How to Design Creative Outdoor Rooms in Your Backyard
A well designed outdoor room gives you a place to relax, unwind or even dine close to your home's natural beauty. Extending your living space outdoors can keep you a bit closer to nature, even if you don't necessarily spend much time in the yard or outdoors. Decide beforehand if you'd like a space that feels open and invigorating, or warm and enveloping. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Write down ideas for your outdoor room based on what you'd like to do there. You may want to create a reading nook, an outdoor dining room, or possibly a work and entertainment space that resembles a living room, if you have enough space to work with.
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Draw out design ideas, noting where you'd like to place furniture, plants, accent pieces, outdoor lighting or fans. Plants work well in bare corners, to line a narrow walkway between a porch rail and furniture, or on a plant stand or shelf. You may want fairy lights, overhead lanterns, or a permanently mounted sconce or light attached to a ceiling fan.
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Draw out designs for a structure, if you don't have one in place. Building a structure--such as a porch--from scratch means you have more power to customize, but sprucing up an existing porch, shed or sun room costs less and can give you the same results.
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Consult an electrician about any wiring, heating and cooling needs you may have for year-round use.
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Incorporate some kind of sun cover in your plans, if your structure doesn't have one already. Awnings, heavy-duty canopies and sun shades all work well.
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Design your outdoor room as if it's an indoor room, paying attention to color scheme, rugs, decor and comfortable seating, to extend the interior living space into your garden or yard.
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Shop for your room furniture. Take your space measurements with you to avoid purchasing furniture that's too large for the space. Shop at local thrift stores and consignment boutiques, online, and at garage sales for rare, eclectic finds and to save money.
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Design around a signature piece you want as a focal point. If you find a vintage wicker table you love, for example, make that your design inspiration and look for chairs, rugs, pillows and lighting that go with it.
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Shop for furniture, rugs and pieces with durable, washable and weather-resistant fabrics and surfaces.
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Take pictures of items you're not sure about. Post them on a design inspiration board along with any magazine clippings, fabrics, textures and visual inspiration you happen upon.
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Change parts of your design as needed. Being flexible and willing to try something unexpected may completely transform your outdoor room into something that suits you better in the end.
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References
Resources
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