3 outdoor living trends for 2022

More than 100,000 homeowners share priorities, preferences in study.

For more than two years, our homes have played the role of personal sanctuary from the challenges of the outside world. With so much more emphasis on time spent at home, it’s no surprise that home projects thrived through the pandemic. We converted garages into gyms, completed major (and minor) kitchen and living space renovations and built home offices on the fly.

We also looked to our yards to become something more; an outdoor space to provide relief in uncertain times, to foster good neighbors and neighborhoods and a place to find peace in cultivating thriving habitats.

More than 100,000 homeowners shared their outdoor priorities and preferences in a study conducted by Yardzen. Here’s are three trends they say you should know for 2022:

Use your dollars for change

If you’re going to invest in outdoor space, spend your money in ways that impact the environment positively.

Outdoor spaces have the potential to effect change by promoting biodiversity, habitat creation, carbon sequestration, neighborhood beautification and community development.

Yardzen recommends habitat creation through “the use of keystone species, pollinator-supporting yards using native and climate-adapted plants, water-smart landscaping: save water, avoid flooding, and stop water pollution,” and using “FSC-certified furniture and materials made from recycled goods.”

Go ‘cottagecore’

Nothing beats the simplicity of rural life, complete with fresh florals, billowing plants and vintage-inspired aesthetics known as “cottagecore.” The charm of the English countryside (hence the name) creates an idealized representation of farm life — regardless of where you live in the world — and has more than doubled in popularity this year.

“Cottage gardens are characterized by an abundance of different species, arranged in a highly intermixed, colorful, billowing display of plant life. You’ll see fruit trees and herbs, big green shrubs, dense mats of groundcover, wispy perennials, and above all, lots and lots of flowers,” said Yardzen.

Try a camp-out in your backyard

We turned to our yards for outdoor escape not only during the pandemic but afterward too. Converting your backyard into your own personal campsite is a fun and relatively simple way to enjoy the great outdoors without the hassle of packing the car and the bags. It’s a fun way to get some fresh air, get a little dirty, roast some s’mores and gaze at the stars at night.

To replicate the coziness and freedom of the campout, Yardzen said its clients “turned to fire pits and outdoor shelters, including forts, yurts, and tents, to bring the camping experience home.”

Outdoor spaces have the potential to effect change by promoting biodiversity, habitat creation, carbon sequestration, neighborhood beautification and community development. Yardzen recommends habitat creation by “use of keystone species, pollinator-supporting yards using native and climate-adapted plants, water-smart landscaping.”

During the pandemic, many turned outdoor spaces into an extension of their living space. With so much more emphasis on time spent at home, it’s no surprise that home projects thrived.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF YARDZEN Nothing beats the simplicity of rural life, complete with fresh florals, billowing plants and vintage-inspired aesthetics known as “cottagecore.”