Best home deck design ideas

If you are blessed with a spacious deck and don’t have any budgetary restrictions to worry about, having a miniature swimming pool installed on your deck could be the simplest way to make your backyard stylish. Essentially a shallow pool, these deck specific pools provide a great place for a large group of people to hang out in the water together. Since the pool doesn’t need to be deep enough for people to dive in, it is also perfectly safe for kids. To make your deck based swimming pool even more exciting, you simply need to throw in a few pool toys and floaters and you’re set for a perfect pool party.

Wildly popular for propelling virtual social outcasts into local celebrities, the hot tub is a surefire hit if you’re looking to remodel your deck. These tubs come in all sizes, designs and budget ranges, which means almost anyone sold on the idea can get one installed on their decks. The hot tub spa is perfect for all kinds of weather (you can even use it during the rains if you put up a shade over it) and adds distinct star quality to any deck. Though most people like to show their expensive soakers off, having one installed below deck that is accessible via a hidden panel is a good way to ensure a long working life for the tub. A hidden hot tub also allows users to make full use of their deck space when they don’t want to use the tub.

With the world reeling under an unprecedented cold spell, fire pits and outdoor fireplaces have really found the perfect platform to prove their worth as an investment. If you live in a place that experiences snow or has cooler climate throughout the year, an outdoor fireplace or fire pit on your deck could be just the perfect investment. Perfect for socializing, the outdoor fire pit/fireplace allows you to enjoy the winter without freezing yourself to death. Also great for holding impromptu barbeque parties and bonfire get together, the deck fire pit/fireplace is a semi permanent installation and you should consider all the pros and cons of having one before throwing good money at it.

Most people leave their decks unattended and undecorated simply because they don’t have enough space to make their deck decor more permanent. But lack of floor space on the deck should be no excuse for leaving that precious space bare. To make even the smallest of decks more people friendly, you can put in a few foldable chairs and tables with tasteful upholstery. With removable cushions, throw on pillows and rugs, you can even create a little outdoor getaway for yourself using items found around the house.

If you like lounging out on your deck in the afternoons but don’t want a tan, an umbrella might be a great deck accessory for you. A lot of deck furniture comes with pre-installed holders for umbrellas but you can always get one attached to a railing, or a table’s leg or even a chair’s leg or back as long as the umbrella isn’t heavy enough to topple the furniture over. Retractable and removable umbrellas work best for people that want to enjoy the sun as well as the shade. To make sure that your deck umbrella doesn’t look out of place, you can match its fabric with the textures and colors of the fabrics and color scheme you have used around the deck.

It is always good to have plants and trees around. But if you want to have some greenery around your deck but do not want the hassle of struggling to maintain planters, having trees planted around the deck might be something you should investigate. However, before drunk dialing the local horticulturist/landscape artist you must remember that having trees planted is a permanent solution so you will need to know exactly how many trees and of what kind you need in your backyard.

Nothing can quite transform a space like a few clever pieces of lighting strategically placed to maximize their effect. A range of outdoor lighting options are available in the market to suit all spaces and budgets but the simplest and cheapest way to create awesome deck lighting is to use monochromatic Christmas lights. You can drape these lights over the plants and trees that lines the deck or simply hang them up vertically along a wall. You can also hang a mesh of lights overhead to create a starry night effect. The key to deck lighting however, remains the use of soft and warm lights that provide sufficient illumination for you to see someone’s face clearly but not bright enough for you to notice their wrinkles.

The easiest way to give your deck a makeover is to invest in sound and weatherproof outdoor furniture. The current trend in deck furniture favors oversized chunky pieces with plush cushions. But if you don’t have the kind of space to accommodate bigger chairs, you can always go for minimalist pieces with straighter lines. Before investing any amount of money in outdoor furniture, however, you must account for the space you actually have and must ensure that there will still be plenty of floor space to move around on the deck once you have put up all your outdoor furniture. Also, choose the upholstery for your outdoor furniture according to the weather conditions that your nick of the woods experiences and remember to invest in fabrics that would be easier to maintain for you.

Pots and planters are a very efficient way of revamping the look of any space and work equally well for outdoor spaces like a deck as well. If you’re not born with a green thumb, you can opt for potted plants that require little to no maintenance and if you do have a bit of passion for gardening, then the sky’s the limit for you. Depending on how much space is available on the deck, you can choose between having a single row of small plants in petite pots lining the sides of the deck or mix and match big and small plants and potters to create a temporary divider between the deck and the rest of the outdoor space. If your deck is closed off by a bare wall at any end and you don’t want to restrict the available space by placing pots on the floor, you can always install pot holders on the wall itself and create a vertical garden.

A very simple way to upgrade the ambiance of your deck is to add a few accessories to the space. The range for outdoor accessories that go with backyard decks is almost infinite and the range of textures and colors too is quite exciting. To transform your deck into a romantic getaway, you can experiment with soft translucent curtains, oversized candles and overhead lighting whereas a bold bachelor pad-style deck makeover can be achieved with wrought iron, steel and aluminum furniture and dark colored upholstery. The key to decorating a deck with accessories is to choose a theme before introducing elements in color schemes and textures that reflect that theme.