Creating an Additional Living Space Outdoors
The sun is shining, the weather is warm and it’s officially the season for making your outdoor space look beautiful! There’s nothing quite like the warm breeze of a summer evening to inspire an outdoor space transformation. Whether you have a balcony, a porch, a courtyard or a garden, there are plenty of ways that you can create an outdoor living area that seamlessly transitions from the inside to the outside, ready for long warm evenings sitting with a cold drink and good company.
So, if you’re wishing to maximise your living space, don’t overlook your home’s outside space – it’s often the most versatile area and can make a welcome escape at the end of a long day. We’ve rounded up our top tips for creating an additional living space outdoors and making the most of this lovely hot weather!
A paved area, creating a neat tidy patio, is perfect for outdoor dining. Bricks and pavers are small, easy to lay, and there are many options to suit your budget. Ensure you do your prep work carefully before laying, as the finish of the job relies heavily on how well you’ve prepared your base.
From alfresco dining to sunbathing, a tiled garden also provides a functional and modern solution that will last for years to come. The huge choice of tiles on the market also means that you’ve got more choice when it comes to design than ever before.
Or, for a more natural and rustic look, choose decking for a practical yet beautiful option that will look good for years to come. Perfect for zoning different areas, decking is available in different widths and styles to create distinct areas that can form a visually interesting effect. Also, if you have wooden floors inside, decking can create a nice indoor/outdoor flow.
Garden lighting is so vast and varied that there are many different ways to incorporate it into your design, depending on what you want to achieve. For example, if you have a patio, you might like to use lighting along the edges to make it stand out, or you might prefer to use spotlights to emphasise a feature such as a rockery, pond or specific bushes. Focusing on individual areas breaks the garden into sections, giving it more appeal and interest.
A key thing to remember with external lighting is that less is often more. To create mood lighting, you don’t need to go for full floodlights – just cleverly positioned fairy lights can create a warm artificial light that sets the tone and evokes a beautifully inviting space.