Outdoor living space remains one of the biggest trends in home design for 2024, in both cool climates and warm.
Who can resist the idea of expanding your home turf to include some actual turf? When you step out into the fresh air – whether into a seating, dining, or cooking area – you immediately step in to relaxation.
Outdoor rooms are an extension of the home design movement towards open floor plans. Because of that, the most successful outdoor living space designs share one trait: continuous flow from the inside to the outside. That fundamental flow can be achieved in several ways:
Similar/complementary use. A dining area outside the main dining area makes sense, or a private sitting room off the master bedroom. However, mixing uses can lead to confusion and underutilized spaces.
A clear and easy entry. The transition from indoor to outdoor should be inviting and open, often either by a sliding door or French doors.
A clear line of sight from indoors to outdoors. The most attractive outdoor rooms are integrated into the interior with a lot of glass. The exterior also feels like an extension of an interior room, and may include comfortable overstuffed seating groups, an outdoor fireplace, or privacy curtains. The outdoor room also should maintain the aesthetic and appeal of an indoor room. When designing an outdoor space under a deck, details like an appealing underdecking product (like InsideOut®) conceal unattractive beams and grime, while protecting the space and providing a place to hang fixtures.
Whether you’re creating a new outdoor space or redesigning, certain choices create an outdoor room that will become one of the most used areas of the home. The most attractive rooms actually become an extension of the living area, and at the same time allow a connection with nature, melding the indoors with the outdoors. Think of outside spaces you could claim to extend your home to the outdoors, and which you would most enjoy using. Then be sure to incorporate details like InsideOut® Underdecking to truly define an outdoor room.
