Just a few years ago, outdoor living spaces were a nice add-on when building or buying a home, now they are becoming a must have. Realtors and contractors both say that homes with designated outdoor living rooms and kitchens sell faster and sell for more than those without them.
One of the key elements of an outdoor living space is that it flows into and out of the home, it can’t be an afterthought, but must be integrated into the look and feel of the home itself. Even if it is an addition.
Think About How Much Time You Spend Outside
“Many people today spend more time in their outdoor spaces than they do inside their home,” said Chuck Aker, owner of Summit Concrete. “We are adding kitchens which include built in grills, sinks, refrigerators, cabinet inserts, and bar tops.”
Some people are designing parts of their hardscapes to be usable all year long, especially the grill in the kitchen area and a sitting area with a big fireplace.
Designers and new manufacturing methods are causing the redefinition of indoor/outdoor living. The edges are fading. Hardscapes are entangling with plantings and water features. Pergolas wrapped in hanging gardens provide shade for seating areas that are as organic as the plantings that surround them. New manufacturing and construction methods are providing the ability to create a living space that is just as elegant as what is found inside.
Your Yard is Another Room in the House
Just as you would express your personal style with furniture, fabrics, and décor in your home, the same can be done outside. Flooring is the root of design, so put some thought into what you want as your flooring – a wood deck, a concrete hardscape, a brick patio, cement pavers, natural stone, or a do you want to extend the look you have inside with wood-look tile planks?
Faux wood’s use to provide texture on floors and walls has inspired the increased use of teak, bamboo, and woven natural materials for outdoor chairs and couches. Texture creates interest, but new materials for furniture and upholstery are both comfortable, and made to last under the harsh summer sun.
Another outdoor-compatible material that is gaining a following is powder-coated aluminum. It is light- weight, durable, and it can come in a rainbow of colors from hot to ultra-cool. Combined with rope or webbing, a new level of stylish and affordable patio furnishings is being created.
Make a Bold Personal Statement
Use the products available for use outside to create a thing of beauty. When you add an outdoor kitchen, make sure that it has a killer backsplash. There are three hot tiles being used for outdoor kitchen backsplashes – black and white geometric patterns in porcelain tile, aqua blue mosaic arabesque tiles, and stacked natural stone. The black and white patterns make the whole area pop, the blue tiles are cool and relaxing on a hot day, while the stacked stone creates a very natural feel.
Another place to bedazzle is your pool. Glass mosaic tiles places around the walls gives everything a little sparkle. There are many different glass mosaic tile patterns to choose from. Some are mixed with metal, some are mixed with stone, and some are mixed with colored porcelain tiles. Colors are as expansive as a rainbow, so the more conservative can stick with more traditional blue or green patterns, while the adventurous might opt for red or yellow.
Light Up Your World
Creating a mood is just as important in design as it is to have lots of depth and texture. That is why a lighting design plan is important for your outdoor living space, as it is for your home. More new technology affords flexibility, like with LED lighting. There is a vast assortment of outdoor friendly string lighting that adds an element of fun.
Smartphone technology has also found its way to outdoor lighting. It can do everything from turning on the lights before you get home, to acting as a dimmer.
Mixing high and low tech is another way to add distinction to your lighting plan. Oil tiki torches are always an option, as is vintage lighting that can be found at antique store and estate sales. It can seem new with a coat of fresh paint.
Make a Grand Entrance
Your garden retreat needs to have an entrance that provides the proper feel. Perhaps you will have a cinnabar red Hobbit-shaped door that rests within a wall of lush greenery, or a traditional gate in a white picket fence, or a metal frame draped in hanging flowers.
Whatever you choose, when you open it, your guest should say aah! Beyond stands your relaxing private retreat, away from the world. Perhaps it opens into your home a folding wall of glass just off the kitchen.
Vintage finds and items local to the area, including heirloom varieties of roses and native plantings, are finding their way into gardens. For example, wildflowers may be planted in antique teapots, and moss may cover the space between pavers on a patio.
What lies behind the door, through the gate, or on the other side of the sculptured metal archway can be simple and minimalistic with a few salvaged Adirondack chairs around a fire pit, or a party place complete with an outdoor kitchen, low-slung rattan conches, and a pool with an artistic water feature feeding into it.
Enjoy Your Efforts
When you are done designing and creating the back yard of your dreams, pour a glass of lemonade or mello wine, sit back and enjoy. You have earned this private oasis.
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
