Are you someone who usually treats their outdoor space as a bonus rather than a real part of the home? Don’t worry if you are – it’s how most people do it. After all, you’re not using it all the time like your indoor areas, and it’s pretty much abandoned for half the year. But the truth is that even a small garden can become genuinely useful when you think about it a bit more, and with that in mind, here are some creative ways to use your outdoor space.
Photo by Veronica Chalyj on Unsplash
Create An Outdoor Living Room
One of the easiest ways to use outdoor space is to treat it like another living room by adding things like comfortable seating, a rug, cushions, and a small table, for example. That way, you can make it feel like a real extension of your home rather than just garden furniture that doesn’t get used all that much.
This kind of setup works perfectly for evenings, weekends, and even working outside on nice days. Add a small sofa or a bench, and your outdoor space can feel surprisingly cosy.
Build A Dining Area You’ll Actually Use
Outdoor dining doesn’t have to mean a big formal table – a compact bistro set, a picnic bench, or even a fold-out table can turn meals into something a bit more relaxed, and, actually, something to look forward to at the end of the day.
You’ll need to think about shade, lighting, and how easy it is to get the food outside in the first place, and the more convenient it is, the more often you’ll use it. Even simple breakfasts or takeaway dinners feel a bit more special when they’re eaten outdoors, and once you start doing it, you’ll wonder why it wasn’t part of your life more often before.
Turn A Corner Into A Relaxation Spot
Not every outdoor area has to be a social space, and a quiet corner with a chair, small side table, and some plants can be an ideal place to spend some time reading, scrolling, sketching, or just sitting with a cold drink, soaking in the garden around you.
The best part is you can do this even if you’ve got quite a small space because all you need is a chair in most cases (extra elements are nice, but they’re not always necessary). When you think about it, one chair you use a lot is better than a full set of furniture you never sit on.
Create A Play Or Activity Zone
If you’ve got kids, pets, or hobbies that need a bit of space, the garden can become a dedicated activity zone – or at least some of it can if you want to keep the rest untouched. That might mean a small play area, for example, a trampoline, a painting corner, a space for yoga and stretching, and all kinds of other fun ideas.
The point is, if you’re able to define a specific area for activities, that’s going to keep the rest of the garden neater, quieter, and more relaxing for anything else you want to do – and as a bonus, it makes it easier to tidy up as well.
Grow Something Edible
You don’t need a full vegetable patch to grow something useful – a few pots of herbs, a small raised bed, or a couple of fruit bushes, for example, can make the space feel so much better, and give it a purpose (what better purpose than providing food?).
Even beginners can start with some low-effort options like rosemary, strawberries, tomatoes, or mint, for example, and on top of the fact that you’ll end up with some tasty treats, gardening gives you a good reason to spend more time outside on a regular basis, even if it’s just a few minutes a day.
Create A Mini Garden Projects
If you enjoy gardening, carving out a small project area can be really satisfying. You won’t need much – a potting bench, tool storage, and a compost bin can be enough to make the space more practical and organised, for example.
Having everything in one place means you’re a lot more likely to keep up with essential garden maintenance, whether that’s pruning, planting, or using a weed eater tool to keep things tidy, and it won’t feel like a massive job because everything’s ready for you to use, and it’s all got a place to be tidied away in once you’re done.
Use Vertical Space
When floor space is limited, go up. That might sound like a strange thing to say, but it’s not as weird as you might think because you can use things like wall planters, hanging baskets, shelves, trellises, and so on to add greenery, not to mention interest, without taking up too much room, so it’s ideal if you’ve got a smaller outdoor space, like a patio or perhaps a balcony.
Vertical gardens are great for herbs, flowers, and decorative plants, and they can make fences and walls look a bit less stark and plain, so no matter why you’re doing it, it’s almost always the right choice.
Make It Work For Work
Outdoor space doesn’t have to be just for leisure, even if that’s the first thing that comes to mind. The fact is that a shaded table or desk can actually be a great spot for working, studying, or creative projects.
The best part about this idea is that fresh air and natural light are usually exactly the combination you need to improve your focus, so getting outside for at least part of the day is often wise, and it breaks up long hours indoors, so it could even become something to look forward to.
Final Thoughts
There are so many creative ways to use your outdoor space that it’s almost a case of if you want to do it, whatever it is, you can. The key is to make sure the layout is right to start with, and then you can add whatever it is you need to make it work for you. So why not make a plan to help you get started, and turn your outside area into exactly what you need it to be?
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