Your patio is a sanctuary, a place where you can enjoy yourself and relax, alone or with family and friends. You can create a beautiful space on a budget that will look like you spent a lot of money on it, whether building a new patio, or upgrading your existing patio. Although this is not a space that you are likely to use all year around, it is a space that is an extension of your home. If you want to decorate your backyard patio yourself, it can be transformed into the ultimate retreat with landscaping and privacy treatments. Read on to discover how you can decorate your patio without spending all your money to do it.

Repurpose old Furniture

If you have an older cabinet that you no longer use, you can transform it with some paint and new hardware. It can be repurposed into an outdoor entertainment cabinet for storing glasses and dishes to be used outdoors. You can add a small fridge where you can keep snacks and drinks chilled.

Add Lighting

Outdoor lights create a warm glow without being too bright. You can wrap strings of lights around trees or drape them over a table to create a stunning centerpiece. Torches are another source of lighting, but these should be carefully placed so that they are not near anything that is flammable. Nonworking light fixtures can be hung over your table and candles can be added to them along with vines or flowers.

Create a Firepit

You can create a freestanding firepit with paving stones or small bricks. A tire rim can be placed in the center to contain the materials that you will be burning. Consider adding a mesh screen over the top to lower the chances of sparks which can catch nearby items on fire. A cover can be added to keep the firepit dry when it is not in use. You can also purchase a smaller table top firepit that is fueled by propane instead of wood.

Add Accents

Consider spending a little bit more on special furniture or other items that you will use all the time. You want the furniture to be comfortable and inviting. You can add affordable accents to the furniture including pillows and throw blankets to complete the area and make it special. Pillows are not very expensive and the more you add, the cozier the space becomes.

Use Outdoor Fabrics to Add an Accent

If you have some outdoor fabrics that you can repurpose, these can add some elegance. Fabric curtains can be used to shield you from the sun during the hottest times of the day. Old bed sheets can be used and hung to create a windscreen and to block the hot sun. Add a lot of pillows to your furniture to create a cozy space. Use bright colours and busy patterns that will liven up your space. You can take old pillows and recover them to renew them and match them to all your other décor items.

Add Furniture

Furniture does not have to be expensive. You can add chairs, tables, benches and sofas to furnish your backyard. Concrete blocks can be stacked to create furniture too. Simply stack them and cover them with a foam pad. This can offer seating outside of any high traffic areas outside of your home.

Create Flower Beds and Fill them with Perennials

Perennials regrow every year and this is a way to save money on the cost of landscaping. Your backyard flower beds can be filled with flowers that you can enjoy year after year. Planter boxes can be created easily from free wood, such as wooden pallets that are discarded by businesses. All you need is a few simple hand tools to dismantle these pallets, to cut them and reconfigure them into planters.

Create DIY Benches with Storage Under the Seat

It is easy to build simple benches with hidden compartments under the seat. You can have the wood cut to the size that you need when you purchase it and then create your project once you get the pieces home. A few pieces of hardware such as hinges can create a top that opens upwards and allow you to store items inside of the bench.

Enjoy a Movie Outdoors

You do not have to spend hundreds of dollars on a TV for your outdoor space. You can set up a simple projector system and a screen for a lot less money. A DIY movie screen can be created using PVC pipes and a large white sheet. Watching a movie outdoors is an experience that the whole family can enjoy, and it can create a bonding experience.

Add Planters

Planters can be added all around your patio to create a border. You can also hang potted plants if you have a gazebo style cover. Planters can be inexpensive, or you can opt to spend a little bit more money on these and purchase a few of them when you can afford it, adding to your collection over time. As your plants grow, they will add privacy to your patio.

All these ideas are great ways to gain privacy in your outdoor patio and turn it into a sanctuary that you can enjoy every day. You can start off with a simple space and add to it without having to spend too much money. Over time you will gain a space that you will love to spend time in.