Outdoor Living Space: Creative Design Ideas
When designing your outdoor living space, besides maximizing the space, the biggest concern for many people is how to give it character and make it stylish, classy and reflective of their own individual taste. Even though creativity can be quite subjective, here are several ideas to get you started on creating your dream outdoor living space.
Be creative with colour
Playing with colours gives you a unique opportunity to be creative when designing your outdoor living space. A few well-chosen colours can break up the dullness and brighten up a space by enhancing its best features. You can do it by creating an accent wall in your patio area, in the form of colourful cushions, rugs and potted plants, screens, trellises and even artwork. Use colour intentionally and simply have fun!
Customize the space
The best design trick you can use to make your outdoor space truly original is to reflect on the current trends and fashions and then interpret them in your own way. This will give character and authenticity to your space that will make it stand out from the rest.
You can achieve this by choosing outdoor furnishings, landscape and hardscape elements that match the style and character of your home. Customize the space so it blends seamlessly with the indoors both in function and design.
Fabrics and furniture
When designing an outdoor living space, a lot of interest and attention is given to choosing the best possible fabrics and furniture in order to replicate the comfort of the indoors. Today’s technology gives us fade-resistant and waterproof fabrics that come in a huge variety of colours so you can design your space with bold and artistic tones to neutral and understated ones.
For a truly comfortable and inviting outdoor space, you need the right furniture that is durable, high-quality and attractive. For instance, by choosing outdoor teak furniture, you’ll enrich your design with gorgeous lines, classy and contemporary look and natural materials that will perfectly blend in with the surroundings.
DIY projects
DIY projects are a sure way of getting creative and putting your talents on display. It can also help you save money by updating or repurposing elements you already have or by creating your own original pieces. Ideas are endless and they can go from creating tables and benches from concrete blocks and pallet wood, adding stepping stones to make winding pathways, making a fire pit or a sandbox for your kids, or any other design that will fit into your vision of a perfect outdoor family space.
Outdoor kitchen
If you’re really into outdoor dining, consider creating an al fresco kitchen. This will allow you to enjoy both gorgeous weather and delicious food but make sure you include all the necessary elements so there’s no need to run into the main house for every little thing you need. This typically means incorporating not only the inevitable barbeque area, but it also includes a proper countertop with a sink, all the dishware and utensils, a bar, ice makers, pizza oven and anything else your family regularly uses.
A space for everyone
The outdoor living space can’t be complete unless it accommodates everyone in the family so when you start planning your design, think about how it will be used. A great way to go is to divide the space into nooks or zones so everyone can do their own thing. For instance, consider creating an active play space, a grill area, shaded lounging space and room for your pets.
Pick out the design that will allow you short and long-term planning so when the need arises, you can easily change the layout or décor to fit the new needs. Don’t worry too much about fitting into the neighbourhood or strictly following the latest trends. What is more important here is to create a space that works for your family.
The age of tech
Technical advances in mobile devices and media entertainment have become an integral part of any contemporary design and are now more accessible outdoors than ever before. Options are wide, ranging from outdoor home theatres, music and games centres, solar powered speakers and lighting and Wi-Fi connection that allows you to use all these amenities from the comfort of your lounge chair or even the pool.
The idea is to make the outdoors as comfortable as indoors, so incorporate your favourite gadgets into your outdoor living space and the fun will never stop!
Giving your outdoor living space a creative makeover takes only a little bit of imagination and resourcefulness and even with a limited budget, you can have your backyard looking original, inspiring and inviting!
