Your home is a place to escape from the world — and your outdoor spaces are part of that refuge. It’s great when passersby and neighbors admire your front yard’s unique landscaping or trim, weed-free lawn. But most of us want a little more backyard privacy for relaxing and entertaining without curious onlookers.
How do you shut out those prying eyes without unsightly walls? Are there any backyard privacy ideas with plants that don’t require hours of maintenance? And how can you design a space that strikes a balance between plenty of sun to soak up and ample shade for keeping cool?
The pros at Brothers Grimm are here to help! We’ve been creating backyard privacy solutions in Northeast Ohio for more than 25 years, so we understand what it takes to tailor an al fresco area to your family’s needs and comfort. Whether you’re working with multiple acres of land, a small suburban lot or the balcony of a city apartment, we’re ready to dig into the backyard privacy design that suits your sense of style while leveling up your enjoyment and safety.
Benefits of Added Backyard Privacy
Robert Frost said, “Good fences make good neighbors.” We’re pretty sure he was talking about how important backyard privacy is for maintaining healthy relationships with those living close to us. How does adding backyard privacy walls, bushes or other elements to your property make you a better neighbor?
Let’s look at three benefits that you — and your neighbors — can enjoy by creating backyard privacy for sight, sound and sun:
Increased Security
If outsiders can’t see which brand of luxurious patio furniture or type of inground pool you have, they’re less likely to try and enter your property to inspect it. That’s one kind of security that backyard privacy solutions provide. Another is the feeling of freedom you get when you know you’re unseen. If your pets or kids play in your backyard, ideas for privacy are always top of mind.
Less Unwanted Sound
Nothing disrupts a relaxing summer soiree like an engine’s grind or a dog’s bark. A major benefit of dense, vertical choices like backyard privacy bushes or solid walls is the way they hush unwanted sounds. And this goes both ways — whether you’re trying to dampen the noise of a nearby expressway for your own quietness or muffle your kids’ loud, joyful play for a more peaceful neighborhood.
Managed Sun Exposure
When it comes to backyard privacy, walls and other vertical choices can block sightlines but not sunshine. We’re all for having a healthy mix of sunny spots and shaded spaces available for your family. That’s why our creative backyard privacy ideas include tailored options for managing sun exposure to your comfort levels.
Creative Backyard Privacy Ideas
Let’s dive into some of our team’s favorite backyard privacy design solutions!
Plant a Living Privacy Wall
Whether you’re adding sumptuous landscaping around an inground pool or simply seeking a more natural look, there are many plants that lend themselves to privacy. Bamboo grows tall very quickly and delivers an exotic texture — but its invasive spread can be difficult to control. A hedgerow gives a more traditional look but may require regular maintenance to keep its tidy shape. The payoff, though, comes in lush, wildlife-friendly backyard privacy bushes that block out prying eyes and bothersome sounds while greening up your space.
Be Strategic With Potted Plants
Is your backyard a smaller patio or apartment balcony? Get all the benefits of a hedgerow without the long-term commitment by grouping pots of unique plants for your backyard privacy design. Choose tall greenery like arborvitae or boxwood for max coverage, then mix in some showstoppers like blue honeywort, bleeding heart or giant allium for color. Put them in ceramic or plastic pots that match your home’s aesthetic and arrange them by height. You can be strategic about placing your plants where they’ll offer the most coverage — plus, you can move them to follow the sun for maximum blooms!
Take Your Interior Design Outdoors
Drapes and curtains are your go-to for managing privacy and temperature inside your home. Why not use the same tactic outdoors? Hang them in your covered deck or patio, along the sides of a pergola or from a simple wooden structure around a seating area for instant backyard privacy. Choose lightweight, gauzy fabrics for a sweet look that merely suggests seclusion. Or go for more opaque materials to completely block the sun and sightline while infusing your al fresco space with sumptuous style. Pro tip: Shower curtains make cost-effective DIY outdoor drapes that are waterproof and come in a wide array of stylish prints and colors.
Add a Pool House or Other Structure
Looking for backyard pool privacy ideas that also amp up your entertaining game? Consider luxury pool amenities like a pool house, changing room or waterfall feature. Brothers Grimm experts can help you place these structures where they’ll maximize both your enjoyment of that spectacular swimming pool and your family’s overall backyard privacy. We specialize in multi-tasking construction that blocks your neighbor’s view of your yard while affording access to bathroom facilities and keeping the rest of your home clean and dry. Plus, a water feature can help dampen unwanted noise and create a more peaceful atmosphere.
Cover All (or Some of) Your Bases
There’s a fine line between basking in the summer sun and feeling overwhelmed by relentless light and heat. Shade sails, collapsible canopies, gazebos and covered decks offer shade for a welcome break while elevating your overall backyard privacy design. They’re particularly useful for shielding against onlookers in upper-story windows and high-rise apartments. Choosing flexible options like shade sails allows you to truly customize the size, color and placement for the ultimate in custom, creative backyard privacy ideas.
Combine Fencing With Greenery
Upgrade your backyard entertaining and get double the backyard privacy by adding plants to an existing (or newly installed) fence. Many plants can be trained to grow vertically, which creates a kind of living wall as they cover more fencing. Options like jasmine, honeysuckle and clematis are natural climbers that can camouflage a trellis or unsightly chain-link fence. Hydroponic plants hung in rows along openwork fencing create a luxe and lush look. One of our favorite and simplest backyard privacy ideas with plants involves nothing more than the strategic use of hanging baskets. Use cost-effective chain from the hardware store to hang your baskets at various heights from an eave or deck structure and voila! You’ve got a lovely flower wall that enhances both your privacy and your everyday enjoyment of the space.
Innovative Backyard Privacy Design from Brothers Grimm
Ready to join us in creating backyard privacy that’s tailored to your family, property and budget? Contact us to get started on your personalized Brothers Grimm backyard ideas for privacy today!
