| Considering a garden as an outdoor room is nothing | | | | of being in the right spot. Then you must ask |
| new to garden designers. The concept is just now | | | | yourself, can this spot be turned into an outdoor |
| making its way into the public consciousness. But just | | | | living room? How will you connect it to visually to |
| what are outdoor living rooms? Are they places | | | | your house? Are there interior elements of your |
| where you try to recreate your indoor living room | | | | home that you can repeat outside? How will you |
| outdoors? No, not exactly. Are they places like your | | | | connect your new outdoor living room physically to |
| deck, patio or terrace where you just plop down a | | | | your house? How will get there from inside your |
| set of furniture and hope that you'll feel like spending | | | | house? There must be an easy way to go from |
| time out there? No, that won't do either. An outdoor | | | | inside to outside and back inside. I can't stress this |
| living room is a space outside of your house, built | | | | aspect of the design enough so. Smooth transition |
| with materials suitable to the outdoors, where you | | | | between inside and out is how you start feeling like |
| will actually want to spend time! It's also a state of | | | | your outdoor living room is really just another room |
| mind, the idea of living life outdoors. | | | | of your house; an extension of your home. |
| First let's discuss: What is a room? Basically it's an | | | | Once you have decided on where to site your new |
| enclosed space. There are walls, a ceiling and a floor, | | | | outdoor living room, and those with those tiny yards |
| some windows and a few doors. Even if your house | | | | may not have a choice, you can work on how to |
| has an open floor plan where you have one or two | | | | create the "walls", "floor", and even a "ceiling". Your |
| large interconnected rooms, rather than a series of | | | | project has now become landscape design! You may |
| smaller rooms, there are areas within those large | | | | need the advice of a garden designer at this point, or |
| rooms that are partially enclosed, not with walls, but | | | | some great books on the subject to understand the |
| with elements like decorative screens, potted plants, | | | | materials that are used in building landscapes and how |
| or bookshelves. This sense of being enclosed, thus | | | | to use them to create enclosure, privacy and beauty. |
| protected, is what makes a room comfortable to be | | | | Once you have supplied the "floor;" normally a |
| in. There are other things that bring a feeling of | | | | wooden deck or a stone, brick or even concrete |
| comfort but they are secondary to this primary | | | | patio or terrace, and some "walls;" typically a formal |
| sense of enclosure. | | | | hedge, loose hedgerow, wall, or fence, and maybe a |
| Now for your frame of mind: stop separating the | | | | "ceiling"; a sloping roof or retractable awning or |
| outside of your house from the inside of your house, | | | | parasol attached to the house, you can go crazy |
| try to think of your property as all one place. Look at | | | | furnishing your new outdoor living room. Consider |
| your outdoor space, look at your yard and take | | | | some sort of heating element such as a wood |
| inventory of what you have naturally in that space. | | | | burning or gas fireplace, fire pit, chimney, or portable |
| What has mother nature already provided for you? | | | | patio heater to enable to use your new "room" all |
| Hopefully you have some kind of natural elements | | | | year round. |
| that can be the focal point of your new outdoor | | | | Furnishings like benches and tabletops can be made |
| living room such as a large tree, a hedgerow, a nice | | | | out of say, cast concrete for a real permanent feel, |
| slope, or a beautiful view. In urban locations, your | | | | or obtained from a myriad of sources. Manufacturers |
| yard could be a barren rectangle, with nothing in it | | | | are offering many new choices for furniture and |
| but some dirt and weeds, but there may be other | | | | lighting designed specifically for the outdoors as well |
| qualities you could start with, such as a lovely angle | | | | as much better selections than ever for tough but |
| of morning sun, maybe a nice brick wall on one side | | | | nice fabrics for outdoor furniture, cushions, pillows, |
| creating a microclimate, or even an interesting urban | | | | rugs and shades. Almost anything you can dream up |
| view of some kind. | | | | as a way of making your outdoor living room more |
| Spend some time out there and identify just what | | | | comfortable is now available for purchase online and |
| are feels the best to you. Bring a chair outside and | | | | off. |
| just sit in it in different spots until you get a feeling | | | | |