Create an Outdoor Room by Dividing and Conquering Space

Outdoor living is increasing in popularity and creating a mini-vacation in your backyard is assisting in this trend? Why? Well, some point to the economy, some point to increasing travel and hotel costs that drive vacation prices through the roof, and others point to the ability to enjoy their own backyards as equally as a hotel or resort get-a-way. The nice thing about this trend, is that not only are homeowners investing in longevity and property value, but they get to entertain family and friends in the comfort of their backyards more often than not.



The thing that confuses folks when they set out to create an outdoor living room is that they do not take the existing space into consideration when planning. They think, lets start over here and do this, then well go over there and do that, without taking the entire completed project into account. Think of your backyard as a blank canvas, sketch out a top-down view of the space, measure out the natural design as it exists first, where does the sun set, are there existing trees or shrubs already, and then brainstorm and play around with different concepts.

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Keep in mind the natural pathways through and around the space and how you can highlight certain landscape features by leading a visitor down a trail through sections. The key word in that sentence is "sections."

According to landscaping.about.com, we take for granted that interiors of homes have sectioned off rooms, with their own distinct space. The same can be achieved in your backyard be creating several unique outdoor living spaces. You can section off different areas of your backyard creating mini-landscape designs by utilizing retaining walls, pavers for patios and pathways, low lying shrubs, benches, seating stones and even create fenced in privacy with trees.



Keep in mind the three essential spaces you will want to include in your outdoor living rooms. 1) A gather space for guests. Fire pits make great centerpieces for outdoor living entertainment. 2) A seating area for eating and drinking. 3) A grilling area to cook up your favorite recipes. Once you have designed your outdoor living space, you will need to tie it all together with some patio furniture. And a great place to get started is PatioOutfitters.net. They can take care of all of your patio and landscaping needs.