Summer Olympics inspiring you to get outside and move? Take advantage of the momentum — and the plentiful warm days still to come — to add a playful element to your yard or patio. It could be something as small as a dartboard or as big as a putting green, as simple as a bench for board games or as complex as a children’s play fort with all the bells and whistles.
Whether you have kids at home or grandkids who visit — or you’re a kid at heart yourself — the 12 outdoor spaces below, including one where the homeowners found their pro on Houzz, offer plenty of ideas for summer fun for all ages in yards of various sizes. No intense training required.
Whether you have kids at home or grandkids who visit — or you’re a kid at heart yourself — the 12 outdoor spaces below, including one where the homeowners found their pro on Houzz, offer plenty of ideas for summer fun for all ages in yards of various sizes. No intense training required.
1. Merrily Bowling Along
Bocce games can go on well into the night at this Illinois farmhouse, thanks to a combination of lights and seating where the players can rest between rounds. Greenhaven Landscapes designed the court, which is 40 feet long and 9 feet wide and finished with crushed oyster shells, with a pea gravel surround. Craiger Custom Design added a cedar bench, seen in the foreground, to a new retaining wall to let viewers and players get even closer to the action.
The court has an interesting backstory: It’s built on the site of an old dairy barn that burned down decades ago. Elsewhere on the property was a farmhouse built in 1856.
Bocce games can go on well into the night at this Illinois farmhouse, thanks to a combination of lights and seating where the players can rest between rounds. Greenhaven Landscapes designed the court, which is 40 feet long and 9 feet wide and finished with crushed oyster shells, with a pea gravel surround. Craiger Custom Design added a cedar bench, seen in the foreground, to a new retaining wall to let viewers and players get even closer to the action.
The court has an interesting backstory: It’s built on the site of an old dairy barn that burned down decades ago. Elsewhere on the property was a farmhouse built in 1856.
2. Case in Points
Even a smaller area can get in on the gaming fun, as this Brooklyn, New York, patio by Alicia Hassen of Brooklinteriors shows. A dartboard is a budget-friendly and space-savvy option if you have a safe place for hanging one. Here, string lights draped along the fencing behind add a party vibe.
Even a smaller area can get in on the gaming fun, as this Brooklyn, New York, patio by Alicia Hassen of Brooklinteriors shows. A dartboard is a budget-friendly and space-savvy option if you have a safe place for hanging one. Here, string lights draped along the fencing behind add a party vibe.
3. Extra-Private Club
If you’re a golf lover who’s lucky enough to have an expansive yard, you might consider a putting green. Designer Randy Angell did just that for this Texas homeowner — and the pool behind it is shallow enough for volleyball games too.
If you’re a golf lover who’s lucky enough to have an expansive yard, you might consider a putting green. Designer Randy Angell did just that for this Texas homeowner — and the pool behind it is shallow enough for volleyball games too.
4. Open Invitation
A shady pergola lets adults relax in comfort while keeping an eye on children climbing and sliding nearby in this London backyard. Tracey Parker Landscape Design sited the play structure at the back of the yard for flexibility, and there’s plenty of open grassy space for running free.
A shady pergola lets adults relax in comfort while keeping an eye on children climbing and sliding nearby in this London backyard. Tracey Parker Landscape Design sited the play structure at the back of the yard for flexibility, and there’s plenty of open grassy space for running free.
5. Wall Feat
With a whimsical “secret” garden like this one in New England by Amy Martin Landscape Design, a firm the homeowners found on Houzz, you need only your imagination to play the day away. This particular delight was designed to help a creative 8-year-old connect with nature and find peace outdoors, but even adults who didn’t treasure Frances Hodgson Burnett’s popular book as a child might long for a turn inside.
The garden’s walls have a history too: They were saved from the ruins of an old barn in the backyard. While “whimsical” was the guiding theme for this project, it involved plenty of laborious work. The team didn’t just repair and stabilize the walls; it graded and excavated the site and then brought in fresh soil to start. Within the walls, it added hidden nooks, colorful plants in playful shapes and seating right out of a fairy tale.
With a whimsical “secret” garden like this one in New England by Amy Martin Landscape Design, a firm the homeowners found on Houzz, you need only your imagination to play the day away. This particular delight was designed to help a creative 8-year-old connect with nature and find peace outdoors, but even adults who didn’t treasure Frances Hodgson Burnett’s popular book as a child might long for a turn inside.
The garden’s walls have a history too: They were saved from the ruins of an old barn in the backyard. While “whimsical” was the guiding theme for this project, it involved plenty of laborious work. The team didn’t just repair and stabilize the walls; it graded and excavated the site and then brought in fresh soil to start. Within the walls, it added hidden nooks, colorful plants in playful shapes and seating right out of a fairy tale.
6. Cooking Up Fun
If you love to cook, you don’t need games or imagination stations to have fun. Fire up the merrymaking with an outdoor pizza oven, like this backyard one that a California couple created from a crumbling outdoor stove with the help of a mason. Note the concrete counters on both sides of the oven that offer convenient weatherproof prep space.
Facilitate creativity and cooking skills by letting kids choose their own toppings — just hide the gummy worms. Even better, plant an herb garden nearby for fun-to-pick (and good-for-you) toppings, as this family did.
If you love to cook, you don’t need games or imagination stations to have fun. Fire up the merrymaking with an outdoor pizza oven, like this backyard one that a California couple created from a crumbling outdoor stove with the help of a mason. Note the concrete counters on both sides of the oven that offer convenient weatherproof prep space.
Facilitate creativity and cooking skills by letting kids choose their own toppings — just hide the gummy worms. Even better, plant an herb garden nearby for fun-to-pick (and good-for-you) toppings, as this family did.
