Print Friendly and PDF

 

 

 

Beautiful outdoor spaces



If you are staying home over the holidays, chances are that you're going to be entertaining - and that normally includes outdoors. Just like your indoor living spaces, outdoors areas can become an intergral part of the home by providing more space for seating, entertaining or casual dining.

There's still plenty of time to plan for any improvements before the holiday season - so here are some images and ideas to inspire and get those creative juices flowing!

 

 

This wood framed patio extension adds interest to a wall constructed to provide privacy. Wood details in the banquette bring warmth to the plain plaster walls and are topped with seat cushions, made of durable outdoor fabric. Get the look: A simple, single brick base topped off with a pine base and frame form the seating. High density foam wrapped in a lightweight lining fabric can be finished off with oxford-flap cushions in interesting colours.

 

 

This patio space off the formal dining room invites guests outside for relaxing after-dinner conversation. The concrete pattern blends old with new. Get the look: By designing a large, covered, outdoor area you increase the amount of living space in a home. We South Africans are lucky enough to have beautiful weather for most of the year, and an outdoor patio provides an eco-friendly alternative to switching on the air conditioner.

 

 

Beautiful evening sky, cool refreshing evenings and a water-wise alternative to gardening transform a plain courtyard garden into a welcoming and spacious entertainment area. Get the look: If you prefer low-maintenance gardening, then this is the perfect alternative. The entire area has been laid with a decorative concrete base, with raised beds for colourful plants, gravel beds for succulents and cactii, and concrete seating for evenings spent outdoors with friends and family.

 

 

This contemporary gazebo offers shelter from the sun and a place to sit and relax in the garden. Get the look: A simple frame construction of 150 x 150mm posts and 32 x 200mm planks, fitted with decking for the floor and a trellis ceiling, provide a quick and easy - yet extremely stylish - alternative to the more traditional gazebo structure.

 



Even the smallest garden can be enhanced by an outdoor garden room or patio. In the January issue of The Gardener magazine we show you how easy it was to design and construct a small deck as an entertainment area and add finishing touches for an area that becomes an extension of a home in a small townhouse garden.