San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Tips to liven up your backyard while shelteringinplace
Kevin Conger, one of the founding partners at San Francisco’s CMG Landscape Architecture, sees longer lines at home improvement stores during these days. He attributes the surge to people spending more time at home during the COVID19 epidemic and wanting to improve their living spaces, especially the outdoor ones, as they seek to stave off cabin fever.
“A lot of people are looking at their backyards like, ‘Well, I’ve got no other place to go,’” said Conger, whose firm resides on Bryant Street. “Now’s a great time to do it.”
Since March, this Mill Valley resident has taken the time to transform his backyard as well. From planting edible gardens and installing children’s playground equipment, to adding furniture or adding a detached structure for work, Conger said there’s plenty of ways to beautify your outdoor areas during this tense time.
“I want reasons to go into my backyard,” said Conger, whose firm’s portfolio includes Pier 39 East Wharf Park, Mission Rock and UC San Francisco 4th Street Plaza.
Conger offered the following ideas to spruce up your backyard and make it a place you and your friends will love, as well as a place where you can work while getting some vitamin D.
Plant an edible garden:
Herbs, vegetables and fruit trees bring life to any backyard. Plus, it will provide ingredients for all those meals you’ll probably continue making at home these next few months.
Create outdoor cooking
spaces: Standing over a stove night after night can become monotonous. Adding a barbecue or pizza oven to the backyard provides a chance to not only change the scenery, but the way you cook as well.
Add entertainment ele
ments: A sound system or a projection screen can add a load of fun to your backyard. Outdoor speakers are built to handle adverse weather conditions and can be discreetly scattered across a landscape or patio. An outdoor projection screen and sound system will create a space for outdoor movie nights with friends and family now and for years to come.
Invest in a durable dining table: “A picnic table is key,”
Conger said. While you should make sure it is built from a hardwood, (like teak), that will stand up to the elements. Conger said not to worry that the table will look weathered as the years go on.
“Don’t worry about keeping everything looking fresh and sealed,” Conger said. “It’s for living in and actively using.”
Outdoor furniture with
washable upholstery: Conger emphasized that outdoor cushions should have durable upholstery that can get wet and be washed. Patio furniture is especially important these days, since that, rather than your indoor furniture, is what most of your guests will see in the next few months.
Don’t forget chairs: It’s easy to overlook, but people need places to sit. Conger has a handful of lightweight chairs that are easy to move, enabling a variety of seating spaces around the backyard. Plus, lightweight chairs allow guests to maintain social distancing during a gathering. Conger also invested in some Adirondack chairs where he reads the paper and has coffee during sunrise.
Something for the kids:
Think play structures, sand pits, forts and tree houses. All of these spaces allow children to play and imagine, whether alone or with a few friends.
An outdoor child's play space gives them a break from staring at a screen for hours on end, whether it’s for school or video games.
Build an office or studio: If
your backyard is large enough, consider building a small, detached structure. For remote workers — or families with more than one person working at home — a detached structure in the backyard can provide some privacy and separation between work and home. In this spirit, Conger erected a 120squarefoot shed with a rollup door and added a desk and a record player. Now, it’s his space for work and inspiration.