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21st Century Zen Outdoor Spaces
May 19, 2015 Featured, Outdoor Spaces

21st Century Zen Outdoor Spaces

If you live in a harsh winter weather climate, outdoor living spaces take on a special meaning.  We rejoice in the months where we can play and entertain outside.  But often, creating magical outdoor spaces are not on the top of our priority list, which is unfortunate because of the serenity and fun they bring us as well as enhanced resell value.

This Spring we recommend that you take a 21st Century Zen approach to the design-build of distinctive outdoor spaces for your home and business. Please give us a call if we can help. In the meantime, here are a few suggestions:

  • Connect Outdoors with Indoors. Treat your outdoor space as an extension of your indoor space with a similar feel and a natural flow of color and accessories from inside. Think about locating outdoor spaces off of master bedrooms or living rooms and incorporating elements from those spaces.

 

  • Appeal to the Senses.  Use nature to add color and texture to your outside space.  Use other materials like wood, tile and bricks to add additional layers of color and texture. And don’t forget the other senses like hearing and smell – flowers, water and bird feeders will help you create an outside paradise.

 

  • Understand Traffic Patterns. Outdoor spaces need special attention to traffic patterns to pull them together.  You can do this through pathways, plantings to establish corners and borders, and using different materials for sections of the space.

 

  • Add Focal Points.  Outdoor fireplaces and fire pits provide great focal points as well as provide warmth on chilly evenings.  Outdoor sculptures and fountains are another ways of focusing an area in a beautiful way.

 

  • Pay Special Attention to Furnishings.  Storage space is at a premium outside, and you want to promote an uncluttered look.  So have your furniture do double duty with built-in storage space.  Also, make sure you provide a variety of seating that can accommodate both adults and children and allow for outside eating.  And only buy furnishings that can withstand changes in weather or you will be replacing more often than you like.

Photo from yardshare.com

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