Many families who have small interior living spaces are now considering how to use their outdoor space in the most effective way. This has given rise to an onslaught of outdoor living spaces, with this now becoming a popular trend. If you want to expand your home and ensure that you can feel like you are inside even when you are within the natural world, read on.

·       Function Over Form

Although you might want to put months and years into creating a stylish and fashionable yard space, when you are creating an outdoor living area, function comes first. This means that you should create a layout in which it is easy to move around and that logically serves the purpose of your garden. You should also consider the equipment that you will need in your outdoor space, and the utilities that your yard will need to be connected to in order for you to be able to use these devices. For instance, stereos, and even some lighting, will need a constant supply of electricity.

·       Making it Private

There is nothing worse than feeling as if you are being watched by your neighbours whenever you choose to sit outside, and this means that you should consider opting for garden screening. Although this might not protect you from prying eyes entirely, it can make you feel separate from the rest of your home, and even the rest of the world, therefore helping to create the four walls that are the traditional boundaries of any internal room. To get the right garden wall screening, Arbour Landscape Solutions has a range of materials to choose from that can help to create an intimate and welcoming space.

·       Outdoor Homes

There is no reason why you have to spend all of your time in your outdoor living space either getting sunburned or frozen. Instead, you should consider building an outdoor home where you can spend time during poor weather, and still make use of your garden when going outdoors may be off the agenda. For instance, summer houses can be great spaces for entertaining, relaxation and storage, and more people than ever before are now considering the benefits of garden offices or home gyms.

·       Dine Under the Stars

One of the main purposes of an outdoor living space, though, is dining and relaxation, and you can do this by investing in hardy yet comfortable garden furniture. For instance, the right table and chairs or benches can encourage you to spend more time outdoors, and can even make you forget that you are not inside.

·       Connect the Indoors With the Outdoors

However, in order to ensure that your interior and your exterior are cohesive, you should connect the indoors and the outdoors. You can do this by using the same materials, such as the same flooring tiles and soft furnishings. You should also consider the lighting that you have, and ensure that the ambiance is continued throughout the space. You might also consider installing French doors that can help you to open your house out into the outdoors, therefore helping to create a seamless transition between both parts of your home.

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post, and the author’s views here do not necessarily reflect those of His & Hers Magazine.

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