Transform Your Backyard into a Wellness and Entertainment Oasis
Calgary home staging consultant Tara Melhus is demonstrating how accessible it can be to incorporate wellness, entertainment, and relaxation features into your backyard space. Her upcoming showcase at the Calgary Home and Garden Show promises to inspire homeowners with practical, budget-friendly ideas.
Professional Perspective on Outdoor Potential
As a professional home-staging consultant, Tara Melhus specializes in helping homeowners reimagine their living spaces using existing pieces to create confident designs. "We live in our homes, but we don't necessarily see them for their potential," Melhus explains. "Having someone external come in can provide a new perspective. I can suggest variations you may not have thought of, because the room has been functioning for you in your daily life."
This philosophy extends seamlessly to outdoor spaces, where Melhus believes homeowners often overlook transformative opportunities.
Backyard to Braggyard: An Immersive Experience
At the upcoming Calgary Home and Garden Show, Melhus will present Backyard to Braggyard, an immersive installation designed to demonstrate how to elevate outdoor spaces without undertaking overwhelming projects or exceeding budgets.
"We're creating a beautiful backyard on the show floor that people can walk through," she says. "It features a dining space, outdoor movie theatre, and backyard sauna."
The central message Melhus hopes to convey is that integrating wellness, entertainment, and relaxation into personal outdoor spaces is genuinely achievable for most homeowners.
Wellness Features Gaining Popularity
Melhus notes that backyard saunas have seen significant growth in popularity as alternatives to traditional hot tubs. "Saunas offer similar wellness benefits without the same space requirements or ongoing heavy maintenance," she observes.
Addressing common misconceptions about sauna installations, Melhus clarifies: "When some people think of saunas, they think of a barrel sauna, which is large and takes up a lot of space. For the show, I am partnering with Inland Luxury Saunas to create a custom sauna that's very realistic that people could easily bring into their backyard."
Strategic Long-Term Backyard Planning
When it comes to sustainable backyard design, Melhus offers crucial advice for long-term success:
- Plant First: "Plan your yard, but bring the greenery into your space first. Trees, plants and bushes take time to mature."
- Add Functional Elements Later: Furniture and design elements can be incorporated gradually, including smart upgrades that enhance functionality.
- Consider Privacy and Lighting: Integrate privacy features, lighting solutions, and storage options with long-term use in mind.
Melhus emphasizes: "A smart upgrade could be replacing a wooden deck with composite so you're not restaining every few years, planting trees as a natural privacy screen, or adding lighting that works beyond summer evenings."
Her fundamental recommendation for backyard planning is forward-thinking: "Don't plan your backyard just for right now — plan it for five, 10 or even 20 years."
Budget-Friendly Design Strategies
In addition to her backyard installation, Melhus will present on the main stage in collaboration with Goodwill Industries of Alberta, demonstrating how to source high-end luxury pieces through thrifting for various spaces.
This approach aligns with her overall philosophy of creating impactful designs without excessive spending, making backyard transformations accessible to a wider range of homeowners.
