10 Creative DIY Patio Ideas

By
Lee Wallender
Lee Wallender
Lee Wallender

Lee has over two decades of hands-on experience remodeling, fixing, and improving homes, and has been providing home improvement advice for over 13 years.

Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process
Updated on 12/05/22
patio decor

The Spruce / Christopher Lee Foto 

Creating a beautiful patio for your home means more than just setting out a few chairs and hoping for the best. But it doesn't mean spending a ton of money. You can DIY a patio by making a unique surface, creating one-of-a-kind furnishings, or going all-out on decor. Here are 10 DIY patio ideas to help you make an outdoor space like no other.

  • 01 of 10

    Lay Pavers

    DIY Paver Backyard Patio
    Stacy Risenmay, Not Just a Housewife

    Transforming your dull, neglected backyard into a lovely destination often requires some heavy lifting, or in this case, redesign. Stacy Risenmay from Not Just a Housewife 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.

    The 8 Best Outdoor String Lights of 2023
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  • 02 of 10

    DIY It from Roof to Floor

    Colorful Backyard Patio
    The Handmade Home

    Home bloggers Jamin and Ashley Mills of The Handmade Home wanted to transform an ignored backyard with no attractions to a family-friendly place for relaxation with lighting and pops of color. When this married design team isn't busy helping clients or writing books, they design, remodel, and decorate their own home and backyard. In this example, a 10-foot by 10-foot concrete paver patio provides a solid, dry base for all of the fun outdoor furniture. A lovely wooden swing encourages conversation beside the DIY firepit.

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  • 03 of 10

    String Some Lights for Tranquility

    DIY Patio at Night
    Young House Love

    No strangers to huge home projects, home bloggers Sherry and John at Young House Love wanted to keep this patio project simple. They eventually want to build the patio to end all patios, and this is their temporary and inexpensive option. They pulled out a splintery wooden backyard deck and added much-needed landscaping. Pea gravel, lights, and sturdy outdoor furniture complete this quick-to-build, cheap DIY patio.

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  • 04 of 10

    Assemble an Outdoor Living Room

    Living room style outdoor DIY patio

     Home Stories A to Z

    Beth from Home Stories A to Z dreamed up this DIY patio by extending the feeling of a living room outdoors. Beth didn't want to spend a fortune, so she kept her purchases affordable by getting a damask outdoor rug skirted by bargain wicker-look outdoor furniture. Comfort was the priority, so she chose cushioned furniture plus matching pillows and a throw—the result: an affordable, stylish, and comfy do-it-yourself patio.

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  • 05 of 10

    Create Decorative Focal Points

    Colorful DIY patio revamp
    Shanty 2 Chic

    A focal point works brilliantly as a ridiculously easy design device for your patio. Sisters Ashley and Whitney from 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 the space sparkle with color, plus it offsets the rich brown wicker outdoor furniture.

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  • 06 of 10

    Make It Modern Style

    Modern-style DIY patio
    The Merry Thought

    Transform a dark, dingy backyard into an open, clean place of stunning beauty. From the oversized concrete pavers to the horizontal slat fence painted black, this patio exudes modernity. With an outdoor sectional and lounge chairs that are worthy of indoor living, this patio from The Merry Thought design team of Manda and Caitlin invites relaxation and comfort. Relaxing and inspiring, you will never want to leave this patio.

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  • 07 of 10

    Put Up a Two-Tiered Space

    Elevated pool DIY patio
    Classy Clutter

    Mallory and Savannah, the designers behind Classy Clutter, came up with the genius idea of turning these forgotten planters filled with dead, shedding plants into a new patio space. This is not just any kind of backyard patio, it is a two-tiered, elevated paved patio that evokes the feeling of a four-star hotel in Palm Springs. A dying, untended plant landscape was transformed into a living space with new pavers added to the tops of the planters, along with heavy-duty patio umbrellas and comfortable seating.

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  • 08 of 10

    Choose Alternative Furniture Materials

    DIY patio

    Afro Bohemian Living

    This beautiful backyard from Afro Bohemian Living features plenty of rattan, whitewashed wood, and pops of color from container plants. By turning wood pallets into outdoor furniture, she was able to create exactly the outdoor seating arrangement she wanted without sacrificing style.

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  • 09 of 10

    Build a Pergola

    Patio DIY pergola

    Ursula Carmona of Home Made by Carmona

    A pergola is an ambitious build but well worth it. This pergola not only helps define the space for this patio from Ursula Carmona of Home Made by Carmona but provides opportunities for more design elements. 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, lanterns, hanging plants, or wind chimes. The decor possibilities seem endless with a pergola.

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  • 10 of 10

    Add All the Decorative Details

    Small patio table and umbrella

    Casa Watkins Living

    Small outdoor spaces can be beautiful and functional, like this deck area from Casa Watkins Living shows. The outdoor rug adds a nice pop of color and anchors the outdoor dining set, and simple additions of greenery and a patio umbrella keep the space useful without being overcrowded.