How to use the outdoors for great new spaces

       The space around your home is an opportunity to extend your enjoyment of your day-to-day life and special events with nature itself there to help you. Whether it’s a delicious coffee on a lazy morning, a fantastic wedding party or a cozy gathering around the fireplace on a cool fall evening; being outside with the stars as your ceiling will make you feel great!

Just like any inside room, designing rooms outside takes lots of careful planning. This is the beginning of my project – lots of bare concrete (with just the right slopes to make sure drainage is efficient) and a little bit of the house that goes with it. The only things that have been decided are the overall size and where the water, electric and gas hookups will be. The electrical box is in the bathroom for easy access. A small concrete pad extension has been included to make the outside hookups easier to service.

All of the planning and lots of creativity will lead to this wonderful new set of outdoor rooms. It’s perfect for both parties and quiet evenings enjoying the stars.

Planning should start with a list of how I want to use the new space and an accurate set of plans to work with. With the plans firmly in hand I can decide on where the ins-and-outs should be and then work through the possibilities to to determine which area will be used for what. I decided to use the utility connections as the anchor point and build out from there. The kitchen needs to be close to the utilities and the dining areas should be close to that. Then I plotted out interesting patterns that define the rooms using a trio of tile colors .

With the major decisions made, I can start adding the elements that will bring the rooms to life. I’ll start with all the stonework first. The kitchen appliances are being built in or built around and the dining counter has also been started.

The stonework is complete now. There are table height counters forming a right angle to the right of the kitchen that allow lots of extra room for dining and enjoying the views. Two sections of seat height walls frame the seating area and give more places to sit without a lot more furniture.

Next I’ll be constructing the pergola in the dining area, the overhead lights for the kitchen and setting the fireplace in its place. The fireplace provides both a unifying element and acts as an imaginary wall between the dining area and the seating area. Each of the major areas can be used by themselves without the rest of the space feeling empty. It’s starting to look more like a great place to be.

It’s time to go back to the blueprints and start planning out the details of furniture, accessories, plantings and more lighting since the whole area will be used as much at night as during the day.

After a lot of hard work and tough choices it’s all done and I’m checking it over one last time before the first big get together. My guests can enter through the home or this inviting entryway with the promise of even more interesting things to come.

The kitchen is always a great place to be. There is plenty of counter space for food preparation and cleanup and storage space underneath. The grill is hot and the beverages are cool in the built-in refrigerator. The overhead lighting will come in handy later tonight.

The pergola does a great job of defining the dining area and helps provide some shade for guests too. A big event is likely to have more than six people, so there is plenty of seating at the counter that also has a view over the yard.

At the center is a beautiful fireplace open on all four sides. It can provide a focal point for the whole gathering or be used as a lively backdrop for the dining or seating areas.

Small trees at the corners help to visually unify the seating area with the rest of the space. Simple, but plentiful soft seats ensure comfort for socializing.

On two sides of the seating area are seat high stone walls for even more guests. They’re also a good place to get away from the crowd a little bit and enjoy the yard.

Venturing outside of the structured spaces is also beautiful. The plantings add interest, color and texture and looking back into the terrace gives a whole different view of things. Water features, stand-alone platforms and naturally curving features can be beautiful additions too.

In the evening the lights are on and a definitely different experience awaits my guests. This is when outdoor rooms are at their best. The celestial show provides inspiring moments and a good reason to slow down and relax!