How To Create Unique Outdoor Living Spaces
Outdoor living is an incredibly popular trend for garden design these days, with many people choosing to turn their gardens into functional living areas that can benefit the whole family. This trend is popular because not only is it practical, but it can also offer visual appeal to your outdoor space and is entirely customisable based on your needs.
At Creative Gardens & Driveways, we have plenty of experience in creating beautiful outdoor living spaces and understand this trend well. Over the years, we have helped many clients achieve their ideal outdoor space and offer a range of services to make this happen.
In this post, we are sharing everything you need to know about outdoor living spaces, so you can create one of your own and spend more time in the garden as the warmer weather arrives.
What Is An Outdoor Living Space?
An outdoor living space is focused on bringing the comfort of the indoors outside, creating a garden that is both functional and attractive.
In a bid to spend more time outdoors and enjoying the garden, people are creating spaces that blur the line between indoor and outdoor living. Features such as soft furnishings and ambient lighting, alongside large investments in outdoor kitchens and garden rooms, help create a landscape that can be used at all times of the year and for all occasions.
This is a popular trend, in particular for modern homeowners and spaces, because it combines practicality with style. A key feature of contemporary garden design is functionality and creating spaces that can be used for a range of purposes.
Outdoor living spaces can be used for all kinds of occasions and purposes with clever design features and landscape zoning. For example, combining hardscaping with soft landscaping such as patios and decking against turfing creates unique zones in the garden which can be used for entertaining, dining or relaxing.
Outdoor living spaces come in a range of layouts and designs to align with individual homeowners, and there is plenty of room for creativity when creating your own.
Key Elements Of Outdoor Living Spaces: The Basic Layout
To get a better understanding of outdoor living spaces and what this can mean for your landscape, let’s explore the key components of this trend.
While all outdoor living spaces can vary in their design and layout, some features remain staples throughout and are required to create an outdoor living space that is both practical and attractive, such as:
Shelter and Shade
To create an outdoor living space that can be used in all weather conditions and throughout the year, features such as pergolas, gazebos and awnings are required.
Seating
Outdoor living spaces are designed to be practical and comfortable, which is why seating is a staple of the trend. There are various forms of garden seating you can incorporate into your landscape to create a bespoke outdoor living space, such as dining sets, lounge seating, and even built-in benches.
Lighting
Garden lighting is both a practical and decorative tool, which is why it plays a huge role in outdoor living spaces. Lighting is used to ensure your garden remains safe and accessible at all hours of the day, but can also set the mood of the landscape, highlight specific design features, and create a welcoming environment for outdoor events.
Heating And Fire Features
Like lighting, heating and fire features are both practical and stylish additions to outdoor living spaces. They not only make the garden comfortable and habitable during all weather conditions, but can also create a warm, inviting ambience that is ideal for relaxing, unwinding and spending quality time with loved ones. Options such as fire pits, both bespoke and pre-made, as well as patio heaters, are staples of outdoor living spaces.
Cooking Equipment
Whether you opt for the classic barbecue set up or go all-out with an outdoor kitchen, having space to cook and prepare meals in the garden is a great way to create an outdoor living space. Al fresco dining is a fun experience for people of all ages and is the perfect excuse to host an event, whether this is a large family gathering or a more intimate setting.
Design Tips For Outdoor Living Spaces
Designing an outdoor living space may seem complicated because there is a lot involved in the trend. To create an environment that is just as comfortable as any other room in the home, you may need a lot of furniture, installations, and features – but this does not mean the space has to be cluttered and unsightly.
Instead, there are various ways you can design an attractive, seamless and functional outdoor living space no matter what kind of landscape you are working with, such as:
Garden Zoning
As we have mentioned, zoning is a major part of outdoor living spaces and a practical design tip that allows you to organise your landscape to suit your needs. Using a combination of surfaces, you can create separate zones for all areas of your outdoor living experience to prevent the space from becoming overcrowded or unattractive.
Using patios, decking, turfing, and paving, you can create separate zones for all requirements – from seating and relaxing to cooking and dining. With zoning, you can ensure that all guests are comfortable and that the garden has a cohesive flow, which enhances the overall outdoor living experience.
Durable, Elegant Material Choices
To create outdoor living spaces that perfectly align with our clients, we have a range of material options across our services. Hardscaping, such as paving, patios, fencing and decking, can be customised to complement your property and personal style through the materials you choose.
For example, porcelain paving is an ideal solution for patios and sleek pathways in modern gardens, and is a great way to bring out the appeal of new build or contemporary properties. Natural stone can be used in the same layout, but it offers rustic charm to the garden and can add warmth to the space through neutral toning.
We take the time to understand your requirements and will work closely with you to recommend the best material solutions for your garden design. All materials are designed to withstand the test of time, while also looking great, to ensure your outdoor living space is a long-term investment.
Weatherproofing And Drainage
The Great British Weather is unpredictable, therefore, your garden needs to be ready for everything. Weatherproofing, such as waterproof coverings, permeable hardscaping, and sheltered seating, allows you to take advantage of your outdoor living space in all seasons.
Drainage is offered with our paving and driveway installations, based on your requirements, and can prevent issues such as flooding by offering better water run off.
The aim of both these features is to create an outdoor living space that can be used throughout the year and remains easily maintained, so you can get back to hosting or relaxing outdoors without much preparation.
Privacy Screening
To take full advantage of your outdoor living space, it needs to be private. It can be difficult to feel relaxed and safe even in your own back garden if you are surrounded by overlooking neighbours.
This is a common issue for many homeowners and is easily rectified through privacy screening solutions such as high fencing, trellis and climbing plants, shrubs and trees. There are various ways you can create a private garden or secluded zones within outdoor living spaces, so it is more comfortable and enjoyable to be in.
Soft Landscaping In Outdoor Living Spaces
While you are aiming to create an environment that is just as comfortable as the interior of your home, a key element of outdoor living spaces is the outdoors. This means including soft landscaping such as planting, turfing, shrubs, and trees is a great way to adorn the landscape and create that seamless blend of indoor and outdoor living.
Colour and texture can be added to all zones of your outdoor living space by using planters, flower beds or pots. Incorporate seasonal displays in each section with perennials, delicious shrubs or annual flowers so you have something to look forward to with the changing of the seasons.
Those seeking low-maintenance options may want to consider native plants, drought-resistant flowers or even evergreen shrubs. These can provide colour and natural interest to the garden throughout the year with little to no maintenance, making it easier for you to manage the household.
Our landscaping experts can recommend the best plant options for all kinds of outdoor living spaces and will create a bespoke planting plan that aligns with your desires and needs.
Conclusion
Outdoor living spaces are incredibly popular these days, as they can encourage more people to take advantage of their gardens. It is a contemporary garden design trend to blur the lines between indoor and outdoor living, and these gardens can offer functionality and style.
Creating outdoor living spaces is a unique experience for all clients, as each has their own needs and desires. However, by understanding the staples of outdoor living spaces and the key design features of the trend, you can begin to create your own ideal landscape.
Creative Gardens & Driveways is a leading landscaping company in Cheshire, and we offer a range of services to transform your garden. Our team of experts have created all kinds of outdoor living spaces and is ready to take on your next project.
Contact Us Today
To learn more about our services or to request a quote, please contact the team today.
