When we went house hunting more than six years ago, one of the reasons we chose the home we live in now was because of its big backyard. While the house itself isn’t very big, over the years, we have transformed the backyard into a complete other room of the home. We built out the deck to two levels, added outdoor furniture and outdoor lighting, a fire table and patio heater, outdoor speakers, and even a TV. Bottom line: you can make both your backyard and garden, or even just a small patio, into a summer oasis where you spend most of your time during the warmer months.
We use the backyard for entertaining, outdoor games, watching TV, working, having dinner – you name it. How can you enjoy all of these same experiences in your own space, creating your very own summer oasis? Here are 5 products that can help make it happen.
1.Portable Bluetooth speakers
We are rarely ever in our backyard without music playing, and while we have a full whole-home audio set-up that includes several outdoor speakers that are permanently placed on the decks and down to the garden, you can achieve this in a much simpler (not to mention more affordable) way through portable Bluetooth speakers. Look for ones that are rugged and ideally waterproof or at least splashproof (especially if you have a pool), like the Sony XG500 Splashproof Bluetooth portable party speaker. Designed specifically for use outdoors (though you can certainly use it inside, too!), it boasts an impressive 30 hours of battery life so you don’t have to worry about rushing to recharge or plug in the speaker before the party ends, and delivers powerful bass and crisp sound thanks to the X-balanced speakers. As a bonus, you can even connect a guitar or microphone if you decide to turn the party into a karaoke sing-a-long or guitar jam session around the fire.
2.Outdoor TV
As mentioned, one of the technologies we have in our backyard is an outdoor television, and while it might initially sound like a silly idea – don’t you want to go outside to get away from sedentary, passive activity? – you’d be surprised how much you’ll use it. Whether it’s watching the big game while enjoying the outdoors or keeping on top of the daily news while barbecuing dinner, outdoor TVs add another element of entertainment to the outdoor experience. Samsung’s The Terrace outdoor TV comes in three sizes (55, 65, and 75 inches) to accommodate all sizes of backyards and patios. With Ultra HD picture and two-channel 20W speakers with Adaptive Sound+ technology, you won’t be sacrificing on sound quality or picture resolution in order to move the party from inside to outdoors. You can access tons of streaming content from popular apps like Netflix, Crave, and DAZN and it even works with the Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Samsung Bixby voice assistants. With three HDMI inputs, you could also use this outdoor TV to play back a slideshow of photos during a themed party.
You can also consider a portable projector and projection screen, white blanket, or even just a light-coloured wall and watch movies, sports games, and more outdoors. This set-up is particularly great for making your backyard your own “sit-in” movie theatre once the sun goes down.
3.Water fun and relaxation is part of the summer oasis
Not everyone has the budget nor the space to build a pool in their backyard. What’s more, the upkeep is a lot of work, as anyone who owns a pool will tell you. But what do you do on those sweltering days when you wish you had somewhere to soak your feet or cool down? There are plenty of affordable above-ground pools, including inflatables, you can consider, like the WINGOMART swimming pool, which auto-inflates and even comes with a removable canopy. Measuring 83 x 59 x 27 inches, it has a two-person capacity (though you could probably fit two adults and a child, or 3-4 small children) and runs on a low-voltage power supply.
Conversely, nothing says “backyard or patio oasis” like a hot tub or sauna. The Outsunny 82 x 26-inch inflatable hot tub can fit up to six people and heats up at the touch of a button, complete with bubbling and massaging air jets. It’s the perfect way to cap off a long day of work or physical activity with the kids.
Growing up, one of the fun at-home activities we always enjoyed was putting on our bathing suits and running back and forth through the sprinkler. Nowadays, local splash pads are all the rage where kids can effectively do the same thing. You can actually get a little splash pad for your own backyard, which is perfect for fun family time, not to mention for quick cool downs. Or go all out with a full-on inflatable water park that has slides, climbing walls, and more.
4.Outdoor shade for your summer oasis
One aspect about creating a backyard, patio, or garden oasis that is often overlooked is ensuring that you have a nicely shaded area. There’s nothing worse than going outdoors only to find nowhere to sit that isn’t completely covered in bright sunshine. If your goal is to work on your tan, this might not bother you. But if you want to read a book, get some work done, or just enjoy a cool drink and the lovely warmth, you’ll want some shade. We have a retractable awning for our upper deck, but on the lower deck and in the garden, we use patio umbrellas. This ensures there’s at least one section or seat that can be shaded for comfort. I love offset umbrellas since they sit completely out of the way and can be adjusted and angled as needed. You can even find cool lighted umbrellas like this one from Gymax, which has 40 solar-powered LED lights on the underside that gain their power from the sun during the day then flick on when you need them at night for a game of cards, a late-night dinner, or just some good conversation.
5.Outdoor games
Who needs an amusement park when you can set up your own outdoor gaming area at home? There’s lots you can do to make your outdoor space super fun for kids and adults, alike. You can pick and choose what you want to play when or set up a number of games for a fun day of family or neighbourly competition. Who can rack up the most points? Maybe the prize is control of the music playlist for an hour, or loser has to refill everyone’s drinks all night. Choose from classic outdoor party games like croquet and bocce to outdoor discs, aqua golf, basketball, and even tossing games like the Gymax Ladder Ball toss game set. It will bring that carnival feel. And it comes with a convenient carry bag for easily putting the set away in the garage or shed when you’re done, or taking it to a friend’s house.
It’s easy to make your outdoor space a summer oasis
Whether you have a small or large backyard, a deck, or even just a tiny patio, there are plenty of ways you can use the space to create a beautiful summer oasis. It might just be a single piece of furniture, like a hammock or conversation set. Maybe it’s just an eye-catching fire table that turns your outdoor space into the perfect room for cool nights.
Whether an “oasis” to you means a spot that can keep the kids busy for hours or somewhere to relax with your feet up while watching the football game, there’s a way to create the perfect space at home.
Check out plenty of ways to make your backyard or garden summer oasis a reality at Best Buy Online.
