Design an outdoor room
Designing an outdoor room is the perfect way to spend more time outdoors during the Spring and Summer seasons.
16/07/2018
As we head towards spring, now is the perfect time to start planning for an outdoor room if you don't already have one. After extending their kitchen, an outdoor living room was top of the list for the next improvement project. The renovation project included the addition of bifold doors leading from the kitchen/dining rooms and they wanted to create a comfortable seating area for the warmer months - a space that would allow the garden and home to come together.
A face brick wall at the end of the garden proved to be the perfect spot to position the outdoor living room. A mature tree would provide shade during the hottest part of the day and they decided to utilise this area to build a small deck as a base for the outdoor room.
The kitchen/dining area flows outdoors onto a brick patio where family use a lot when the weather is warm. Not quite large enough for what they wanted for their outdoor room, the view from the kitchen/dining area to the bottom of the garden would ensure a nice transition between indoors and outdoors.
A wooden shed in the garden was prettied up with paint and plants, with a window box filled with colourful annuals to brighten up. The paint colour for the shed was selected to tie in with surrounding plants - a light dusty pink colour. Originally a dark wood shade, the light colour lets the shed blend in a little more and also helps create the illusion of a larger space.
The theme for the existing informal dining area at the top of the garden incorporates Moroccan elements, so this was continued for the outdoor living room, with textiles and accessories bringing colour and pattern to the space.
The homeowners bought the previously owned outdoor suite online but were disappointed when it arrived, and they discovered that the cushions were upholstered in a dull yellow colour that didn't do anything for the setting. To remedy this they covered the cushions in a grey cotton fabric that matched the colour of the sofa frame.
To add more colour and interest a shelf was added to the brick wall. The shelf is made of an old roof beam that adds a hint of vintage to the setting, and is supported on decorative black brackets. A varied selection of potted plants fill the shelf and create a wonderful display.
With a love of upcycling, a revamped cupboard is given a new lease on life and now serves as a potting table. This is just one of those items that you can find cheap, add some paint and accessories, and end up with a nice piece that doesn't cost much but comes in very handy.
Pink is the predominant colour in this garden and accessories were bought or painted to tie in with this. A hot pink trellis complements the drawers on the potting table and ties all the separate areas together for a balanced look.
A pretty bed of succulents topped off with grey slate chips creates a wonderful contrast of colour and texture and mirrors the fabric on the outdoor sofa.
ideal home