About How to Create the Perfect Sitting Area in Your Backyard

As our time and lives become more and more filled with daily arrangements, many of us are seeking down time to relax. And wisely so - modern science shows us all to plainly the effects of stress on our brains. And what better place to sit down for a while than your own back yard? It's conveniently located and has the best surroundings possible - the outdoors! So let's get started - here are four factors which you should consider when creating the perfect sitting area in your backyard...

What is the Purpose of your Backyard Sitting Area?

Creating the perfect rest area in your backyard is all about you. As such, you have to decide exactly what you want. What is the purpose of your rest area? Why do you want to sit out in your backyard? Do you want to relax? Meditate? Think creatively about projects? Observe nature? This will largely dictate the other factors we're going to mention, and it will make or break your sitting area as a place that you want to go.

Choose Your Outdoor Furnishings

Once you've thought thoroughly about why you're creating a sitting area, your next step is to decide what furnishings you want. This can be as simple as a garden bench, or as elaborate as a screened redwood gazebo. If you want to sleep or rest, you may consider a hammock. If you want to relax and think about things, you may consider a swing. If you're going to meditate, just having an open place might suffice. In any instance, make sure your furnishings are weather resistant for years of enjoyment.

Contemplate Your Surroundings

What features do you want in your sitting area? What you can have partially depends upon how much space you have. If you have a big space with lots of planning flexibility, you can make it very scenic. A pond with a fountain and coy fish, natural boulders, or an entrance with an arbor. If your area is smaller, you may just place a few potted flowering plants for decor. Perhaps a pole and hook or two with vining plants that attract butterflies. Even a bird feeder or birdbath can make a nice show in limited space. The question of your surroundings also ties into our next planning consideration.

Creating Privacy

Many of us naturally associate privacy with a place for relaxation. And in many backyards, this is non-existent. If you have an average town-size lot, privacy will be an issue. There are numerous ways you can address this - from potted shrubbery to privacy fencing. If you want the scene to be as natural as possible, you should use some form of plant to create your privacy 'wall'. Poplars, evergreen bushes, and more can be used to create a screen. You can then fill your little space with everything you want.

At the same time, a gazebo can provide a fair degree of privacy by itself. It may be easier to simply place a few natural items around a screened gazebo. The roof and walls will provide most of your privacy by making the inside darker. Surrounding foliage can then act as both additional screening and attractive scenery.

When you're done, you'll have a perfect sitting area in your backyard for doing whatever you want in. You can plan your next project, watch birds and the nature which surrounds you, or just relax and get away for a while.