Tips To Make Your Backyard An Extension Of Your Home
If you’re like many, when the weather is nice, you like to spend as much time as you can, enjoying the outdoors. A great way to do that while at home is to extend your home’s living area to your backyard, creating a stylish outdoor “room”. There are a number of effective ways to do this and to get you started, we’ve come up a few design ideas.
Indoor Inspired Elements
Incorporating elements inspired by the inside of your home will really maximize the effect of bringing the indoor feel to your outdoor space. Consider including an outdoor living room with comfy seating, dining area or a bar for entertaining, or a fireplace to provide a warm and cozy atmosphere. All of these elements are perfect for entertaining and will set the stage for your new backyard retreat.
Make The Space Flow
Try to take inspiration from the style you used inside your home and bring it outside to make it feel like a true extension. Use similar or complimentary colour schemes to really enhance the flow of the two spaces. Also, when considering the general flow of the landscape, think of what you want to include in your backyard and the placement of each feature. Placing an outdoor cooking area/bbq near the doorway, for example, might benefit the general flow because of the convenient access to the kitchen inside.
Define Spaces
Create different zones or “rooms” within your backyard to give it an inviting and spacious feel. One effective way to define the different spaces is to include a slight grade change by elevating part of the landscape. For example, situating a dining area on a raised deck and a seating area around a fire pit on a stone patio just below. Another way to define different outdoor spaces is by adding a structure like a pergola or lattice screen. A pergola will help give the impression of the area being a separate room and a lattice screen acts like a wall within the space.
Finishing Touches
Add finishing touches to your outdoor living space that have an element of indoor comfort. Things like comfy furniture, throw pillows or an area rug can provide a stylish and inviting look. Incorporating lighting features, like a chandelier situated above a dining table, for example, is also an effective way to give the space a beautiful and warm ambiance. Some other finishing touches may include decorative trees & plants, flowerpots, lanterns & water features.
Making your backyard an extension of your house is not only a great way to expand the usable size of your home, but it will add extra value to your property.