Article: Inhabitant
Summer Is Approaching - Indoor/Outdoor Living
As we venture into spring and look forward to the extended daylight hours of our summer days onto the evenings we start to think about our outdoor living areas, entertaining and cooking al fresco.
From a design aspect we are faced with whether to start afresh and buy new outdoor furniture and cooking facilities or do we revamp existing rather sad and mould covered furniture and surrounding areas. Water blasting, re-staining and a good clean works wonders. Does the garden area need a revamp or just a really good weed?! Last year’s furniture can be cheered up with new soft covers and bright summery accessories. If you are starting with a new space there are countless exterior furniture options out there and careful shopping can achieve a beautiful outcome. Keep in mind comfort, longevity of products and you will be able to enjoy them into many more summer months.
Outdoor areas are often an extension of our interior areas of entertainment. Scale and design usually depend on your home and how you use your outdoor living spaces. No matter the size, your outdoor living area can be a special extended area of your home to be used as long as our weather permits.
Unlike the rest of your home the outdoor area has designated areas and their associated uses, you are dealing with entertaining, play areas for children and more often than not, cooking and eating.
If you are starting from scratch with an outdoor area there are certain aspects to take into account; the ground cover you plan to furnish with is one that is often overlooked. There are many varieties of outdoor flooring available such as tiling, concreting, descking and some grass varieties that suit a furnished area. If you are planning on using timber furniture a solid water retardant area such as concrete, decking or tiles is preferable for the long-term sustainability of your setting. There are manmade fibre alternatives to timber furniture that are more resistant to the natural environment. Then there is the shade/shelter factor to be considered, the need for sun shelter in the day and wind shelter in the evenings is vital to be able to enjoy your area throughout the outside hours of entertainment. Shelter and shade can be achieved through pergolas, loggias, umbrellas and canvas canopies either attached to your home or self-supporting as part of your outdoor structure.
As far as cooking facilities are concerned, whether it be a basic coal fired bbq or one of the latest gastronomical bbq devices you need to have an area designated to preparing and cooking food in a safe way while still being able to enjoy the surrounding outside environment you have created.
Enhancing your outdoor living area is assisted by your natural environment. You often have a base to build around, whether it be a small walled area or a rolling lawn and extensive landscaped planting. Whether you need to invest in a landscaped design or visit a garden centre and fill pots with annual colour you can achieve a result to suit your needs and please the eye.
One aspect that is often overlooked until the sun goes down is lighting.. You can fore plan for this when starting anew by allowing for hardwiring in your outdoor area design or you can bring in lighting features to an existing area. Solar lights, tea light candles, hanging lanterns and candles can create a beautiful ambiance without electrical wiring or you can use existing interior supply to support lighting such as fairy lights, either wrapped around a tree or slung over your most well used areas. There are even umbrellas that come with lighting installed underneath for table lighting. Night lighting can be underestimated but can make the plainest area look amazing at night.
Paula Saunders studied Architectural Draughting graduating with a New Zealand Certificate. As an artist, Paula has always had a keen appreciation for design while holding an interest in the technical side of architecture. Having worked and trained staff in design in the Kitchen Manufacturing industry Paula decided to broaden her horizons and set out on her own to work in Interior Design. This has been a successful choice for the past 14 years during which she also managed to bring up her two sons, Tomas and Rory. At present Paula runs her own business ‘Time4Design’ and provide an interior design service to Golden Homes Ltd, David Reid Homes, Latitude Homes, and Classic Builders while also working for the private sector throughout the northern regions.
