A well-designed outdoor living space doesn’t just feel like you’re inside or help to extend the size of your home, it allows you to entertain throughout the year and enjoy the great outdoors, even in the colder months.
Of course, the bigger the project the greater the budget will be. However, you don’t need to spend a fortune to create an awesome indoor-outdoor living space, you just need to spend some time thinking about how to create it.
Table of Contents
Location
The first step is to decide where the location of your entertaining space is. In order to make it a true extension of the indoors, it needs to be next to a doorway, ideally next to a patio or sliding glass doors.
These can be flung open to allow people to freely move between the two areas and make the most of the event.
It’s also best if the location is level with your current living space.
Cover
You’ll need a cover to protect you and your guests from the sun and potentially even the rain if you wish to extend the entertaining season.
There are several options but choosing from the products offered by Sydney awnings is a great idea as it will allow you to provide cover when needed and wind the awning in when it’s not.
This maximizes light in your inside living area and reduces the likelihood of the cover getting damaged in bad weather.
Design The Layout
To really create an awesome area you need a feature that draws attention and creates a focal point.
A great idea is to include a built-in fireplace and kitchen. The kitchen units can be to the side while the fireplace is central.
It makes the area more useable in the cooler months and helps to define the entertaining area.
You’ll want to position chairs and tables where they can benefit from the fireplace if desired and still allow people to sit and chat.
Consider all the features you need to make the outdoor space work for you and make sure they are included.
Pay Attention To the Floor
The best way to ensure flow between the indoor and outdoor sections of the entertaining area is to have the same floor flowing through both areas. You’ll need to check if you can extend the existing flooring or not.
If the answer is no you may need to redo the indoor flooring to create the right feel.
Light It Up
To really make the most of your new entertaining area you’ll need lights. This will help to ensure you can enjoy the area late into the night.
To do this you need to add wall lights and perhaps flooring lights. These will create the ambience as well as make the area useable.
Minimize Blockages
To ensure an awesome inside-outside entertaining area you need to ensure there is nothing separating the spaces.
That means large glass doors are essential to make the two areas feel like one. But, you also need to position the furniture to ensure the area feels like one space, not two. This can be harder to achieve but it is what helps to create the wow factor.