Summer Backyard Décor Ideas

As the joyful months of summer approach, more and more people opt to spend more time outdoors. Are you ready to get your backyard ready for the season? It’s time to get inspired and have fun finding summer backyard décor ideas for your backyard.

If you like to spend a lot of time in your backyard, inviting friends and family over for fun and games, you want it to be a space you’re proud to show off! Here are some fresh and unique ideas for decorating your patio and pool for summer.

How Can I Decorate My Patio for the Summer?

Summer is about vibrant, bright colors and textures that remind you of tropical islands and private coves. Here are some amazing summer patio decorating ideas to help you bring summer to your backyard.

Energize with Summer Colors for the Backyard

When thinking about summer porch ideas, color should be your first consideration. Try to imagine a warm, tropical day on an island. What do you see? Picture bright colors (think turquoise, lime green, orange and pink) and bold patterns like tropical florals. Summer is all about happiness and vibrancy, so when it comes to fun summer patio ideas and colors, the brighter the better!

Illuminate with Summer Backyard Lighting Ideas

If you want to spend time on your backyard patio, you need lighting. The type of lighting you choose influences the ambiance you want to create. For instance, split logs with light pouring out of them create a cozy, intimate aesthetic. Classic style choices would be steel column lights with sharp cutouts along the top. For a World Travel vibe, consider textured lighting such as bamboo Tiki lights.

String lights running between poles add sparkle and whimsy. For a homier look, make mason jar chandeliers held together with rough rope and hang them along the beams of your patio roof! Have a patio surrounded by trees? Cover the trees in colorful lights and watch how it transforms the space.

Cool Off with Outdoor Shower Designs

Outdoor showers define backyard convenience and luxury. Gone are the days when outdoor showers consisted of a tall metal pipe and a faucet lever. Today you’ll find outdoor showers in all shapes and colors. In fact, some outdoor showers are the focal point of a backyard patio!

Picture this: A beach entry pool with an outdoor shower surrounded by a yellow and white striped enclosure made from reclaimed and weathered wood. Add to the beachy feel by including a towel rack draped with matching striped towels.

For a sophisticated look, a large overhead rain shower head surrounded by a steel circle enclosure would fit in perfectly.

You can also customize your outdoor shower to fit in with your pool's design. For example, use the same tile that you used in your pool as a decorative accent on the shower enclosure for a classy customized look. For more outdoor shower ideas, click here!

Add Interest with Summery Textures

When looking at summer décor ideas, pay attention to textures and how they can help tell a story. For instance, do you want to create a beachy island vibe? Think rattan furniture or bamboo canopy daybed. Maybe you prefer a sleek sophisticated feel with smooth lines and muted colors: straight light wood tables and chairs with clean lines might be the perfect textural choice for you.

For a Bohemian feel, why not use crochet plant hangers and coasters on your patio to give it that down-to-earth vibe? Add to the ambiance with large, round wicker chairs filled with pillows and cushions that highlight the earthiness.

The textures you choose for your backyard patio will instantly create a “mood” that you can enhance with the colors and other decorative items you place there.

Pass on Pests

The last guests you want to attend your outdoor patio gatherings are insects. Mosquitos can easily ruin a party, but luckily, there are some cute and clever ways to rid your patio of them. Here are some fabulous ways to repel pests:

• Citronella candles will not only give your patio a festive glow, but the scent will drive those bugs away. Enhance the citronella smell by surrounding the patio with citronella torches for extra repellent.
• Planting an insect repellent garden will do wonders for keeping the bugs at bay, too. For example, basil helps repel flies and mosquitoes, and as a bonus, you can add some to the yummy dishes you cook in your outdoor kitchen!
• Lavender, with its beautiful purple flowers, repels mosquitoes, moths, flies, and scorpions.
• If you prefer an easy way to keep the bugs at bay, consider getting a patio shield lantern, citronella diffuser, or solar-powered mosquito zappers that look like walkway lights.

How Can I Decorate My Pool Area?

In addition to pool patio décor ideas, you may be looking for some unique ways to decorate your pool area. Here are five ideas that will help you put the summer in your backyard pool area!

Escape the Heat with Patio Umbrellas

Patio umbrellas offer beauty and function. They can be adorned with lace, ruffles, fringe, and sparkly things. Patio umbrellas come in all kinds of colors, patterns, and styles. No matter what type of outdoor aesthetic you’re trying to create around your pool, there is an umbrella to fit it. Here are some outdoor patio umbrella ideas:

• For a Glam style pool, a two-tiered blue umbrella with white scalloped edges looks fabulous.
• For a farmhouse cottage backyard, a pure white lace umbrella would gorgeously complete the look.
• Do you prefer Natural style? Set up a thatched umbrella with long, free-flowing fringes.

Play with Plants!

The perfect way to enhance your outdoor living space is with plants! Plants instantly bring a summery touch to your backyard with color and beauty. The plants you choose play a key role in the overall look of your backyard. Here are some summer backyard landscaping ideas to help achieve your desired style:

• Palm trees and grasses will add greenery and create a tropical feel.
• Bougainvilleas and your backyard pool area will take on a Mediterranean feel.
• Roses, peonies, and other garden flowers help achieve an English cottage feel.
• For a funky colorful look, place large pots filled with bright, boldly colored plants around the pool area — just far enough away to keep the plant debris from falling into the pool!

Set the Mood with Outdoor Speakers!

The right song can create the perfect mood, but did you know that there are streamlined, low-profile outdoor speaker options for your backyard? Set the ambiance with jazz music, pump up the pool party or enjoy a guided meditation with outdoor speakers. Here are some design ideas for incorporating outdoor speakers into your backyard:

• If you want your pool to look like a lagoon, enhance the natural habitat feel by placing speakers that look like rocks around the pool area.
• If your idea of the perfect afternoon is listening to jazz while relaxing in your pool patio area, install some small landscape subwoofers around the area so you can truly feel those deep, rich bass notes while lounging.

Live to Lounge

Remember when you had to choose between sunbathing and being in the water? With the advent of in-pool furniture like Ledge Loungers, those days are finally over! Specially-designed pool chairs are submerged in the tanning ledge, also known as sun shelf or Baja shelf, allowing sunbathers to tan while staying cool.

Ledge Loungers are contemporary and sleek, but because they are so simply designed, they will easily fit into any style. Additionally, these low back chairs come in twelve beautiful colors. Our picks for summer? Lime Green and Coral!

Daydream on your Daybed

If you view your backyard as a wellness retreat or your own private spa, daybeds are a great piece of outdoor furniture that provide a luxurious way to relax. Imagine that at the end of your pool sits a cabana and inside that cabana is a daybed covered with lightweight and colorful sheets, pillows, and throws. Doesn’t that sound like the perfect place to relax after a long day of work? Create your summer escape with a daybed.

Summer is Almost Here — Are You Ready?

Before you know it, the days will get longer, and you’ll be spending more time outdoors enjoying the beauty of summer. Start planning now how you will decorate your pool and patio area for summer, then reach out with any questions!

Find backyard lighting, speakers, in-pool furniture and more near you here.