Budget-friendly gardening projects and DIY ideas to refresh your yard.
After months of entertaining indoors, it’s finally time to move the fun outside. If inviting friends over for al fresco parties, lounging by the pool and playing lawn games are top of mind for you as the weather turns warmer, you’re probably also wondering how you can make your backyard look as nice as possible this season. But you don’t need a huge budget or a professional landscaper to create a beautiful outdoor oasis — all you need is a few creative backyard decorating ideas in your arsenal!
Regardless of how sunny or shady, woodsy or open, large or small your backyard is, ahead you’ll find all kinds of smart gardening tips, stylish outdoor furniture finds and DIY inspiration to create cozy gathering spots complete with fire pits , container gardens, tree houses, outdoor dining areas and more. Whether you’re after a minimalist look that relies on outdoor café lights and clever ways to display plants (you can’t go wrong with a vertical garden, for instance!) or you want to test your DIY skills by making a side table crafted from weathered shutters, we have you covered. It’s time for your yard to get a whole new look!
LISA ROMEREIN
Install a Makeshift Bar
If you’re short on space but love to entertain, go for a compact bar setup. A simple fold-out wall shelf, with just enough room for essentials like cutting boards and utensils, is all you need to get the job done, and a barrel can stand in as a cocktail table.
BRIAN WOODCOCK
Hang Plants at Different Heights
Can’t get enough of potted plants? Bring order to your ever-growing collection by choosing greenery in varying heights. It’s an easy way to boost your outdoor space’s visual appeal.
Craft an Outdoor Living Room
ERIC ROTH
There’s no reason why you can’t carry the aesthetic of your indoor living room straight outdoors. Comfortable seating, warm lighting and potted plants can do the trick.
Try a Black and White Palette
JESSICA BORDNER
Black and white doesn’t have to be boring. Create & Cultivate founder Jaclyn Johnson worked with interior designer Ginny Macdonald to make her outdoor oasis as inviting as possible. Thanks to a sleek fire pit and touches of woven accents, the space is picture-perfect.
SARA LIGORRIA-TRAMP
Hang String Lights
Set the mood by draping simple string lights above your outdoor dining table. But don’t stop there — add even more warmth with an oversized rug, as seen in the home of Create & Cultivate’s Jaclyn Johnson.
Pile on the Throw Pillows
MIKE GARTEN
You can never have too many throw pillows, especially when it comes to wooden seating. Spruce up yours with an assortment of colorful pillows that embody the beauty of the season.
Brighten the Space with a Mirror
Believe it or not, mirrors aren’t just for indoors. Dress a bare white wall with a stylish mirror for an instant makeover.
Use Woven Accessories
The simplest styling trick can add a special touch to your outdoor space. The perfect example? Serve refreshing cocktails and easy desserts on a woven tray to impress guests.
Pick a Coffee Table in an Unexpected Color
Bring your outdoor space to life by designing your space around a coffee table in a non-traditional color (think navy blue).
Embrace Furniture with a Preppy Twist
Ground your outdoor space — and experiment with a preppy aesthetic — by opting for cheerful plaid cushions.
Set the Mood with a Hanging Candle Holder
If your outdoor dining table setup is on the minimalist side, amp up the look with a hanging candle holder. All it takes are a few simple votives set on top of faux greenery to complete the look.
Go for Sculptural Furniture
Sometimes less is more, especially when nature acts as a stunning backdrop. Here, concrete furniture adds visual interest, while letting a striking tree steal the show.
Upgrade Your Fence
Don’t miss the opportunity to deck out a basic backyard fence. An assortment of small potted plants can do the trick.
Craft a Cozy Dining Space
Love nothing more than dining al fresco? Arrange a comfortable dining spot, complete with soft throws, decorative pillows, and lanterns.
Build a Tree House
Delight your kids — and create visual interest — with a tree house that they’ll want to hide out in all summer long.
All-White Furniture
Perfect for minimalist lovers, all-white furniture can give your outdoor space a timeless look. Start with a white lounge chair, and finish the look by topping a rustic table with loads of greenery.
Install a Window Ledge
With the help of a simple wood board and shelf brackets, a backyard-facing window can serve as your very own at-home-bar. Just make sure you ledge is equal to or wider than the window itself.
Turn a Shed Into a Dining Room
GETTY IMAGES
An open shed can be turned into a fabulous dinner party space with the addition of vibrant chairs, a table, and some flowers.
