How to Turn Your Backyard Into an Outdoor Living Room

"Indoor-outdoor living" might seem like a buzzy phrase from expensive real estate shows on reality TV, but this idyllic lifestyle is not just for the rich and famous. Blogger Sarah Sherman Samuels of Stories transformed her neglected backyard into an outdoor living room with a bit of heavy living and some DIY ingenuity. After clearing away the junk that had accumulated in her yard, she painted the cinder block barrier wall the same color as the house to make it feel like a continuation of the home. Rather than refinish the beat-up cement patio area, she threw an affordable outdoor area rug from West Elm over it, which both concealed the surface's imperfections and warmed up the space. To make the yard perfect for al fresco entertaining, Sarah created multiple seating areas, prime among them the built-in wooden benches that she and her husband DIYed. Get all the DIY details and full before and after pictures here on Stories.