With every new year comes new trends, and with no surprise the same holds true for backyard design. Many homeowners revamped their backyard spaces during the pandemic, focusing on creating a safe and serene space for friends and family to spend time together. This year’s trends are centered around designing relaxing spaces for not only your guests, but simply for yourself to enjoy as well. So, if you are looking to keep your backyard space up to date, here are some easy to implement design trends for the perfect outdoor escape.

1. Soothing Water Features: The tranquil sound of flowing water enhances the ambience of any backyard landscape. Adding in a decorative fountain or a backyard koi pond is a great way to create a peaceful outdoor space. If you are looking for a way to cool off on a hot day, adding a plunge pool is a low maintenance trending option to think about.
2. LED String Lights: The incorporation of LED string lights is the best way to ensure that your outdoor space can be utilized at all hours of the day. Examples range from trendy fairy lights to sleek LED string cube lights. These lights are easy to install, since they can be hung along pergolas, fences, trees, and more.
3. Natural Walkways: There is no better way to keep your lawn protected from damaging foot traffic than to add a clear walkway leading through your backyard space. Walkways are very easy to make, using simple materials like stone, brick, or wood to fit the style of your yard. With the addition of bollard lights or bamboo wind chimes along the pathway, you can easily add a touch of elegant ambiance to your backyard.
4. Small Outdoor Features: Just because your backyard is lacking space does not mean you can’t enjoy all of the same features larger backyards have. There are many appealing designs for small outdoor pools, as well as many functional designs for small outdoor kitchens. Smaller seating areas for guests are also achievable with the use of patio chairs with a round outdoor coffee table in the center.
5. Sustainable Design: As a push for more eco-friendly homeowning practices grows, sustainable backyard designs continue to increase in popularity. Adding a vertical garden has become a trending way to grow fruits and vegetables without using large amounts of water. Outside of vertical gardening, drought tolerant plants have also grown in demand, seeing as they require less water to flourish. Elements of hardscape have also increased in usage, like the addition of stone patios and walkways.