lighting. Otherwise, the room can start to feel heavy, dark, and small. Try a crimson rug, couch, or wall paired with a herringbone gray high-quality armchair.

Soft and Subtle

Those who enjoy incorporating color in their home but aren’t a fan of loud, vibrant hues will find comfort in the traditional, soft spring color selections. Make no mistake, when we use the word traditional, we’re not referring to old, overdone looks. With the Spring 2018 colors, you’ll be able to keep your home fresh while incorporating the soft and subtle color palettes you love.

Both Blooming Dahlia, a peachy pink, and the soft Little Boy Blue are very popular colors right now. You can choose to bring in subtle influences of these colors through rugs, tables, and lighting fixtures, or you can use furniture, walls, and cabinets.

Though it is not a pastel or subtle color, we recommend adding in splashes of a bright color, such as yellow furniture, if you want to add a brighter feeling to a room.

One of the dangers of using soft, pastel-ish colors is creating an almost childlike atmosphere. These colors are often associated with nurseries. To combat this problem, unless you are decorating a nursery, it’s important to pick furniture and decorations that are of high quality and look more refined.

Staying Neutral

Many are saying that all-white interiors are on their way out, but that doesn’t mean you have to give up your love of neutral tones. Break up the white with other neutral hues such as cream, grey, sand, and blues. Don’t be afraid to bring in a few pops of Sailor Blue, a navy-like shade that pairs well with neutral color palettes.

When choosing living room decor sets, consider sand-colored living room coffee tables with natural wood legs paired with a white sofa and blue throw pillows.  These simple looks will continue the clean look you enjoy while staying on trend.

The Spring 2018 colors accommodate amateur and professional home decorators of all preferences and abilities. With the wide variety of colors, decorating your house interior while staying on trend has never been more customizable or more accessible.

Garden Landscaping & Yard Care [Spring Edition]

Spring is almost here! That means it’s time to start working on your garden landscaping so when warmer weather hits, your yard will be ready. Here’s what you can do (all in one weekend) to finish your spring clean up and get a lovely space you can enjoy during this beautiful season.

Do a Good Yard Clean Up

As any good gardener will tell you, yard maintenance is the most important thing to do each year. Without a good clean up, nothing else in your yard will look good. Start by raking up all the dead foliage and trash that has settled underneath your trees and bushes, under your deck, and down in your window wells. This will prevent rot from taking hold and insects and pests from nesting.

Hose down the side of your house, your fence, and all the hardscaped surfaces. You’ll be surprised how much dirt has accumulated. If needed, touch up or repaint your door and railings so they look new again. Clean your windows, repair your screens as well as stabilize any loose paving stones around your home.

Prune, Fertilize, Prevent Weeds, and Mulch

When it comes to taking care of the living parts of your garden, a little spring prep work will go a long way in giving you beautiful rewards throughout the rest of the year.

  • Prune plants in late winter or early spring while they are still dormant. This allows cuts to heal with less stress and gives a boost of growth.
  • Fertilize your grass and trees lightly at first (to prevent chemical overuse and runoff). If you don’t like the results, you can apply more.
  • Prevent weeds that have been waiting all winter long from getting out of hand. If you’re planting a flower or vegetable bed, don’t plant right after working the soil because weed seeds will just have been turned up. Instead, let the weeds germinate and grow a bit before killing them with an herbicide.
  • Mulch that is old should be stripped away and discarded. Add a new one-inch thick layer of quality mulch for a fresh look that won’t prevent roots from getting the water they need.

Plant or Pot Fresh Flowers

Perhaps the most rewarding part of having a spring garden is the look and smell of flowering blossoms that come in every shape and size and in all the colors of the rainbow. If you didn’t get a chance to plant spring-blooming bulbs in the fall, that’s okay! Picking up some potted plants at the nursery or grocery store is just as good.

A convenient way to have some visible foliage is to place outdoor planters around your patio and yard, but here are some other creative placement ideas to consider as well:

  • Create a living wall
  • Hang baskets from your porch ceiling and the rails
  • Use window boxes
  • Plant in a unique container such as a bird bath metal bucket

Replace Old and Worn Patio Furniture

Now that you’ve made your yard beautiful, it’s time to enjoy it by relaxing on some comfortable patio furniture. However, old, worn out, or uncomfortable just won’t cut it. If that’s what you’re dealing with, do yourself a favor and buy a matching set of high-quality pieces.

An ottoman set is the perfect place to unwind and enjoy your garden view. Outdoor dining sets are a great spot for gathering friends and family together for a delicious outdoor lunch. Come evening, chat beside a fire table to keep the good company around a little longer.   

With longer, warmer days coming, take advantage of your space. Make your garden landscaping a priority, and you’ll enjoy the peace and joy it brings throughout every season.

DIY Backyard Patio Ideas for a Romantic Evening

While a blanket on the grass can be a charming date idea, it’s nowhere near as romantic as your patio space could be. Take full advantage of the warm summer nights to come with our design tips on how to create a romantic patio space.

1. Outdoor Furniture

The first and most important step to creating a romantic patio space is selecting the best outdoor furniture for a relaxing and lavish evening. Keep the lounge chairs poolside and opt for something that sets the mood to be a bit more formal.

When it comes to selecting outdoor patio furniture for a romantic evening, choose furniture that is big, soft, and sprinkled with decorative pillows. Incorporate an outdoor sectional or padded ottomans to enhance your outdoor patio space.

2. Romantic Lighting

When it comes to having a nice evening, the lighting can really make it or break it. There are many patio decorating ideas out there, and it’s important to remember to take your lighting into consideration as well. You want to have the correct amount of lighting to set the perfect mood for the evening.

We love the idea of creating a starry canopy of string lights over the patio and it’s a great solution for the ultimate romantic who lives beneath hazy city skies. However, if that’s more work than you care to take on, there are endless options for you to gently light your outdoor paradise.

3. Insect Repellant

As you and your sweetheart settle in for a romantic night, the last thing you want to be concerned with is the obnoxious disturbance of date-ruining insects. Use one or more of the following tips to rid your backyard patio of unwanted guests:

  • Plant bug-repelling flowers and herbs around your patio, such as Marigolds, Calendula, Mint, and more.
  • Light citrus candles or add citronella Tiki-Torches
  • Spray the area with alcohol-based mouthwash or an even mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water.

4. Light & Easy Food

Whether you’re planning a romantic dinner or a delectable dessert, don’t forget to take into account how your food of choice will affect your evening. We suggest you keep it small, light, easy, and clean. A dipping tray of bite-sized fruits and melted chocolate is a terrific way to add a touch of playful romance to your date without leaving you feeling overly full. There are many ways you can easily create your own menu, just take into consideration what you both like to eat and do some research for fun ideas.

5. A Fire Feature

You can add the perfect ambiance to your backyard paradise with a permanent fire fixture. It can’t be denied that the glow and warmth of a fire brings to the evening a whole new level of romance that nothing else can, but what about all the other benefits? A stunning fire table is the perfect addition to any backyard; it serves as a lovely focal point, keeps the bugs away, is a natural light source, and can be used to prepare food and desserts.

Now that we’ve discussed DIY small patio ideas and creating a romantic outdoor patio space, you can add your own special touch to the evening with some DIY backyard patio ideas. Sprinkle your cushioned furniture with rose petals, string paper hearts from your canopy of twinkling lights, and make some heart-shaped treats. Whatever the occasion may be, the right furniture, lighting, and fire options are great additions to help you create the perfect outdoor patio space.