Welcome back and welcome summer! Today I want to talk about maximizing – not only the precious summertime we have here in Canada, but also valuable real estate, the backyard! If you’re lucky enough to have a deck, patio, balcony or even some grass you can easily create a backyard oasis. Especially now, with most of us still not traveling why not bring some of that, “I’m away for a few days vibe”, right at home. Follow my easy and budget friendly tips below to find out what we did to create our very own private and tropical patio paradise.

**Contains Affiliate Links. As an Amazon Associate I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.**

Before I get into the tips, a little background. We ended up extending the deck last year, here’s my previous post on our much smaller deck. Now with the larger deck we had a lot more room to work with, yay!

First we Plan

Find a Theme

Tropical paradise, calm serene oasis, modern zen garden… There are literally tons of themes to choose from. We went for a tropical paradise theme – i.e. tons of flowers and plants and an abundance of green!

Define the Spaces

Just like how we have defined rooms in our home, treat your backyard the same way. Carve out zones and define what you will be using that “room” for. For me it came down to, bistro area (for breakfast for 2 and someplace to put BBQ supplies), BBQ area, lounge and dining room.

Measure

Next we measured, and in some cases taped, the defined spaces we determined in the previous step. It’s important to measure your space, as too big furniture or too small furniture will not look appealing. We went as far as to even tape some of the furniture into the defined spaces.

Now we Shop!

Furniture

We purchased our furniture based on our measurements and needs. It took us two summers to get everything we wanted, if you’re looking for patio furniture, you’ll realize it’s not cheap!

We purchased our dining room set from Home Depot, the living area set came from Lowes (both years ago and no longer available). Similar lounge set here. We wanted to create a cozy conversation area, so kept the furniture pretty close to each other, and the cutest bistro set is from Wayfair, linked same one from Amazon.

Rugs

Rugs ground the space. For me they are an absolute must. Not only do they feel cozy under your feet, they can add so much style to your space. Look for durable outdoor rugs and make sure they are big enough to define your space. We bought one in a neutral gray for under the dining room, and a fun one from Homesense for the lounge area. Try some of these rugs. Black Geometric Rug, Modern Coastal Rug,

Lighting

Lighting provides the ambience for your space, and the backdrop for a backyard oasis, especially in the evenings. We went with several different options, solar. plug in and battery operated. Set up lighting based on your use of the defined spaces. Check out these different outdoor lighting options that we have in our backyard, Pineapple Lights, Solar Lights, Outdoor Battery Operated Candles.

Privacy/Shade

And here-in lies the secret to any backyard oasis, privacy. Whether you’ve got a high rise patio deck or suburbia style backyard (you know where you can see your neighbors from all angles), you can still create your private space. Add high planters with tall palms or ferns, that’s what we have in some areas.

Adding a lattice and leaning against the railings will block any unwanted views but also give you a pretty spot to set up a wall flower garden. This was about the easiest DIY option for a wall flower garden, just a quick nail to the railings, and then added the planters and attached using. Linking a wooden lattice you can purchase.

An umbrella or gazebo not only give you shade, but all adds privacy. We added an umbrella over the lounge area, a gazebo over the dining and an awning over the bistro table.

We also found these privacy trellis vines that wrap around the deck railings. This was really necessary, since our deck is high up. A privacy screen works great too!

Plants/Flowers & Decor

The finishing touches of adding greenery and decor will bring together your outdoor space and make it your own. We have an assortment of lanterns, wall art, pillows and of course lots of flowers and ferns. The wreath I made myself and will be posting the DIY soon. Also for those cooler evenings we rely heavily on our heating lamp. I also added a garden stool for functionality and design.

Hope you enjoyed the tour of our patio, and how we created our tropical getaway right at home. By following a few simple steps, you can have a spot to enjoy for yourself, entertain & relax.