Top Trends in Outdoor Living Spaces
Extend your living space outside this summer with the addition of patio furniture and sets, outdoor fireplaces and pits, outdoor kitchens, and more. Discover all the latest trends in outdoor furniture and patio decor.
Your backyard serves as a hub of summer activity. As you spend more time outside, you'll look for opportunities to improve your outdoor living spaces. Whether it's a new patio, a fireplace, or an outdoor kitchen, there's an expanding array of options to choose from.
You can turn what might seem like an ordinary backyard into something special by working with a professional designer to plan, design and install new outdoor living amenities.
"I believe people are becoming more sophisticated in terms of how they want their outdoor living spaces to look and feel," said David Jonas, a principal at Terraplan Landscape Architects in Toronto. "They want to make their outdoor spaces an extension of their homes and create a beautiful environment. The design options for outdoor living spaces are endless."
Consider Your Lifestyle First
Grant Harrison, owner of Escapes Outdoor Living Design in London, Ont., says he asks clients to tell him about where they sit down for a cup of coffee on a Sunday morning or how they entertain friends and family. Having those answers provides Harrison with a better feel for how the client might use outdoor amenities.
"People want to jump into [outdoor design], saying:’’this is the type of stone I want, the plants I want,' but that's the last thing [you should focus on]," said Harrison. "It's ‘how do you live now, and how do you foresee yourself using the space?"
Start Small, Then Expand
Not all outdoor projects require you to dig up the entire backyard. As a good first step, spruce up the look of your lawn with a few well-chosen pieces of furniture.
"Before, people were typically buying a table and chairs," said Harrison. "Now, people are buying a loveseat and two loungers. That's a big shift in furniture - it's becoming more of a living room outside."
Jonas says it's important that customers look for high-quality furniture that will hold up outdoors in all types of weather. Some of the most durable pieces, he says, are made of a woven material that looks somewhat like plastic. Also, you can set up an attractive seating area or table that can act as "The Spot" for people to congregate, whether to eat dinner, play a game, or converse.
Simple Stonework & Fire Pits
If your budget doesn't allow for a professionally installed patio or walkway at the outset, you can get resourceful and use more cost-effective materials.
"If you need a hard surface right away and you want to be cost effective, use inexpensive patio slabs with crushed stones between the gaps, or concrete pavers that look like natural stone," said Jonas.
Typically, consumers should expect to pay about $30 to $45 per square meter for the installation of low-end concrete pavers with pebbles in between, including the preparation of a proper sub-base, Jonas says. Typically, higher-end interlocking paving materials can cost $120 to $140 per square meter installed.
A fire pit is another cost-effective addition that can create a campfire atmosphere in the backyard. But Harrison says some people do not like the smoky mess and the work it takes to get firewood and clean up the pit once the fire's out. Many shoppers are looking to fireplaces as an alternative.
"Fireplaces are becoming a lot more attractive to people," said Harrison. "Most of the designs are natural gas, and it's easy because most people are already on natural gas."
Invest in an Outdoor Kitchen
A popular trend right now is outdoor kitchens. The first step in taking your cooking outside is adding a grill or upgrading to a nicer model. Harrison says grills can range from $300 to $10,000, so you should have a good idea of what type of grill you want, and how you plan to use it.
If you are willing to spend more money, the sky is the limit for outdoor living space accommodations, including furniture, landscaping and kitchens recommends Jonas. He's worked with people who have installed elaborate outdoor kitchens, complete with sinks and refrigerators. The design often depends on where the indoor kitchen is located. For example, if the patio is just a few steps away from the kitchen in a home, it might not be worth the investment for some homeowners to run a water line outside.
Typically, Harrison says customers who want outdoor kitchens should expect at least a $5,000 price tag. But prices vary considerably by design, Jonas says, so make sure to talk to a professional to align expectations and budget.
With a myriad of options available for outdoor living spaces, it's easy to get caught up in what you see in a magazine or what your friends have. If funds are an issue, you can take it one year at a time, adding something to your outdoor living space annually to achieve the desired end result.
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