7. Soaking It Up
After a tiring day (or any day, really), your idea of fun might be simply to soak blissfully in an outdoor hot tub, like this one that Nigel Gomme at Cityscapers added to a London backyard. The cedar cabin in which it’s housed includes a sauna. A nearby seating area allows for cooling down in the embrace of greenery. There’s even a little table in case a card game or small board game beckons.
After a tiring day (or any day, really), your idea of fun might be simply to soak blissfully in an outdoor hot tub, like this one that Nigel Gomme at Cityscapers added to a London backyard. The cedar cabin in which it’s housed includes a sauna. A nearby seating area allows for cooling down in the embrace of greenery. There’s even a little table in case a card game or small board game beckons.
8. Warming the Bench
Another small-space option is a simple bench tucked into a shady spot. Plant Architect added this built-in bench to a Toronto deck, making it wide enough to hold board games. Brightly colored fencing boards boost the lively vibe.
Two especially nice touches: The bench has sloped sides for lounging, and a framed opening above turns the leafy view into a work of art.
Another small-space option is a simple bench tucked into a shady spot. Plant Architect added this built-in bench to a Toronto deck, making it wide enough to hold board games. Brightly colored fencing boards boost the lively vibe.
Two especially nice touches: The bench has sloped sides for lounging, and a framed opening above turns the leafy view into a work of art.
9. Under Cover
This play structure in a Vancouver, British Columbia, backyard by David Andersen of Inside Out - Design & Build also is out of the way while still letting adults comfortably keep an eye out. However, it has the bonus of a roof — meaning that a little rain won’t have kids dashing back into the house.
Andersen started by sharing photos in Houzz ideabooks with the clients for inspiration, then created 3D plans of the landscape to refine in collaboration.
This play structure in a Vancouver, British Columbia, backyard by David Andersen of Inside Out - Design & Build also is out of the way while still letting adults comfortably keep an eye out. However, it has the bonus of a roof — meaning that a little rain won’t have kids dashing back into the house.
Andersen started by sharing photos in Houzz ideabooks with the clients for inspiration, then created 3D plans of the landscape to refine in collaboration.
10. We’ll Toast to That
Toasting marshmallows is a summer fun classic, and all you need is a fire feature. Amy Martin Landscape Design installed this wood-burning model for a Massachusetts family, leaving plenty of room to play on the rest of the patio. (Bonus: Kids can go on a jaunt searching for the perfect long sticks — far away from electronic devices.)
Adirondack chairs bring a summer camp vibe but with a modern spin, thanks to their coat of black. And the blazing red fire feature is a natural draw amid all the neutral tones.
Toasting marshmallows is a summer fun classic, and all you need is a fire feature. Amy Martin Landscape Design installed this wood-burning model for a Massachusetts family, leaving plenty of room to play on the rest of the patio. (Bonus: Kids can go on a jaunt searching for the perfect long sticks — far away from electronic devices.)
Adirondack chairs bring a summer camp vibe but with a modern spin, thanks to their coat of black. And the blazing red fire feature is a natural draw amid all the neutral tones.
11. Flat-Out Recreation
Sometimes all you need for fun is an open area, one that’s flat enough to ride tricycles and play tag on, as in this Seattle backyard by Rebekah Rongo of SCJ Studio Landscape Architecture. All the better if it’s far away from anything breakable so an errant ball or flying disc won’t do any harm.
This patio has two supporting areas as well. A lounge with an umbrella lets adults watch the action in shady comfort, and a sheltered space under a deck means the frequent Seattle drizzles don’t have to drive everyone indoors for games or arts and crafts.
Other well-considered design elements include a vegetable garden that’s fun for the kids (in a Cor-Ten steel planter fabricated by Sage and Stone set along the steps) and pavers that handle drainage. Rainwater percolates through gravel below the pavers and then down into the ground, and any runoff is directed toward nearby planting beds.
Sometimes all you need for fun is an open area, one that’s flat enough to ride tricycles and play tag on, as in this Seattle backyard by Rebekah Rongo of SCJ Studio Landscape Architecture. All the better if it’s far away from anything breakable so an errant ball or flying disc won’t do any harm.
This patio has two supporting areas as well. A lounge with an umbrella lets adults watch the action in shady comfort, and a sheltered space under a deck means the frequent Seattle drizzles don’t have to drive everyone indoors for games or arts and crafts.
Other well-considered design elements include a vegetable garden that’s fun for the kids (in a Cor-Ten steel planter fabricated by Sage and Stone set along the steps) and pavers that handle drainage. Rainwater percolates through gravel below the pavers and then down into the ground, and any runoff is directed toward nearby planting beds.
12. Three in One
Kids get a trio of play options in this corner of an Austin, Texas, backyard: a sandbox filled with fine rounded gravel, a slide and a custom climbing wall. A rainbow of climbing holds boosts the fun factor even further. Elsewhere in the yard, the brainchild of B. Jane Gardens, is another gravel-filled sandbox that’s big enough for grown-ups to play along.
The limestone and Cor-Ten steel retaining walls seen here hold back the soil, but the designer seized the opportunity to have them also support the play area’s slide and climbing wall.
Kids get a trio of play options in this corner of an Austin, Texas, backyard: a sandbox filled with fine rounded gravel, a slide and a custom climbing wall. A rainbow of climbing holds boosts the fun factor even further. Elsewhere in the yard, the brainchild of B. Jane Gardens, is another gravel-filled sandbox that’s big enough for grown-ups to play along.
The limestone and Cor-Ten steel retaining walls seen here hold back the soil, but the designer seized the opportunity to have them also support the play area’s slide and climbing wall.
Content provided by Elena Vega at Houzz.com
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