Homebuyers often want a fabulous backyard to complement their newly built home! Many residents find creative ways to incorporate beautiful landscaping and outdoor designs to create a resort-like oasis to enjoy during the warmer months of the year. We have six tips to design the perfect resort-inspired backyard for your home.

First, set the mood for relaxation by incorporating a swinging element into your backyard resort. While old-fashioned porch swings and wooden rocking chairs are the perfect fit for a front porch, a resort-inspired backyard is more likely to call for a hammock, a swinging accent chair or even a suspended bed.

Next, having a water feature to create a soundscape is a must! This will mask the busyness of the surrounding space while also making a sense of calm, like the sound of soft rain or a gentle waterfall. Be environmentally friendly by choosing a feature with a recirculating water pump.

Nothing is more relaxing for adults than having the kids entertain themselves. Creating a play space with toys and games ranging from sidewalk chalk and cornhole to bubble machines and horseshoes can keep your children occupied for hours. When hosting a party, set up an area with kid-friendly snacks to further motivate little ones to gather for some outdoor fun.

Provide a unique display of drinks and dining for your guest to enjoy. Feature resort-style ingredients on a drink cart to surprise guests who are unaccustomed to stylish outdoor living essentials. For family members and guests alike, replacing outdoor paper or melamine plates with real dinnerware and flatware, preparing the table with colorful linens and decorating with exciting accents can transform a normal backyard lunch or dinner into a special event.

At a resort, the party is just beginning at sunset, and the same can be true of a backyard. Prolong your time spent in the backyard by adding fire and light. Options for adding playful firelight into your resort-inspired backyard are endless and available for nearly every budget, from a professionally built brick fireplace to a simple fire pit purchased at a big box retailer. Not only can a fire allow families to lengthen the time spent outdoors, but it can also add activities to your backyard resort, including making s’mores, roasting hotdogs and telling ghost stories!

Whether or not a fire feature is brought into the backyard, additional lighting can provide an elevated feel and extension of daylight. The perfect lighting can highlight the landscaping, add safety along walkways and make a more vibrant atmosphere. To brighten your space, combine broad lighting to illuminate large areas and accent lighting to spotlight specific features. Twinkle lights or Edison bulbs strung from tree to tree can add a sense of coziness to your backyard escape.

Finally, the finishing touch to transforming your backyard into the ultimate resort is entertainment. A mounted television is perfect for hosting gameday watch parties, themed movie nights and more. Expand a white sheet between two trees to create an outdoor movie theater, ideal for a kid’s slumber party, neighborhood get-together or much-needed family time. An advanced sound system, such as surround-sound speakers, elevates the backyard experience further.

For more information on how to reimagine your new Atlanta home, visit www.AtlantaRealEstateForum.com for design tips, information on new metro developments and more! Subscribe to our newsletter for a daily dose of Atlanta homebuilding news best paired with your morning coffee.