If you already have the perfect backyard setup, but you feel like it’s missing just one final piece, an outdoor hammock can be an extra touch of comfort to an already luxurious patio. Your patio hammock can provide extra seating, a spot in the shade, a napping nook, or even a secluded space where you can get away from it all and be alone with your thoughts.

Whatever your reasons for getting one, a hammock is an essential element of a comfortable and elegant backyard. Read on for some tips on choosing, installing, and enjoying your patio hammock.

1. Picking an Outdoor Hammock

There are many different kinds of outdoor hammocks. Look at materials like rope, nylon, and canvas. You should also consider different setup variations like a stand, hooks, or straps. See what you like and pick the best hammock for you and your lifestyle.

2. Finding Shade

See where the house and trees cast shadows for most of the day. If staying in the shade is your priority, that’s where you should keep your hammock.

3. Making Shade

Planting trees, installing canopies, and draping tarps are all great ways to create extra shade for your perfect patio hammock placement.

4. Keeping It Green

Plant life is a great relaxation aid. Find a spot with lots of greenery to place your hammock, like a clearing in your garden. If you don’t have many plants, get new ones.

5. Staying Cool by the Pool

Nothing helps you stay cool quite like water. If you have a pool or a pond in your yard, a place next to them is a perfect cooling off point for your outdoor hammock.

6. Lighting It Up

The daytime can get too hot, even in the shade. If you like to kick back outside with a good book at night, lighting your backyard area is essential. You can find good outdoor string or other lights at your local hardware store.

7. Installing Your Hammock

Securing your hammock is a must. No one wants to have their hammock come out from under them when they’re trying to have a good time.

8. Adding Accents

Some outdoor accent furniture, like a coffee table or a side table, can give you a place to rest your book, drink, or snack when you don’t want to hold them anymore. When you find the perfect hammocking spot in your yard, consider arranging tables around it to maximize comfort.

9. Staying Safe

Practice safe entry and exit of your hammock. Set anything in your hands down before getting in or out. Adjusting your hammock to the right height helps you remain safe as well. Ensure that the area around your hammock is free of sharp objects that could become a danger.

10. Take Care Of Your Hammock

Now that you’ve found the perfect place for your hammock, make sure that you take care of it. If the weather is supposed to be bad, like a rain or wind storm, ensure that you take your hammock down and store it temporarily. This can help avoid unnecessary wear and tear of your hammock and enable you to enjoy it longer.

Our best hammock advice is this: take it easy. Whatever kind of patio hammock you get, it will help you get the backyard leisure you are looking for.

Depending on what part of the country you live in, summers can get really hot. It’s almost enough to make you want to stay inside your house with the air conditioning on full blast. Sitting outside on summer afternoons and evenings is one of the best simple pleasures life has to offer. Since you probably don’t want to spend your entire summer indoors, there are a lot of ways to keep your backyard cool and beat the summer heat. Read these patio shade ideas to get the most enjoyment out of your yard this summer.

Umbrellas

The easiest of our patio shade ideas is putting up some umbrellas in your yard. You don’t want to get just any old umbrella, though. You want the best patio umbrella you can get. A high-quality umbrella will do a better job of keeping the heat off of your patio furniture. Make sure the patio umbrella you get is made of durable materials. If your umbrellas can’t take wind, rain, and other nasty weather, then they won’t give you good shade for very long. Umbrellas that you can easily adjust make for great sun cover, too. Being able to switch your umbrellas’ positions at a moment’s notice will help you keep yourself and your guests shaded as the sun moves toward the horizon.

Plant Trees

One of the best sources of shade for your yard is a natural one: trees. If you don’t have good trees in your yard, you can always plant new ones. Planting new trees means that you get to decide where the trees go, so you can put your shade exactly where you want it. Some of the best-known shade trees include oak, maple, elm, and sycamore. Even if you put in your own trees, though, you can’t always shade a large amount of patio underneath them. For these situations, a hammock can be the perfect seating solution. Not only are hammocks perfectly comfortable, but they are small enough to fit underneath most shade trees. With one or more hammocks, you can enjoy your shade in ease and luxury.

Under Canvas

If you’ve got umbrellas and trees and you’re still lacking in the shade department, draping a canvas is a simple and easy way to put more shadow onto your patio. If canvas is hard to come by, a tarp or any other cloth can do the trick, too. You can easily use these kinds of materials to cover any area of your patio. Configure your canvas and patio furniture in any numbers of ways to get the optimal amount of shade.

Pergolas & Gazebos

If you have the time and resources to build one, pergolas and gazebos are perfect patio shade options. Build your structure, place your favorite backyard furniture underneath it, and voilà—you’ve got shade. The number of configurations is as large as your imagination. If you’d like even more shade under your pergola or gazebo, consider growing some wisteria on the wood. These vines grow out and provide even more shade, keeping you cool from the sun’s rays.

No one likes feeling like they’re burning up in the summer. Enjoy your yard with class and comfort by augmenting its shade. Whether you choose to add umbrellas, trees, hammocks, canvas coverings, or even shady structures to your yard, these patio shade ideas will help you keep your cool this summer. To learn more about creating the perfect patio, read about extending your living space on our blog.