Cut Bandanas Into Swags
All you need to do is cut a square bandana into a triangle, and hot glue it onto some twine. Pick any color you like and repeat until you get the perfect length.
Pick Double-Duty Furniture
What might seem like an unassuming, functional piece of furniture, a traditional potting bench with multiple levels is actually an ideal piece of storage for any outdoor space. Use it to water plants one day, and serve of cold beverages the next!
Dress Up a Doormat
A doormat is just a doormat until you use your favorite spray paint to elevate its look. What’s great about this DIY is, you can buy an inexpensive one and turn it into something that only looks like it was big bucks.
Flip a Side Table
Turn over an oversized bucket (you may already have one buried in your garage!) and plop it down on your front porch to use as a little table to display flowers or hold a drink.
Turn a Ladder Into a Garden
Not enough room to grow veggies? Try stacking your container garden on a painted wooden ladder.
Build a Fire Pit
Construct a fire pit by arranging curved paving stones in a circle. It’s tip-proof, even without mortar, and the entire undertaking takes just 20 minutes from start to finish.
Hang a Pocket Planter
Hang an over the door shoe holder on the fence, tucking herbs into the compartments for a fun twist on a vertical planter.
Float a Flower Arrangement
Before guests come over, pop some floating candles and zinnias in a birdbath for an instant water feature.
Make a Magical Fairy Garden
The “fairy dust” may be just fun glitter but don’t tell the kids. You can also mix up the theme of your planter by making a mermaid version instead.
Turn a Wood Rake Into a Display
Mounting a wooden-toothed rake by the back door provides a handy spot for both hats and snapdragons.
Lean a Vertical Herb Garden
Keep your basil close at hand by screwing hose clamps onto a freebie wood pallet. The backboard leans against a railing, so you can keep fresh herbs right on the deck.
Make Your Own Citronella Candle
Cute patio décor and built-in mosquito repellent? That’s a win-win. They are DIY candles from Sugar and Charm beat ugly bug zappers any day.
Make a Portable Planter
Is the summer sun scorching your collection of succulents? The handle on this vintage toolbox makes relocating them to a shadier spot a snap.
Give Your Pavers Some Pattern
Lead the way to the fire pit with stenciled stepping stones. Your trampled lawn will thank you.
Use Shutters For a Side Table
Give weathered shutters new life as a porch-ready plant stand. Fitted with a glass top, the side table is also the perfect place for a pitcher of lemonade.
Use Plates to Make a Bird Feeder
Melamine plates make outdoor dining easy — for both humans and songbirds. Don’t forget to stock up on bird seed!
Turn a Tray Into a Garden Bed
Rethink that run-of-the-mill planter. Originally intended for serving drinks, a metal table now overflows with Irish moss and succulents.
Stack Retro Wagons
The Radio Flyer of your youth can also serve an adult purpose. Stacked on top of each other, the beds become a cute drinks station. Bring on the mojitos!
DIY Your Own Hanging Planter
You don’t have to worry about drainage when you plant flowers in colorful strainers. Plus, twine wraps neatly around the handles for quick mounting.
Build Raised Garden Beds
Keep the lettuce separate from the tomatoes by hammering together a three step raised garden. The wooden borders keep away both pests and weeds, and if you add casters to an optional bottom, the planters become portable.
Turn a Porch Into a Cabana
Here’s a $15. idea that recreates that vacation feeling. Hanging sheer curtains from the porch ceiling fakes a poolside retreat made for lounging.
Painted Over Your Tile
Get the look of a fancy-patterned patio (for a whole lot less) by stenciling geometric shapes right on the ground, like this project from Old Brand New . Be sure to top them with Sherwin-Williams Paver sealer to keep colors bright.
Make a Bird House
Old-school plates can become a new tin roof for wrens and martins. Just use a screw or some hot glue to outfit a painted roost.
Fill Shutters With Plants
Oversized louvers (old or new) can home hearty succulents or mosses. Good Housekeeping Institute tip: Put them on the shady side of your home for easy growing.
Make a Wreaths Birds Will Love
Give your neighborhoods chickadees a snack by decorating your trees with a homemade treat. Molded in a Bundt pan, the center hole makes hanging a snap.
Put Plants in a Galvanized Bucket
BUFF STRICKLAND
To contrast with terracotta pots, inexpensive galvanized steel washtubs can also corral plants. This low oval version, with drainage holes poked in the bottom, shows off a basil crop.
By Caroline Picard and Monique Valeris
