Outdoor Home Design Trends

This time of year means that the focus of many homeowners’ home design plans has shifted to the exterior. From hardscaping, landscaping, gardening and general outdoor living, creating a space as functional as it is beautiful will allow for many mornings enjoying coffee outside, lounging on weekend afternoons, dining al fresco and long evenings spent unwinding outside. If updating your outdoor space is part of your home design plan this summer, consider some of these outdoor home design trends.

Unique outdoor living features
Elevating your outdoor living space can take it from a standard backyard to a true extension of your home. Incorporating features and elements you regularly use indoors into your backyard design will give you more usable square footage. Examples of these features include a gourmet kitchen with appliances, a pizza oven, a fireplace, detailed hardscaping, carpentry elements, media systems and a fully designed outdoor living area with multiple gathering spots.

Investing in comfort
Outdoor furniture has evolved. These pieces are no longer uncomfortable and are better to look at. Outdoor furniture is as comfortable as indoor furniture while still being able to withstand the elements, such as rain, cold and sun. Investing in high-quality outdoor furniture with cushions in outdoor fabrics will give you a spot to lounge, read a book, gather with friends and even have outdoor family movie nights.

A focus on entertaining
Outdoor entertaining is one of summer’s greatest pleasures. Gathering outdoors with friends and family, enjoying the beautiful weather and dining under the stars make every gathering feel like a vacation. Having ample seating to have conversations and dine, outdoor dinnerware and tablescape accessories, proper lighting, a sound system and a place to serve food and beverages are some of the basics you need when you’re hosting outdoors in the summer.

Exterior smart home technology
If your home runs on technology, from your Nest thermostat, the refrigerator that tells you what to add to your grocery list, the oven you can preheat on your way home from work, and Alexa for everything else, you may consider incorporating smart home technology throughout your backyard, as well. For outdoor lighting, a sprinkler system, doorbells and locks you can program on your smartphone, the exterior of your home can operate as efficiently as the interior does.

Uniting the indoors and outdoors
Since outdoor living has evolved into a vital part of a home’s layout, uniting this exterior space with the interior space will create a cohesive look and feel, allowing you and your guests to travel seamlessly from the outdoors to the indoors. Installing folding or sliding floor-to-ceiling glass doors or retractable walls will unify the space, and coordinating the color palette and design styles of both spaces will help to create one unified area.

Recreation elements
A backyard can be your ultimate escape and playground. Your backyard may become your favorite recreation destination from an outdoor resort-inspired pool, a kids’ play area, a putting green, sports courts, an outdoor gym, a creative studio, or a garden house.