10 Creative DIY Patio Ideas

Creating a beautiful patio means more than just setting out a few chairs and hoping for the best. It means forming an artistic vision and transforming that vision into reality. Jen, the founder of the lifestyle blog City Farmhouse, had a vision of backyards from the Hamptons: plenty of teak, rattan, and white wood, along with gorgeous prints and well-tended gardens surrounding a pool.

While some of these elements were out of her grasp, at least for now, one item that spells gracious Hamptons living for her was accessible: pea gravel-covered backyard patios. With the addition of a DIY firepit, string lights, immaculately trimmed hedges, and Nantucket gray wicker furniture, Jen now has the gorgeous patio that she always dreamed of.

Pea Gravel Patio Hamptons from City Farmhouse

Transforming your dull, neglected backyard into a lovely destination often means taking on some heavy lifting. Stacy Risenmay took on heavy lifting, and a lot of it, when she decided that she needed the proper canvas for outdoor entertaining. Her old habit of setting out collapsible camp chairs on the grass would no longer cut it. With help from her family, Stacy spread out gravel and sand first as a base, then laid a broad range of stone pavers. A fantastic DIY wood planter and glowing string lights soften the home's brick siding and add to the crisp, clean look.

Outdoor Paved Patio from Stacy Risenmay, Not Just a Housewife

From an ignored backyard with no attractions to a place of relaxation, light, color, and family: that was the aim of home bloggers Jamin and Ashley Mills of The Handmade Home. When this married design team isn't busy helping clients or writing books, they design, remodel, and decorate their own home and backyard. Pops of color everywhere liven up this formerly dull space. A lovely wooden swing encourages conversation beside the DIY firepit. And a 10-foot by 10-foot concrete paver patio provides a solid, dry base for all of their fun outdoor furniture.

Backyard Patio With Swing from The Handmade Home

No strangers to huge home projects, home bloggers Sherry and John at Young House Love wanted the exact opposite when doing this patio project. They wanted to keep things simple because they had bigger plans down the road. Eventually, they want to build the patio to end all patios, so this one was geared to be temporary and inexpensive.

Pulling out their splintery wooden backyard deck was the first order of the day, followed by some much-needed landscaping. Pea gravel, lights, and sturdy outdoor furniture complete this quick-to-build and cheap DIY patio.

Easy-to-Build Backyard Pea Gravel Patio from Young House Love

This dreamy DIY patio owes its look to owner Beth's inspiration to bring the feeling of a living room outdoors. Because she didn't want to spend a fortune, she kept her purchases on the affordable end, with a damask outdoor rug skirted by bargain wicker-look outdoor furniture. Since comfort was a priority, Beth chose cushioned furniture plus she added matching pillows and a throw. The result is an affordable, stylish, and gorgeous do-it-yourself patio.

Affordable Living Room Style Patio from Home Stories A to Z

A focal point isn't just for home interiors. It works, too, as a brilliant, ridiculously easy design device for your outdoor patio. Sisters Ashley and Whitney at the popular design blog Shanty 2 Chic added a unique six-tube glass flower vase and daffodils as a focal point to this patio's center table. It helps make that space sparkle with color, plus it offsets the rich brown wicker outdoor furniture.

Outdoor Patio Revamp from Shanty 2 Chic

An ambitious build but well worth it, this pergola not only helps define the space for this DIY patio but provides opportunities for more design elements. Since pergolas were originally intended to support vines, any type of climbing plant can be trained up the columns and onto the roof. Or for a lively appearance, drape it with lights, Asian-inspired lanterns, hanging plants, or wind chimes. With a pergola, the decor possibilities are nearly endless.

Patio Refresh from Reality Daydream

How do you design a charming patio when space is limited? Brooke at the home blog Nesting With Grace was tasked with rehabbing a tiny backyard for friends. So she began with a major focal point: a gas-powered fire pit similar to the type found at restaurants and hotels. Lined with fire-safe lava rocks, this portable fireplace is just the ticket for roasting marshmallows or simply watching dancing flames on a cool fall night. To avoid cramping this small space, Brooke chose outdoor furniture that was more on the compact side.

Small Backyard Patio Rehab from Nesting With Grace

What could be better than transforming a dark, dingy backyard into an open, clean place of stunning beauty? Modern: that's the controlling idea for this DIY patio. From the oversized concrete pavers to the horizontal slat fence painted black, this patio exudes modernity. With an outdoor sectional and lounge chairs so refined they are worthy of indoor living, this patio from The Merry Thought design team of Manda and Caitlin invites relaxation and comfort. It's a space so relaxing and so inspiring that anyone who experiences it never wants to leave.

Modern Style Patio from The Merry Thought

When you have a set of disused raised masonry planters full of dead plants next to your gorgeous pool, what do you do? Those planters were up to no good, especially since the shrubs were continually shedding leaves into the pool.

Mallory and Savannah, the designers behind Classy Clutter, came up with the genius idea of turning the planters into a DIY patio. But not just any kind of backyard patio: a two-tiered, elevated paved patio that evokes the feeling of a four-star hotel in Palm Springs. Dead space became living space by adding pavers to the tops of the planters, and heavy-duty umbrellas add four dabs of bright color to this fun backyard scene.

Elevated Pool Patio from Classy Clutter