Nowadays, we are all aware that spending time outside is one of the best things we can do to promote a healthy mind/body. It can help reduce mental illnesses like anxiety and depression, fuels the creative part of our brain, helps us burn calories, promotes the healthy functioning of our vital organs, and much more.
Yet, despite all these benefits, the average American spends 93% of all their time inside, which leaves a measly 7% for time spent outside. Ouch! But why do we rob ourselves of the benefits outside gives us? Truthfully, there are many reasons why people prefer the indoors to the outdoors, from avoiding people to more privacy, increased stability, and much more.
However, one of the most significant reasons is that people don’t like their outside area and are therefore uninspired to spend time in it. However, you don’t need a bright green, perfectly manicured backyard to enjoy spending time in it; there are plenty of cost-effective ways to spruce up your plain, old garden to make it feel luxurious.
But where do you start? To help you, we’ve outlined several tips below to transform your garden into a luxe area you’d want to spend time in without having to smash your piggy bank, from creating an outdoor cooking area with an outdoor pizza oven to giving your shed a glow-up – keep reading to find out more.
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Give Your Shed a Glow-up
Have you ever caught yourself admiring your neighbor’s garden office? Or felt jealous when your mother-in-law announced that they were having a summer house installed? Either way, you’ve probably noticed garden buildings popping up everywhere over the last couple of years since they’re an attractive (yet practical) garden accessory that adds a touch of luxury.
Not only do garden buildings make your outdoor space look more aesthetically pleasing, but they can also add 1.5 times their value to your property, which can be appealing if you’re looking at putting your property on the market further down the line. However, these benefits come with a hefty price tag, which isn’t beneficial if you don’t want to break the bank.
But you might already have the solution sitting in your garden in the form of your shed. Now you might be thinking, the shed. But it’s ancient! Whether it was in the garden when you first brought the property or you got it a couple of years ago – there are many ways that you can give your shed a glow-up to resemble a garden room on a budget.
A garden shed’s possibilities are endless, whether you turn it into a garden office to improve your work/life balance or create a playroom to keep your children’s toys out of the way. Once you’ve decided how to give it a glow-up, select a weekend with pleasant weather, grab a paint can, and get to work, giving your garden shed a facelift. You’ll soon find yourself making every excuse to go outside!
Create an Outdoor Cooking Area
One of the best things about having outside space is the ability to host and entertain guests. Yet as lovely as sitting around on rattan furniture with a glass of wine and a speaker sounds, you might be looking at the state of your outside area and thinking, hell no! However, there are many ways to turn your garden into the luxe hosting hub of the year, including creating an outdoor cooking area.
Whether your garden is a compact, urban jungle or you have a cozy set-up complete with decking and a neatly manicured lawn – there are hundreds of al fresco cooking ideas for a garden of any size or budget. You can go as big or minimal as you’d like with outdoor cooking, from adding weatherproof worksurfaces, and storage solutions, to a compact outdoor grill or pizza oven.
Regardless of your style, what you put into your mini kitchen creates the luxe appeal of an al fresco dining area, from dining accessories like tables and chairs to cooking equipment like Dutch ovens and barbeques. However, every American has a barbeque in their backyard, so if you’d like to make your garden stand out, you could consider adding something less conventional, like an outdoor pizza oven from Ooni.
With their range of pizza ovens, you can treat your guests to various culinary options besides pizza (even though it’s a firm favorite), from joints of meat, specialist breads, and fish, meaning that you’re not just limited to one cuisine. Consider visiting their website to browse their entire catalogue, discover new recipes, and discover how their products could give your garden the luxe factor it has been missing.
Build a Display Wall in the Garden
Who says that display walls are for indoor use only? Boring people, that’s who! Another way to make your garden feel a little more luxe and less plain is to bring some of the décors you’d typically see inside into the sunshine. We’re not suggesting that you start moving everything in your living room outside, just minor focal points like vases, artwork, pictures, and sculptures.
Once you’ve decided what you’d like to bring outside, you can start thinking about how to display them – like building a display wall by your seating area. Using wooden shelves and brackets, you can make a shelving area to show minor focal points and plants which can serve as a conversation starter when hosting guests (and make your outside space more aesthetically pleasing!).
Remember to coat your creation with a lick of wood preserver or garden paint to ensure that it’s weatherproof and that all your hard work doesn’t get ruined by the elements! Doing so is an excellent way to add depth to a seating area and a fun way to experiment with different sizes, textures, and patterns in your garden.
For instance, you could choose to create a singular, long shelf that runs the width of your outdoor seating area, or you could make a couple of mini shelves at staggered heights, on which you can display items varying in size, height, and groupings, which will make your garden look like it’s been copied and pasted from a real estate magazine.
Add a Water Feature
Whenever you watch films centered around wealthy people, the cameraman always does a panoramic shot of their garden, and they always have a water feature, pool, or jacuzzi. Many of us have been led to believe that water features are something to be associated with luxury due to the hefty price tag attached to some of them, so you might wonder why they’d feature on this list.
However, not all water features are as expensive as you might think, as there are plenty of affordable alternatives on the market that are just as good as their costlier counterparts. For instance, one of the most popular garden water features is a jacuzzi, which is hailed as one of the best products to have for summertime and entertaining loved ones.
Yet with the average cost of one being anywhere from $5,000 and upwards, many American homeowners retorted to looking at cheaper alternatives like inflatable hot tubs. The best inflatable jacuzzies have all the features of normal jacuzzies.
Yet, many homeowners believe they are a better investment due to the benefits they provide, such as ease of installation, placement flexibility, and much more. Once you’ve found one within your budget and installed it in your garden, you’ll soon start reaping the luxurious benefits it provides.
