12 Inspirational Outdoor Living Design Blogs
Nate King - December 15, 2023
When it comes to creating spaces that are unique and homey, most of us can benefit from a creative boost. There are a ton of outdoor living blogs out there, and so many of them are full of extraordinary ideas, photos, recipes, and more for making a home a special experience. But where do you go for inspiration on your outdoor living design? If you’re the type that enjoys living out-of-doors as much or more than living indoors, you may find your options for following good bloggers a bit more challenging. That’s because most of the home design blogs out there focus on interior design, with little or nothing to offer regarding exterior and yard design.
That’s why we created a roundup of some of the best bloggers on the web who are actively involved in making beautiful outdoor spaces and experiences—and writing about it. This is an exclusive list of blogs, and even includes some exclusive feedback from a few extraordinarily creative backyard enthusiasts.
As you explore the blogs in the list below, you’ll find an incredible collection of ideas and inspiration for making your home your own, including your yard and outdoor spaces. Whether you’re interested in making a space where you can relax and enjoy tranquility, capturing the beautiful weather with fun outdoor experiences for your family, creating memorable hosting experiences for your friends (or all of the above), these blogs are an incredible resource for getting your creative juices flowing!
The bloggers below aren’t just good at design and passionate about homes, they love outdoor living. One nice thing about these bloggers is that so many of them are focused on helping you achieve your own unique style in your own unique spaces. Ready for this list? Let’s begin…
1. Thistle Wood Farms by KariAnne Wood
Thistle Wood Farms is the endearing story of one family’s journey from a big bustling city to sprawling farm life in Kentucky, and then back to the house where it all started—the home where KariAnne grew up. All along the way, she’s kept her readers up to date with their exciting journey, and there are plenty enough creative projects and how-to guides to go around. Here’s what KariAnne says is her favorite addition to her backyard:
The most significant difference we’ve made in our backyard is the addition of a focal point. Our backyard has a traditional design with four sidewalks leading up to a center circle. This arrangement needed a conversation piece—something that made a statement. We added a beautiful fountain with an aged patina and four tiers to tie the backyard design together. It’s still one of my favorite outdoor additions to our property. (See this project’s post.)
2. In My Own Outdoor Living Style by Diane Henkler
Diane Henkler’s passion is helping people achieve, not just the look that they want in their homes, but mostly the feel of a home that uniquely reflects and compliments the style of each individual and family. For some inspiration on how to achieve this goal, check out her philosophy of style post, and for more great ideas about nifty backyard decorations, explore her Outdoor Living blog.
Here’s what Diane has to say about the project that has added the most to her backyard:
The project that we added to our backyard that has made the most impact is a DIY pebble patio fire pit area. With small pebbles and stacking stone from our local hardware store, this project was simple and affordable to create. We use the fire pit during the spring, summer, and fall. The kids like to invite their friends over to roast marshmallows, make s’mores, and hang out- no matter what the season is. After the kids go to bed, the adults enjoy sitting by the fire pit with food and drinks and have conversations that go late into the night.
3. Rooms for Rent by Bre Doucette
In the Outdoor Living Blog category, Rooms for Rent features a variety of tablescapes, outdoor décor, patio designs, summer recipes, and small DIY projects to spice up outdoor living areas. If you’re attracted to a “farm & country” style of decorating, definitely check-out Bre’s blog: Rooms for Rent
4. Modern Glam by Ashley Luengo
Ashley certainly has an eye for bright and festive spaces. As the name implies, you won’t find any dull colors on The Modern Glam. Prepare yourself for splashes of unique tablescapes, decorating and entertaining ideas, theme-inspired yards, and more as you follow Ashley’s summer-inspired blog: Modern Glam — Summer
5. Maison de Cinq by Sheila Irwin
It’s clear that Sheila loves to create beautiful spaces for hosting and entertaining. Maison de Cinq features “casual but chic” ideas and designs for entertaining guests, whether inside or out, with ideas for every season. In fact, Sheila’s gallery of tablescapes is so large that it deserves its own category on her blog, and is further broken down into holidays and seasons.
To see how truly passionate Sheila is about creating unique experiences year-round, you’ll want to get her free ebook “A Calendar of Tablescapes”. It’s enough to make you want to invite yourself over to experience Sheila’s creativity yourself, or better yet, reproduce her creative flair with your own hosting events! Read more on her entertaining blog: Maison de Cinq.
6. Jenna Kate at Home
From New England comes this delightful journey of a family’s quest to make their home satisfying and delightful. Featuring a splash of DIY projects and decorating ideas, Jenna Kate will give you advice on when to be frugal, and when to hire an expert. Her journey of remaking their backyard is inspiring and delightful: Jenna Kate At Home
7. City Farmhouse by Jen O’Brien
For a bit of a different twist on outdoor life, Jen combines country ideas with city living on her blog, City Farmhouse. There are many delightful ideas on her outdoor living blog, including plenty of decorating and entertaining ideas organized by seasons. Check out Jen’s Summer and Fall blog posts, you won’t be disappointed.
8. Shabbyfufu by Janet Coon
Janet lives in Miami and shamelessly promotes her southern coastal lifestyle and design inspirations. You’ll feel the fresh ocean breeze across the internet as you browse through Janet’s lively collection of entertaining ideas including cleaning ideas, menu ideas, and hosting advice in general.
9. Lia Griffith
It all started with paper flowers at Lia Griffith, but it quickly grew from there as people all around the world were drawn to Lia’s mantra: “everyone can be creative”. Lia is passionate about helping normal people tap into their internal creativity through a tactile process. Lia’s site is a great place to go for craft ideas, and there are plenty of creative outdoor living space ideas on her outdoor living blog: Outdoor Living
10. Not Just a Housewife by Stacy Risenmay
Stacy Risenmay has an exceptional outdoor living blog, because she loves getting dirty, enjoys shopping at Home Depot, and prefers to be outside. On Not Just a Housewife, you’ll find all sorts of ideas regarding patio décor, construction projects, gardening tips, and more!
11. Remodelaholic by Chassity Smith
Chassity and Justin don’t just enjoy doing projects, THEY LOVE DOING PROJECTS. The Remodelaholic outdoor living blog isn’t just about their own journey to transform their house projects, they invite their readers to share the best of their ideas as well. The result is a collaborative creative space where all sorts of creative ideas reside, from homemade yard games to instructions on how to create a dreamy backyard.
12. Finding Home by Laura and Dana Putnam
From the Hudson Valley of New York comes this adorable family with their mission to create a warm and welcome home that they can savor for themselves and share with their friends. Speaking of savory, on this blog you will find some incredibly tasty ideas and tips for outdoor living, and you can actually purchase the Putnam Maple Syrup they produce on their farm. What a delightful combination!
