Get a head start on ideas before next summer arrives!
It’s summer and you want to spend time enjoying the beautiful weather while it lasts but you also enjoy the amenities you have in your house so you might find yourself spending time inside when you’d rather spend it outside. So, how do you merge the best of both worlds – how do you bring the indoors outside so you can enjoy the weather? Here’s a few ideas on making the most out of this summer.
Plan, Plan, Plan
With any space, it’s very important to know what you’re going to do ahead of time. Start with a floor plan. You can use any number of online planning tools to visualize what you want for your space before you actually do it. If you can see what you think you might want, you can determine if it suits the space you have or if you’ll have to re-work some of your ideas.
Zoning Required
Well, not really and not the permit kind either. Here we are talking about areas of your outdoor space you want to use for specific activities. For example, inside your home you don’t cook in the livingroom do you? You separate out the areas designated for certain things, so you will also want to do this outside.
Determine where you want people to sit if they’re coming over for dinner or a BBQ, and determine where you want your BBQ/meal preparation area to be. You could also add an area where youl have a big hammock or some lounge chairs to be used for laying in the sun and just relaxing, or casual poolside chats. No matter how you use your space, you will benefit from creating zones for specific activities.
Décor
Do you have a theme inside your house that you really love? If so, why not bring it outside with you? There’s no reason you can’t tie your inside style with your outside one. This doesn’t mean you have to make it match exactly to what you have inside but let’s say your style is casual and cozy with neutral colours. Extend that theme outside with the furniture you select and the cushions or pillows used. You can also find similar plates and cutlery for using outside.
Lighting
Your outdoor space might only have one small light, attached to the outside of your home so when it starts to get dark you don’t have the ability to enjoy the area any longer. If that’s the case, why not look into some outdoor lighting? This could be as simple as some old strands of Christmas lights around the porch or a gazebo. It doesn’t have to be fancy, at first, you can try out a few things and see what works best for you. As a plus, you can continue to use your outdoor space long after the sun goes down.
Shade
Inside your home, you have protection from the sun, wind and rain. Outside, without shade, you’re completely exposed to these elements. Find some shade: put up a gazebo, or an umbrella or maybe even an awning and you can enjoy the outdoors without the sun beating down on your for hours.
No matter how you use your outdoor space, if you’re comfortable using it you’re going to likely use it more. So why not take the elements of the indoors that you love and move them outside to combine the best of both worlds and make sure you get the most out of your outdoor space this summer.
HAPPY OCTOBER
