Landscaping or creating a garden involves decisions you have to live with for a long time because such labour-intensive jobs cannot be undertaken frequently. After the job is done and you have enjoyed it for a while you may feel an urge to change the sight or freshen it up.

For those who do not own a garden but have a balcony or a terrace, a little creativity can upgrade the previously underused area or a forgotten space into a beckoning outdoor room where you would like to spend more time.

Here are some tips that can breathe a new life into your outdoor space and give you an opportunity to celebrate it all afresh.

A new look

Begin by looking at it as though it’s the first time you have seen it. Make a note of all what looks unattractive and start by changing it. Repainting can be the simplest makeover with biggest impact. First halt should be at the entrance, repaint if it looks tired. Give it a colour that is bright or different from what you have always had.

Look at the walls or the boundary and utilise the scope of repainting it. Allow children to make some mosaic with broken tiles or crockery by simply using plaster of Paris. Wish to get more creative, go ahead and make an idol figure such as Ganesha, by using pebbles. If possible make a flower bed or put flowering plants close to the entrance for the welcoming look.

Come further into the space and look at the plant beds or the pots in the area. Bring in some pots if you do not have them already. Change or give older ones a new paint job. These are the most fun objects to experiment using colour and your painting skills.

How about bringing in some unusually shaped pots that can make a statement about your style.  If your plants are not in the best shape just change them. Bring in seasonal plants which are in bloom. Or get some with coloured and variegated leaves.

Experiment by putting striking plants in eye-catching containers to create a focal point. Create new plant combinations. You can dress up the soil surface by putting the mulch which is much easier than weeding continuously. Your options are organic mulches like barks or inorganic ones like stone, gravel, and coloured pebbles. Using gravel for the paths will give a more organic look and will also prevent runoff.

These days art is the buzz so why should you ignore it for the outdoors. Create one of your own or buy something for the outdoors. This may be as simple as tying coconut shells to a tree trunk or a pole and planting those with some flowers.

Or go for an actual work of art like a sculpture. Something as simple as a trellis can be your work of art on the wall. Get one installed and let its shape be accentuated by allowing a vine hug it along the lines. Try topiary. Even a mirror with an attractive frame can be the art. Try something different if you would like, such as a weathered boulder for seating or use it as a base for the table outdoors. Sounds too hard, throw on some brightly upholstered cushions.

The right accessories

Furnishing your outdoor furniture with bright colours can work wonders. Use the not so expensive materials and you can always bring in something fresh the next season. Cushions, pillows, throws, rugs, table covers, placemats, are all quick and easy mood enhancers for any area. Put a fabric umbrella, Rajasthani ones with mirror work can be irresistible. For enjoying outdoors on chilly evenings nothing is better than sitting around a fire pit or an inbuilt fireplace.

Your outdoors are incomplete without proper lighting. Give it a second life with the right kind of light that can speak of your mood and set that of your guests. Add music of the breeze by hanging some wind chimes. And let’s not forget the beauty of water — whether reflecting pool or a flowing stream. Wherever possible install a readymade water feature and let it soothe you. On special occasions create a luxurious ambience with flowing fabrics like sarees, candle lights and night blooming cut flowers like tuberose.

So the next time you look at your outdoors think of ways you can dress it up and make it a destination in your home both for you and your guests.

The author is a landscape designer and can be reached at johrisurabhi@gmail.com.