With summer right around the corner, it’s time to start planning for your patio updates. Your patio is a central place for friends and family to gather, so it can almost always benefit from spruce-ups, a new piece of furniture and trendy decorations. Let’s start with our patio furniture picks!

DIY Pick: Patio Table with Built-In Coolers

Talk about a unique table! This beer and wine cooler table is perfect for those willing to put the work in. It’s no easy task with an estimated 20+ hours of work, but it will last you for quite some time!

Purchase Pick: Keter Rattan Cool Bar

Somewhat similar to the built-in beer and wine cooler table above is the Keter Rattan Cool Bar, available on Amazon. This table is not nearly as large, but it does keep drinks cold for all your summer BBQs.

Lighting

DIY Pick: Glow-in-the-Dark Stepping Stones

One thing I can’t stand is trying to walk in a dark backyard. You never know what you’re going to step on or (at least in my case) trip on. Mixing glow-in-the-dark powders with concrete to make stepping stones is a unique and electricity-free way to light up your patio space. Check out all the details on eHow.

Purchase Pick: String Lights

String lights are a perfect way to beautify your backyard. Whether you use them to line the top of your fence or string them along your deck, changing the location keeps thing fresh and fun. Woohome.com put together a list of 26 patio lighting ideas so you can get to brainstorming!

Games

DIY Pick: Giant Jenga Set

Jenga is fun for the whole family. One of the great things about Jenga is that you can make up your own rules for what happens when someone knocks the stack of blocks over. It’s perfect for a DIY project because you can determine how big you want to make your Jenga blocks. This great tutorial for giant Jenga uses 2×4 boards.

Purchase Pick: Sterling Sports Lawn Bowling

Who says you have to leave home to bowl? With this wooden bowling set from Kmart, you can conveniently bowl from the backyard. Watch out Fred and Barney – you’re not the only ones who can get a terrific split!

Bonfire Area

DIY Pick: Swing Set Campfire

Who doesn’t love sitting next to a cozy fire outdoors? One of the great parts about this setup is that it eliminates the need for guests to bring camping chairs. Get the directions at GoodsHomeDesign.com.

Purchase Pick: RumbleStone Round Fire Pit Kit

Some may consider this fire pit a DIY, but it’s simple to assemble, and there’s no cutting required.

Whether you’d rather purchase or make something on your own, there are plenty of things you can do to spice up your backyard. What’s on your backyard wish list? Let us know in the comment section below!