Outdoor decor is a great way to add value to your home, as well as being very aesthetically pleasing. From landscaping with trees, bushes, and fences, to well placed gardens that have a nice, balanced mixture of flowers, fruits, and vegetables, there are a myriad of ways you can enhance your backyard with simple touches.

While making your garden look aesthetically pleasing is one thing, balancing that with functionality can be a whole different challenge. If you are at the point where you are struggling to create a garden that is also functional for your wants and needs, these tips might be able to help you through the process.

One of the most important things, and potentially one that is overlooked often is where you and your guests can be located in your outdoor space and how exactly you get to that area. Creating traffic patterns is one of the best things you can do both for the health and longevity of your lawn, as well as adding some great aesthetics to the space. Laying down some kind of walkway to get from your back to the gathering place is something that is easy to install, as well as providing much needed function to your space.

As far as where you and your guests can sit back and relax, having several different seating options is something that won't go unnoticed. From benches, chairs, and smaller stools around your space, giving your guests different decisions for your lounging pleasure will be greatly appreciated, even if they don't tell you directly.

Going along with seating is shade. Shade is critically important for those who live in warm climates. But it also breaks up your yard, offers contrast, and allow different types of plants to flourish within inches of each other. Shade structures run the gamut, but you can find a few ideas here to get some inspiration.

Another great option for aesthetics and functionality in your outdoor space is linking the indoor with the outdoor as seamlessly as possible. Does you backdoor lead directly to a space that is being well used and potentially have a path leading off to another space to wind down? Or does it lead to a lot of poorly used space that doesn't offer many aesthetics? Having these link together as well as possible helps you used the space you have as well as possible, while providing elegance and style to the space.

Another tip for aesthetics to your space is using plants more as art, rather than just a decoration. This is addressing more of the color scheme, as you can use green to accent many of your outdoor furnishings and help style the outdoor space to your wants and needs.

Having a well functioning space that is also aesthetically pleasing can seem like a tall order for many people. But if you follow some of these simple tips, you can transform your outdoor space in no time and make it the place to be for any gathering.