Decorating the backyard for the summer would be dull if you didn’t involve your family. Firstly, your kids could be your little workers and you the big foreman. Secondly, you could use the play and build tome to improve the yard so the whole family would feel more comfortable. There are so many features you can introduce, from a DIY swing to cool-looking lights that would make every member of the family stay outside as long as possible this summer.

A wall to sit on

We all remember the illustrations from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland where the Cheshire cat sits on a wall talking to Alice. It is so cool to sit on a wall but children aren’t generally allowed to do this because they are in constant danger of falling. Well, your yard is going to be different. Build a short wall, about 6 layers of bricks high that will separate the flowerbeds from the paths and the rest of the garden. Such a wall would be wider at the top so people could sit on it. Once you all a cushion or two, the wall will act as an oversized bench for the whole family to sit on.

Swing away!

You and your spouse might play an occasional game of badminton in the backyard but it’s the children that will get the most physical in this space. In order to harness all the energy they have, you can build a tree swing. They are much safer than ball games than can send a child running into the street teeming with traffic.

All you need is a tree with a single large and stable enough branch to hang the swing in. Rope and a wooden board will suffice as far as the material is concerned but you can always purchase a ready-made swing made from PVC. If you don’t have a tree in your backyard, don’t be discouraged. There are freestanding swing games that you can buy or weld yourself. Once the swing is up (or better to say, down), adults and children alike will be competing for their precious swing time.

The simplest of decks

Once you read the word “deck,” there are dollar signs in your head. Most homeowners still haven’t erected a deck or a patio because they believe this investment is out of their league in terms of money. However, there are decks and there are decks. You don’t have to use a stately design or mahogany wood, as a small deck will do just fine. In fact, a small deck is DIY project par excellence. All you need is support and a single road of planks to thread upon.

Center grill

Napoleon argued that an army marches on its stomach but a family in summer is not much different, as sausages are the ideal fodder for fun. A grill is inexpensive to buy but it will become the center of the social life inside the yard once it fires up. Apart from lazy Sunday afternoon family barbecues, you can organize garden parties and invite your friends and neighbors. This way, your kids will have friends to play with while you chat over a glass of wine and wurst with your peers.

Lighting up the yard at night

No matter how much you invest in improvements and decorations, it is all lost if the garden remains unlit after dark. Outdoor LED lighting does for the outdoors what lighting such as floor lamps, chandeliers or table lamps does for the interior of your home, but what you should look at is getting garden LED lights that will light up the entire place like. A typical LED garden light is actually solar-powered so this ambient light won’t hurt your home budget. Furthermore, flying pests will be kept far away from your house because they are drawn by strong LED lights set in the corners of your property. Also, potential burglars will be deterred by so much light coming from your estate.

Erecting a green wall

Speaking of security, a high fence might be useful against home invasion but it’s ugly in appearance. No family member will be thrilled that they are walled in so you have to give them something in return. Apart from using the wall as a canvas for wall art, you could commission from your children, a green wall is a neat solution as well. Get some climbers like wine to create herbal art. There is no better wall décor than the one provided by Mother Nature. In addition, a green wall will act as a barrier against all the smog and dust coming from the main road.

Floor mosaics

One of the most underestimated surfaces in every backyard are pathways. People just pour concrete into them without ever thinking of the aesthetic aspect of the surfaces they walk on. In order to liven up this area, you can have your kids scavenge for colorful pebbles that will go into the concrete, forming a floor mosaic. Add some shards from a disused mirror or colorful glass from hand blown glass lamps or crystal chandeliers to enhance the “wow” effect. After the masterpiece is dome, you will catch yourself gazing into the horizontal glass as it were a looking glass.

Since the backyard is mostly used during the periods of the year the weather is fine, summer is the ideal time to spruce up this space. While you are busy fixing and building different improvements, always keep in mind that all the members of the family have to enjoy this outdoor section of your home. Having fun in the summer is a family activity and the décor of the backyard should reflect this.

Author: Liam Smith

@LiamSmith2034

Liam Smith is a young and aspiring blogger with a passion for everything related to home, design and lifestyle.