Get your outdoor space ready for spring

We’re enjoying a beautiful spring here in the Oklahoma City area. Finally, the best part of the season has come, motivating many homeowners to take a fresh look at their great outdoors—and realizing maybe it’s not as great as it could be. Before Memorial Day launches you into outdoor entertaining, spend some time now and get your outdoor space ready for spring. Ideal Homes has a few suggestions to get it done. Start with a clean canvas. Just like it’s hard to redecorate a room when it’s filled with furniture, you can’t get a clear vision of your yard’s potential when it’s cluttered and messy. If you haven’t already done so, remove your lawn art, pots, and containers. Push your outdoor furnishings to the side—unless you’re going to replace them; in that case, donate or discard them. Rake your yard, clean out the garden beds, and trim overgrown branches and shrubs. Pressure wash your patio, porch, and deck, and your home’s exterior, too. Make a plan. Decide what you want to achieve with your outdoor space. More entertaining? More kid-friendly activities? A new garden? Do you want to add a water feature, even a pool? Make a list of your priorities so you can focus on meeting your most important goals and landscaping ideas. Next, draw out a plan so you can begin to envision the outdoor living area improvements. Designate the areas you want for each purpose—like a play area in one space, a relaxing lounge area for mom and dad in another. This will help you see how each space works with the next. As you plan your outdoor space, pay attention to the shaded and sunny areas, so you can use them wisely. Think like an interior decorator. The open floor plan is popular because it allows socializing between everyone in the main living area. Your yard is the same way. It’s an open concept with no walls. When you’re designing outdoor space, think of it as a large room and view it in the same way an interior decorator would. Consider the flow, color palette, seating, lighting, and décor. Your color choices can be applied to your gardens as well as your furnishing and accents, producing a pleasing, harmonious result. Take measurements, just like you would when redecorating a bedroom or living room. Where do you want your seating areas? Maybe you’ll place an outdoor living “room” in one place and then create a serene spot elsewhere, with a hammock, hammock chair, or other comfortable outdoor seating. A pergola is a great addition to an outdoor living space. It helps to define an area without closing it in. You can add a pergola canopy for a little extra protection, and maybe an outdoor rug. While you’re planning your new outdoor space, don’t forget the lighting! Extend your outdoor entertaining past sunset with solar- and battery-powered lights. String them on trees, around your pergola, and staked in your gardens. Add task lighting in your outdoor kitchen and outdoor table lamps and floor lamps for functional décor. If you like your outdoor furnishings but want to refresh them, you might just need to give them a good cleaning or a coat of fresh paint and some new cushions and throws. Ideal Homes’ Design Center works with our homebuyers to choose every design detail for their new home, inside and out. We know that every living space that is part of your home contributes to your comfort and enjoyment. When you’re ready to stop remodeling and renovating, look at our new home communities, floor plans, and available move-in ready homes we offer around the Oklahoma City area. Check out Ideal Homes’ videos and photo gallery for a better look. Then contact us to learn more about living and loving your indoor and outdoor spaces.