While online gardening websites and magazines might make it seem like a walk in the park, planning an outdoor living space can be more complicated than it looks. If done right, however, an outdoor living space can be an outside sanctuary. You get all the benefits of a relaxing, satisfied experience without even stepping out of your backyard!
To help you create the perfect space to enhance your home living experience, here are some top tips for planning your outdoor living space.
Top Tips For Creating Your Ideal Outdoor Living Space
While everyone likes a good hack or trick to get things done easily, tips go beyond maneuvering yourself out of a tricky situation. They streamline the process but still ensure that you get the job done without taking shortcuts.
1. You Need A Focal Point
It’s the thing you see first in a space and the first thing your eyes return to after you look away. As such, it is the most important part of the living space.
While a good focal point can often make up for an overall average space, an average focal point can be disastrous for the atmosphere – even if the rest of the space has an impeccable design. Because of this, it’s important for you to select an item that resonates with the vision you have for the outdoor living area.
If that’s peaceful – try something that brings light and calm, like a fountain or water feature. If you envision a cozy, homey space for the whole family, try to integrate a fireplace or a fire pit with warm hues and tones.
2. Use The Surrounding Nature And Plants
One of the common mistakes is overdesigning an outside space and forgetting to leave space for nature. As our green friends, plants not only improve the air quality by replenishing the oxygen levels in their surroundings, but their presence has been linked to decreased stress levels in individuals.
That, added to the beautiful variety of species that you can obtain to match any style, makes plants an outdoor living addition unlike any other.
3. Consider The Lighting
The amount of light in an area always has a strong impact on its atmosphere. If you’re ever in doubt, the rule of thumb says the more natural light the better. Especially for an outdoor area – you want to make sure that it feels like you’re outside.
If your outdoor space is partially closed off, try incorporating ideas such as a patio, which provides a large entry point for natural light. For night time it is good to have sufficient light. Keep it stylish by searching for overhead lights that are functional and match your theme’s style.
When selecting the tone of light consider the specific atmosphere you want to enhance. For example, white light creates areas of enhanced focus, necessary for areas such as the cooking area, whereas warm hues signal relaxation.
4. Stick To A Style
Color, furniture, cushions, and other outdoor decor items all revolve around the specific style decided on for the area. The colors of each item should be complementary and to feed into the larger style. This is especially important if you want to collect items and curate your area over time.
This all starts with the foundation. Whether you have cobblestones, gravel, or geometric, interlocking pavers, the style and color of your foundation should guide your choice in outdoor furniture and decor. Repaving your patio can also make a world of difference and completely spruce up your outdoor living space.
Extra tip: Make sure that your furniture is comfortable and practical for outdoor use (e.g. they should be waterproof if they will not be covered).
5. Don’t Rush It!
Creating an area from scratch can be exciting and tiring and, at worse, overwhelming – especially without help from a professional. Sometimes the best (and most enjoyable) way to tackle such a task is to break it down into smaller sections and take it on one thing at a time.
Start with dreaming and conceptualizing the space. Decide on the style and atmosphere you are aiming for and then relax. While out shopping, keep an eye out for elements that may suit the design and allow yourself to find your favorite pieces.
Over time, you will have collected only the items you love and slowly curated an outdoor living space brought to life, one item at a time.
Start Planning Your Outdoor Living Space Today
Now that you have a better idea of the requirements of curating an outdoor sanctuary, it is hopefully a lot easier to get all your succulents in a row. By following these tips, coupled with a drive of enthusiasm, your outdoor living space is bound to be the talk of the neighborhood in no time!
Contact Buddha Builders today for your free consultation and quote.