As the divide between indoor and outdoor living space continues to blur, homeowners and designers continue to think up new ways to enjoy the outdoors. Living room furniture and design ideas are perfect for helping connect two spaces with comfort and functionality.
While designing an outdoor living room is similar to designing an indoor space, there are some specific ideas you can use as inspiration:
While an indoor living room commonly features a television as a focal point, it can be more practical to turn to nature in designing your outdoor space. Try creating a focal point with plants instead. A single tree or collection of container plants add greenery and depth to the outdoor room. To save space, you can plant a living wall or horizontal garden as a focal point.
Creating multiple levels in outdoor spaces can create the illusion of more space while also adding a cozy vibe. To use this design tip, try creating a classic sunken room design by raising your deck or patio surface. You can also define your outdoor room using raised garden beds, platforms and plant stands of varying heights.
With the right lighting, you can enjoy the ambiance and functionality of your outdoor living room well into the evenings. Start by bringing the traditional indoor lighting concepts outside: combine ambient, task and accent lighting outdoors for a perfectly lit space. Solar lights are environmentally friendly and an extremely low maintenance choice for illuminating your space.
The flow of a room is just as important outdoors as indoors. Make sure to arrange outdoor furniture with accessibility and comfort in mind. If you need additional methods of creating flow and definition between other parts of the yard, you can mix flooring materials like pavers to designate boundaries and create pathways.
Along with your outdoor kitchen and outdoor dining area, an outdoor living room will provide you hours of comfort and enjoyment of your outdoor space.
I'm John Mahan, Sales Associate with William Raveis Real Estate, Harwich Port Office.
Throughout his childhood, John Mahan spent summers on Cape Cod at his parents’ home in Dennis Port. His intro to the Cape was, as he puts it, when his parents “carried me down the stairs at Sea Street Beach when I was a week old.” With a lifelong connection to Cape Cod, it seemed only natural for John and his wife, Mary, to move to Harwich – where they still reside – with their two young children in 1996.
Prior to moving to Cape Cod, John lived in the Worcester-Auburn area where he worked for Mass Electric for 10 years and was a member of the International Brotherhood of Utility Workers. When John and his family moved to the Cape, he worked at NSTAR for six years.
John began his career in real estate in 2002 when he joined Team Waystack Realty in Harwich Port. He has been a consistent top producing realtor in the Harwich area for the past 20 years. John’s approachable demeanor, combined with an integral understanding of the Cape Cod residential real estate market, have allowed him to build trusting, long-term relationships with his clients – both sellers and buyers.
