It’s no secret that I love to stay organized. Things have to go back to where they belong, or it’s driving me crazy! And while it may be easy to keep clutter away from closets, cabinets, and wardrobes inside, the outside is a different story. For example, I need a place to keep our decorated floating pools and garden tools and hose tidy. So the external storage needs to contain these things, but I want the storage solutions to be as elegant as possible so that they don’t interfere with the physical space. Read on to see five types of external storage solutions I found (or looked for) to solve this problem for myself!
Deck Box
A deck box is ideal for outdoor activities, but benefit from protection from the elements. We are talking about sports equipment, toys/outdoor games– even citronella candles or throw pillows. Ours holds pool toys, goggles and our pool robot when it’s not working. The deck box should be tightly sealed, so I try to let things dry completely before storing.
When it comes to choosing a deck box style, I gravitate to those that complement the surroundings. I like dark gray or brown that leans against a wall or corner, and is part of the background.
Towel Storage
I used to have all of our pool towels – I got a pack of 32 for a good price – in a cabinet in the mud room. We added this towel rack to the back yard last summer and it’s changed. Most of the time, when people come to swim, they bring a towel. But a lot of times they don’t and I don’t want people to feel awkward asking, “Can I borrow a towel?” I want it to sound like we have so many towels at the pool, don’t worry about bringing a towel unless you really want to. This means that girls are less likely to run around in a dripping wet house. Plus, it just gives off resort vibes in the best possible way.
Towel Valet
Pool Float Storage
I get asked all the time “where do you keep your pool float if it’s not in the pool?” and the answer is, we don’t have a good solution for this yet. When we started, we had a few small inner tubes tucked neatly into our desk box. But as we’ve changed those to accommodate different shapes and sizes—pool loungers, in particular—they’ve stopped fitting, and ended up being thrown into the outdoor shower instead. We have a few large floats that we only bring out for special occasions (like the one we use for outdoor movie nights), those collapse when we’re done and put in the deck box.
So I’ve been weighing a few storage solutions, and I keep coming back to the ones that feel the most versatile. A simple rack for storing inner tubes, and a slotted rack for loungers. Nothing big, nothing complicated—just a thoughtful place for everything to come to life.
Shop Our Yard
Outdoor Kitchen Storage
We have a large amount of storage built into our outdoor kitchen—a place for Chris’ grilling tools, pellets for the smoker, and a beverage cooler. But here’s the thing: you don’t need a full outdoor kitchen to make your cooking space work for you.
Last summer while we were remodeling my sister Andi’s backyard, we added an outdoor bar cart next to the grill, and it’s become a real workhorse—part cooking station, part tool storage, part feeder. There are many great options out there, many of them affordable, that can turn a simple corner grill into a thoughtful, well-thought-out outdoor cooking space. And even though we have a beverage fridge, last year we added this high-end cooler to handle—it’s so much better for the flow than having everyone wander around the outside kitchen to get drinks, and it’s become a nice part of the space itself.
It’s cool
Hose Storage
This isn’t a phrase you see every day, but hose maintenance has come a long way in terms of aesthetics. If the pipe will be connected to the front or side of the house or in an open area, make it good.
For us, I was looking for something that would be easy to finish and blend in with the construction work. There had to be a taunt of the hand, because I don’t want to get my hand in a hidden place. When it comes to the hose box, I like to be ignorant. I don’t want to know what’s in there (I still think about those snakes we had to deal with when we first entered!). But it’s nice to get one built a little. if you’re like us, you’ll use it a lot! I can’t believe how much we use our hose: I think we use the hose twice a week, so the hose maintenance is huge.
It’s great to have things easily accessible but stored away!
