Your backyard is your haven. A place where you can experience the beauty of the Great Outdoors without leaving the safety and comfort of home. And your well-curated, modern home means you need modern backyard ideas to match.
To get the greatest use and enjoyment from your backyard, you need to:
✓ Optimize it with the right landscaping and structural elements to fit your needs and your style.
✓ Embrace intentional design — that is, design that accounts for your needs with purposeful styling and curated “moments.”
These modern backyard ideas allow you to do just that — embracing your entire space with everything from deck design to modern backyard landscaping and finishing touches. Explore these tips to create a unified space that complements your home and natural surroundings.
Tip 1: Make the Most of Your Available Space
One of the tenets of intentional design is utilizing your available space to its fullest potential. And your backyard’s size is a crucial factor to consider, as it will affect your deck, patio, and landscaping design. These modern backyard ideas will help you think through the best way to enhance your space.
Tips for Designing Big Backyards
Have a large outdoor space? Designing for larger backyards requires some unique strategies to ensure every corner of your space is optimized to its greatest potential.
✓ Create depth and dimension with different materials and textures like stone, greenery, and real wood tones.
✓ Accommodate all sizes of gatherings by balancing open areas and occupied spaces.
✓ Enhance functionality by creating separate sections for different uses.
✓ Optimize your available space with built-in deck features like benches at the perimeter.
✓ Keep it clean and open by choosing furniture and décor that are proportional to your space.
✓ Maximize functionality with multi-functional pieces like storage containers that double as benches.
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Tip 2: Create Visual Complexity With Modern Backyard Landscaping
Modern backyard landscaping trends use a mix of materials to create a complex, multi-textural aesthetic.
Hardscaping elements like concrete pavers and gravel combined with the warm wood tones of your furniture and deck give you a balanced, neutral foundation.
Add pops of color and more texture with modern backyard landscaping designs using low-maintenance plants.
Experience Completed Modern Backyard Builds in 3D
Tour completed outdoor spaces to see how all the design pieces fit together.
Tip 3: Add Dimension With Deck Board Patterns
Deck patterns give you a unique, curated deck design that can be as subtle or as bold as a you want it to be.
Patterns can run across the whole of your deck surface, or as an inlay. An inlay is a portion of the deck surface made up of deck boards in a different color, width, and/or orientation than the rest of your deck.
Stay Subtle: Opt for a Picture Frame Border
Add a touch of visual interest to your deck design with a picture frame border. A picture frame is made by laying one, two, or three boards around the perimeter of your deck.
Go Bold: Choose Herringbone
Create a high-impact focal point with a herringbone inlay, which features boards laid at a 90° angle to each other.
Tip 4: Mix It Up With Multi-Width Decking
Broaden the scope of your modern backyard ideas with Multi-Width Decking. Choose from narrow (3.5”), standard (5.5”), and wide-width (7.25”) boards.*
Narrow boards are ideal for a traditional hardwood floor look while wide-width boards will give you a more modern look.
Feeling bold? Lay two to three widths in an alternating pattern — and why not combine the look with a deck pattern like diagonals for a truly striking aesthetic?
*Available in our TimberTech AZEK® Vintage Collection®; standard and wide-widths also available in the TimberTech AZEK Harvest Collection®.
Tip 5: Increase Functionality With Style
Your backyard should not only look great, but function well, too. These modern backyard ideas combine bold design with optimal functionality for a truly inviting, innovative space.
Built-In Deck Elements
Built-in deck features can help you save space, while maximizing your deck’s use. Plus, these modern backyard ideas add high-style elements to up your curb appeal.
Height-Adding Features
Cover your space with a pergola or roof extension for weather protection and a striking architectural element.
Note that such features built onto your deck will need to be supported properly at the deck substructure level, so they are best incorporated at the time of build.
In-Deck & Rail Lighting
Incorporate deck lights into your deck surface, stairs, and railing to give your space an ambient glow while increasing visibility at night.
Keep in mind that it’s best to add deck lights at the time of build.
Tip 6: Bring the Indoors, Out
For a truly modern backyard, bring the indoors, out, with an outdoor movie room.
Combine the comforts of the indoors with beauty of the outdoors by introducing electronics and living room-inspired furniture and décor. Be sure to place your indoor-outdoor furnishings under a sturdy covered deck feature so a sudden change in weather doesn’t ruin your experience — or your electronics.
Create an Outdoor Movie Experience
Enjoy your favorite films in the fresh air with an outdoor entertainment zone.
For a temporary installation, a projector and sheet pulled taut are all you need. For a more permanent installation you can enjoy time and again, set up a TV or projector screen on an outdoor wall of your home, or over the mantle of an outdoor fireplace.
Tip 7: Make It Yours With Finishing Touches for an Inviting Space
Your backyard transformation isn’t complete without the final touches that make it all yours. Create a curated outdoor living space with these modern backyard ideas for your furniture and décor.
Start With a Color Scheme
Establishing an intentional color palette for your furniture and décor sets you up to create a cohesive, elevated space.
Add color to your space with striking furniture pieces. Or, stick to neutral furniture for a subtle foundation and incorporate bold color with throw pillows and décor pieces.
Invite the Family Outdoors With Cozy Elements
Encourage time spent in the fresh air even in cooler weather with warm, inviting elements. Layer lots of throw pillows and blankets on your outdoor furniture for an irresistible invitation to sit down and relax.
Add to the inviting atmosphere with the light of flickering candles placed around your space.
Want Even More Inspiration?
We’ve got you covered. Discover more modern backyard ideas to keep your creativity flowing.
Looking to Start Your Project? Partner With a Pro
Now that you have plenty of inspiration from modern backyard landscaping and outdoor living space ideas, you’re ready to start your backyard transformation. Partner with a TimberTech-registered contractor who can use their expertise to help you bring your modern backyard ideas to life.
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