Are you looking to love your outdoor space more?
Look at your garden right now. What do you see?
The typical response is ‘I see a garden’.
But, the people that really get the most out of their gardens see something completely different…
They see an outdoor room.
Making that mental connection is when everything changes. When you start viewing your outdoor space as an extra room on your property rather than just a garden, your whole approach to it changes.
Suddenly gardening services become less about gardening and more about landscaping and designing. You start thinking about how you can spend time outside more rather than just making the garden look pretty.
Here’s everything you’ll discover:
- Why outdoor rooms are having a moment right now
- The 5 zones you need to create an outdoor room
- How to design outdoor rooms on any budget
- How to enjoy your outdoor room all year round
Why Outdoor Rooms Are Having a Moment Right Now
Outdoor rooms are the new black.
Or at least they should be. They’re rapidly growing in popularity and for good reason too.
68% of homeowners are investing in their outdoor spaces, with number one priority being ‘bringing the indoors out’.
Essentially, the boundaries between inside and out are blurring more than ever.
Homeowners want their gardens to feel larger. They want them to look nice. But above all, they want them to be functional and offer places to sit and entertain guests.
By designing your outdoor space as a room you instantly tick all of those boxes.
Forget digging out your garden and attempting some DIY landscaping. By putting together a series of indoor/outdoor rooms, you create spaces that work harder.
Working with a professional gardening service is key here. By choosing a reliable gardener you can ensure design decisions are factored in from the start. The chances are your garden was never properly leveled or thought through when it was first built. An affordable gardening service helps to make sure any room you add on outdoors is done properly from day 1.
The 5 Zones You Need To Create an Outdoor Room
A good living room has structure. It has zones and by investing in an outdoor room you can achieve exactly the same feel.
Outdoor rooms are made up of five key zones. Whilst not every zone will apply to every room, these 5 are considered essentials.
- Seating zone
- Dining zone
- Planting zone
- Lighting
- Transition zone
Having a defined seating area makes any space feel like a room. Everything from there flows naturally.
Here’s how to design each zone…
Seating Zone
By far the most important part of any outdoor room is the seating area.
It doesn’t have to be much. Decking, paving, or even composite materials will do. All you really need is somewhere to put furniture. Weather resistant furniture to be precise.
Don’t overthink it at this stage.
Dining Zone
The dining zone of your outdoor room should be proportionate to your seating zone.
You don’t need a huge area to keep these two separate. Even a small 2mx2m area will suffice. Sectioned-off with a table and chairs, you instantly have two distinct zones.
Just like the seating area this space should be level. There’s nothing worse than trying to enjoy a meal on uneven ground.
Planting Zone
Some plants. Any room.
Kidding! But plants are obviously an important part of any outdoor space.
When it comes to outdoor rooms, your choice of planting should be strategic.
Look for plants that provide something interesting in every season. Structure and greenery in winter from evergreens. Flowering plants throughout spring and summer. Texture and movement come September/October from grasses and other fall plants.
Planting doesn’t just have to be at ground level either.
Borders, raised beds, and hanging baskets all allow you to add colour and variety to what would otherwise be a boring paved space.
Lighting
This may be the biggest gamechanger of them all.
Lighting can seriously extend your outdoor living season.
The right lighting makes your outdoor room feel cosy and inviting come September. String lights, lanterns, and light fixtures on feature plants all help.
Don’t be afraid to light pathways too.
Sure, solar lighting has come a long way in recent years. But if you’re going for a permanent lighting plan, wired solutions will always look better and last longer.
Transition Zone
The space between your house and garden is just as important as the garden itself.
Appealing to this sense of flow is important. Use furniture, planting, or decorative rocks to bridge the gap between indoors and outdoors.
Depending on the space you have available you might be able to include all five zones in your outdoor room. You might only have space for two.
Just like your garden at large, don’t be afraid to break the ‘rules’.
If you like how your space looks and functions then you’ve done it right.
How To Enjoy Your Outdoor Room All Year Round
One of the biggest criticisms of outdoor rooms is that people only use them in the summer.
And that’s a massive waste.
So how do you overcome that problem? By making your outdoor room usable all year round.
Use covered areas. Pergolas. Awnings. Canopies.
Weather-proof wherever possible. Your furniture may be weather-proof. But what about your cushions? Are they? Your rugs? Your furniture?
Add some warmth. Fire pits. Fire tables. Outdoor heaters.
Plan for winter from the get-go. Winter depression doesn’t have to be a thing. Having outdoor furniture that you can use all year round really helps.
None of these things have to cost a lot of money. But they do need to be accounted for when drawing up your original plans.
How to Turn Your Design Into Reality
Here’s the thing about outdoor rooms. Nobody wants to do them alone.
The plans and ideas are the easy part. At least for professionals.
Knowing how to go about actually building your outdoor room is a different story.
Levelling a patio area. Working with drainage. Amending soil quality. Maintenance of planted areas. Yards can be tough to manage alone.
That’s where using an affordable gardening service helps.
Wrapping It All Up
As long as you remember…
- Think of an outdoor room. Literally.
- Build indoor-outdoor rooms that work for you and your family.
- Dedicate zones for specific tasks.
- Leave the hard work to the professionals.
Outdoor rooms are a great way to improve your garden’s usability.
As well as spending more time outside, a well-designed outdoor room can add serious value to your property.
