Designs for Outdoor Living Rooms

1) Be realistic.

There are many possible options: pool areas, Zen gardens, outdoor lounge areas, playground areas, outdoor hot tubs, etc. It depends not only on your space and investment, also on the needs of inhabitants of your home. For instance, if you have a dog will be difficult to maintain a Zen garden. If there are small kids, you probably will think in them providing safety areas to play

2) Choose proximity.

Locate your outdoor living room area in direct connection with your living room. In that way, it will be an extension of it, you will improve the views from indoors, and it will have an easier flow of traffic between spaces. The same if you are installing a barbecue or a picnic area, it should be close to the kitchen. Pool areas should have access to a bathroom without crossing the entire house.

3) Define the dimensions.

Being in an outdoor living room doesn't mean it have to take the entire space of your backyard or terrace. As in any other space, define "walls" and "floors", and even "ceilings". The floor should be easy to clean and low maintenance, a good choice is colored concrete or stone tiles. A teak deck outstands for its elegance, durability and low maintenance.

For the "walls", consider lower vertical elements that may be more attractive/functional, as raised beds, container gardens, or hedges. If you don't want to wait for hedges to get tall enough to afford privacy, install lattice screens, instead. To satisfy your requirement for plants and provide further privacy, train vine plants to grow up the lattice.

The "ceiling" is very important to provide shade and shelter from rain. A vine-covered arbor may be more inspiring to gaze up at than a lawn umbrella, but the latter will keep you, and the books you may be reading, dry. If you'd like something more solid than an umbrella, consider installing a pergola and covering it with fiberglass.

Go Outside With Outdoor Living Rooms!

If your looking for a great way to add square footage to your house - bring it outside! Add an outdoor room to your home and have a unique fun setting to entertain your friends and family. Our clients are bringing everything outdoors - fireplaces, gourmet kitchens, living rooms, fountains - even decorating with plush furnishings and lighting!

When designing your outdoor room, start by defining the function you want your room to serve and the foundation for your room. Do you just want to add square footage to your current living space? Do you want a pool as your focal point with separate living spaces around it, a separate kitchen space and living room and fireplace space? Do you want to create a private covered courtyard space complete with walls and a roof? Or the ultimate MAN room with built-in grill and kegorator, plush reclining chairs and outdoor big screen television!

Once you have decided how you want to use your room, start thinking about the foundation. Many rooms start with a patio - brick, paver, blue stone, travertine, or concrete. Once you have your foundation think about if you want walls - paver columns, brick walls, or wood fence - and a roof - trellis with vines, pavilion roof, pergola or just wide open sky.

Now that you have the structural details in place you can really get creative with all the other features you want to include in your outdoor room. Below is just a small list of what you can do. Use your imagination to create the perfect space for you!