Decorating Your First Home: Outdoor Design & Style Tips
Written by: Caitlin Evans
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Published on
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Last updated on
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Time to read 7 min
After years of saving for a down payment, learning about mortgage rates, and dreaming of homeownership, you've officially closed on your first house.
Congratulations!
If your previous residence was a small apartment, you may have only a few furnishings to your name, and we bet most are for indoor use. This presents an exciting opportunity: decorating your new backyard from scratch. We can help with that. Keep reading to see our style ideas, shopping advice, and more tips for furnishing your first home’s outdoor spaces.
Determine how much square footage you have to work with by measuring your backyard. You'll need a tape measure, a pencil, some paper, a few more tools, and a spare hour. Follow these steps to complete the task:
Make an initial sketch of your entire property and label all the elements in it.
Measure and record the following dimensions on your sketch, rounding all to the nearest inch:
Your property’s boundaries
All sides of your home
The distance from each side of your home to the nearest edge
The distance between elements and the two closest boundaries that come together to form a 90-degree angle
The square footage of all elements larger than a tree
Determine which direction is north and mark it on your sketch.
Decide the appropriate scale, e.g., 1/4 inch = 1 foot, and note it on the sketch.
Redraw your sketch on a clean sheet of graph paper, keeping measurements to scale.
Compare your landscape plan to your yard and make any necessary corrections.
If you have a second-story deck or balcony covering a first-level outdoor space, draw two separate sketches to create clear views of your entire property.
Note the promising spots that could be future relaxation, dining, or entertaining areas.
There’s more than one way to measure your outdoor spaces.
Once you've completed your property's dimensional sketch, use it as a baseline for determining the size, shape, and quantity of outdoor furniture you can realistically style in your backyard.
Plan Based on Available Space
Keep in mind that not all open space is available to use. You'll have to plan around stairs, entrances, windows, and other permanent structures connected to your property's open areas.
Set an Outdoor Furniture Budget
With a new home comes mortgage payments, property taxes, and possibly HOA fees. It's a good idea to plan a furniture budget around these and other living expenses to prevent overspending.
How to Create an Outdoor Furniture Budget
Follow these steps to determine your budgetary restraints:
Decide how you'll use your backyard and what furniture you'll need to accommodate this intended purpose.
Make a need-versus-want list. Add must-have pieces to the "Need" column, then put items you'd like to have but can live without in the "Want" column.
Research furniture prices to get an idea of how much money you'll have to spend to furnish your space. Once you've added up the costs, add 10% to cover sales taxes, shipping costs, and a general buffer for other expenses.
If you need time to build up funds, set aside a little for a few months. Have patience and plan your dream space while you wait for your savings to add up. You can also use this time to track prices and see if your favorite pieces go on sale.
Use your outdoor space as an additional outlet for self-expression.
Identifying Your Style
You may already know and own your preferred aesthetic. If so, you're one step ahead. But if you had to follow strict decorating rules at your old apartment complex, you may still be on the road to self-style-discovery. Here are a few steps to help:
Browse outdoor decor Pinterest boards or leaf through home design magazines, noting looks.
Consider looks that complement your home's existing architecture and your property's landscape.
Let your values and fond memories shape your style. For example, if you loved combing the beach for seashells with your grandma when you were little, incorporate the ocean into your personal aesthetic.
How to Translate Your Style Into Furniture Choices
Once you've found your personal style, make it come to life through your outdoor furniture selections.
If you love a modern look, choose sleek Adirondack chairs in a monochromatic white, grey, or black palette. Cottagecore more to your liking? Start the rustic theme with a sand-toned farmhouse dining set adorned with thrifted candlesticks, foraged florals, and other whimsical accents.
Select proportional pieces to ensure an attractive outdoor aesthetic.
How Proportions Impact Aesthetics and Functionality
Proportion is the relationship between an object's dimensions, scale, balance, and symmetry. Well-proportioned furniture is aesthetically pleasing, fits the size and shape of your new house's outdoor floor plan, and is comfortable and easy to use.
Follow the lead of professional designers who swear by this decorating rule that blends different styles into a space within distinct proportions to complete a pleasing aesthetic. Simply decorate 70% of your outdoor space with your chosen style, then dedicate the remaining 30% to another motif (or two) you can dapple into the room.
Make Comfort a Priority
Aesthetics certainly matter, but comfort plays a vital role in outdoor experiences.
The Importance of Comfort in Furniture
If your gorgeous new dining set offers little legroom and leaves guests with cramped thighs and sore knees, you may need to rethink your furniture selections. Attractive and relaxing products let you lounge for hours in complete comfort—and look good while doing it.
How to Balance Style With Comfort
Blend various textures to enhance relaxation and visual appeal.
Mix and match different design styles.
Layer outdoor rugs, blankets, and pillows in varying colors and patterns to add interest and comfort.
Avoid overcrowding the space.
Add a touch of nature with potted plants.
The Importance of Balance in Design
Balance creates order and visual stability, allowing every element in an outdoor aesthetic to hold interest. A balanced outdoor setting is attractive, cohesive, and offers a clear focal point.
Cait is an Indiana-based creative content writer who has been with POLYWOOD since 2020. She’s a Purdue alumna, a proud logophile (word nerd), and an advocate of the Oxford comma. In her free time, Cait loves gardening, cooking, running, camping, and spending time with her husband and four fur children.
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