When you’ve been blessed with a backyard, you certainly want to get the most out of it. A carefully considered backyard can transform the entire appeal of your home and the enjoyment you receive from it – without breaking the bank.   With these decorating tips, you’ll quickly see how lighting, landscaping and furniture can be the key to turning your backyard into the ultimate outdoor living space.

Think Outside of the Electrical Box

Lighting is the key to achieving the ambiance you want from your outdoor living space. However, keeping strings of lighting plugged in throughout the evening or turning on the patio light can cause a spike in your electrical bill. Instead, think outside of the electrical box and set a soothing ambiance throughout your landscaping with these affordable ideas:

• Use Asian-inspired lanterns on table tops to add subtle light and enchanting ambiance to the area
• Achieve a shimmering glow with kerosene lanterns
• Make an outdoor living space inhabitable both day and night with solar lighting
• Use backlights behind and under chairs and tables for a unique effect

Draw Attention to Focal Points

The great thing about the backyard is that a little can go a long way. If you’ve decided to keep your landscaping low-maintenance with minimal gardens, plants that are self-sufficient and limited décor, it’s important to draw attention towards the few focal points that you have put into place. Whether it’s a seating area on the patio, a backyard fire pit, some statues, or a pond or pathway to your garden oasis, here are some landscape design ideas that can help you do just that:

• Line backyard walkways with glowing tiki torches or solar lights
• Lay mulch around trees to enhance the landscape design
• Make focal points easy to access with pathways
• Add a dramatic effect with lighting around your focal points

Attention to Detail

The most luxurious and stunning landscape designs are all about attention to detail. The big boulders match the fire pit stones, the grass matches the pathway, and the nearby flowers accent the furniture. The secret is that you don’t have to put that much time and effort into achieving the same flawless appeal in your own backyard. Pay attention to the small things to make everything look cohesive:

• Match the natural stones found in your backyard, from the patio to the paths, from the outdoor kitchen to the landscaping rocks, etc.
• Plant flowers that bloom in colors that match your outdoor furniture
• If you have red cushions, plant a red rosebush nearby

Everything Shouldn’t Match

Although adding matching elements throughout your landscape design is important to achieving a cohesive backyard, it’s just as important to add in differences for dimension. While things should certainly match, they shouldn’t blend out the accents and focal points. Incorporate these decorating ideas to add dimension where it counts:

• Choose plants with different heights and flowering types
• Plant flowers with different blooming times for a spark of color throughout the season
• Use different fabrics and textures within your furniture décor
• Mix different lighting sources for dimension and a change in ambiance

Even the smallest of backyards can hold so much potential. With these backyard ideas, you can create the landscape design of your dreams without breaking the bank.