Designing Your Outdoor Living Space
Your home sits on a comfortable-sized lot in a nice part of Oakville or Burlington. Inside you add colour, furniture and accessories to make the space your own and reflect the comfortable way you want to live. Do you do the same outside? Here, we look at how to design outdoor living spaces.
Why Outdoor Living Design Matters
An outdoor living space should be just that – a space you can live in. It’s more than a border between your home and the neighbours. It’s your own private piece of nature with the potential to help you live a happier, healthier life.
With an intentional design, it can be the best “room” in your house.
If you’re unsure of where to start with your outdoor living design, you landed in a good place. Here are 9 design tips to consider as you plan the outdoor living space your family deserves.
9 outdoor design tips for families in southern Ontario:
Most of us can’t wait to get home from a day at work and kick up our feet outside. Outdoor living spaces with easy access from either the kitchen or a common living space get the most use.
1. New Gate or Entry
If yours isn’t convenient to access, it’s worth thinking about investing in a new backyard access point. A new door can be installed through a brick wall in 2 days (some contractors even offer 1-day pricing), and if you’re serious about soaking up more vitamin D this year, the investment is worth it.
2. Improve Privacy
If you live in a dense neighbourhood, privacy can be hard to get. Your neighbour’s elevated deck might look straight into your patio space. Potted plants and outdoor drapery helps, as does a steel-frame pergola (or a custom built wood pergola). Landscaping can provide all the privacy you need, but comes at a higher price point than other options.
3. Add a Firepit
Fire brings people together. An outdoor firepit is one of the best ways to get that cottage-retreat feel at home every night of the week. There are sizes and designs for everyone. In Oakville and Burlington, you need an open air burning permit, which you can apply for online.
4. Rearrange for a View
Everyone loves a good view! Orient your new patio furniture to maximize your best view or create a focal point. If you don’t have the greatest view be creative – highlight a firepit or landscaped water feature.
5. Maximize Comfort
Your outdoor living space should be as comfortable as any other room in your house, so your outdoor furniture should be just as comfortable as anything inside. If you buy a cheap outdoor sectional, it will feel like a cheap outdoor sectional. If you invest in a quality piece of furniture the same way you would inside, you’ll feel the value the second you sit down. Don’t forget decorative pillows and rugs to make the space authentically comfortable.
6. Decorate
Personalize your space the way you would inside. Find the right décor, the right type of storage and the right heaters to keep your space comfortable into the chilly evening.
7. Consider an Outdoor Kitchen
Cooking on the grill or in your outdoor kitchen is great – stale smoke and splattering grease settling on your patio furniture isn’t. Locate the cooking surface close enough to the main outdoor living are for easy access, but far enough away that you won’t run into these problems.
8. Make it Calming
Sometimes you just want to zone out and enjoy some calm, quiet time in your yard. An outdoor TV (usually placed under a permanent roof to protect from rain) is a luxury you’ll love. Place it at an angle so you can see the screen from your hot tub.
9. Add Sun Protection
If the searing sun gets you down on a Saturday afternoon, add a sunscreen. A large cantilevered patio umbrella can give you 13+ feet of comfortable shade, and you can angle them to move with the sun all afternoon.
How to start
Planning your ideal outdoor living space on paper is a great way to prepare a budget and plan the timeline for when you can complete each stage. It also helps visualize the end product accurately, so you know what you’re looking for when you shop. Measure your space and record the dimensions on the plan so you can find the right sized patio furniture, patio umbrella or whatever you need for your outdoor living space.
