Our homes are our castles, and every castle deserves its own private oasis, a place we can go to celebrate the good times, contemplate our places in life, or simply relax and enjoy the sounds of urban living. On the weekends, the distant sounds of children’s laughter mingle with the low buzz of lawn mowers and splashes in the pool, but in your Arizona yard, the quiet serenity soothes the rough edges of your soul. You want your yard to be a place you turn to in all the seasons of your life, and if it’s not quite there yet, this guide to low-cost design ideas can help you create the space you desire without breaking the bank! There is always time to add big ticket items such as a pool or outdoor kitchen, but today, simple and inexpensive are the key words in our vocabulary—and fun and relaxing as well.
The Basics Are There
Chances are, you do already have the basics in place. No backyard oasis is complete without places to sit, dine, and prepare food, and the easiest additions can be the patio table you eat at on a cool fall evening, the lounge chairs you relax on in the summer months, and of course, the barbecue grill that is the focus of every meal. These pieces are a part of every home, but if you do not already have them, you probably have ideas on where to get them. Warehouse stores, discount stores, and the internet offer selections that are as varied as your personality.
If you do have these basic pieces already, now is the time to make them shine and show off the personality of your oasis! Add colorful cushions to the dining chairs, creating comfortable and cheerful pops of beauty. Your lounge chairs will be more restful with their own cushions, and here you can add a throw pillow for an extra touch of comfort; a fabric called Sunbrella is sturdy, fade resistant, and created for outdoor spaces! Throw an outdoor rug under the patio set. An outdoor rug brings a coziness to the space, but if you have animals or young kids, you might be worried about how well a rug will stand up to the shenanigans of either; in this case, it is time to show off your creative side and PAINT a rug! The design can be as simple (a block of color with a few geometric shapes tossed in) or as elaborate (paint it to look like a beach) as you like, and because there are paints designed for this purpose, it will definitely stand the test of time!
Finally, the last part of this basic equation for an oasis is your barbecue grill. No, we are not suggesting you paint it or add a frilly apron front, but we can suggest building a simple structure for which your “baby” can rest under, giving it a focal spot in your yard. Fence posts for the legs, corrugated tin for the roof, and a couple of bags of cement to keep it in place during the big storms will create a rustic centerpiece that is beautiful and functional too, as it can shade you from the worst of the sun’s rays!
Can You See It Coming Together?
Outdoor design is so much fun, possibly because of how inexpensive additions can make a huge difference, and you can probably already see an amazing change in your yard! Now is the perfect time to add planters filled with your favorite flowers and a couple of fruit trees in either corner of your yard—lemon, grapefruits, and orange trees doing exceptionally well in the desert. Most of us have that large expanse of gray cement wall (or wood slat fence) surrounding our backyards, and the options for beautifying both are only limited by your imagination! Artistic types can paint a mural along its great expanse, adding a touch of whimsy to your yard, or non-artistic types can paint it to match the house. Remember, the sun is harsh, and once you start painting you will have upkeep to consider over the years. One of our team members has discovered a beautiful way of dressing up the walls and fences that surround their yard by hanging a collection of colorful and happy suns on their walls that they have collected during their travels; this inexpensive hobby brightens up their yard and eliminates boring blank spaces!
So Many Options for Your Arizona Yard
As you can see, there are many options available to give your yard the feeling of your own private oasis. Give us a call today and we can work together to come up with more than a few more—New Image Landscape and Pools aims to please!
