Outdoor living has been a trend for many years, but it certainly escalated in 2020 and is showing no signs of slowing down in 2021.
And why should it? Outdoor living spaces add function, value and beauty to your home. And, because there aren’t four walls to pigeonhole your design, the options for outdoor rooms are limitless. Once seen as maybe only an area for outdoor seating, now your landscape can be an outdoor office, a place to meet for happy hour, a gym or yoga studio, a kitchen, or just a place to tuck away to find peace and quiet.
The outdoors also bring a boost in health. Think vitamin D from sunshine and fresh air — both of which research says ease our stress and calm our nerves.
Ready to transform your landscape? Check out these four outdoor living trends for inspiration.
Enjoy year-round outdoor comfort
Making your landscape enjoyable all year long is important. This means not letting extreme changes in temperature and weather conditions dampen your spirits.
People are embracing outdoor living structures that keep the party going — no matter time of day or weather ups and downs. Think fire pits and fireplaces for heat and light, pizza ovens and woodfire grills for gourmet dining al fresco, elegant heat lamps for cool evenings, umbrellas or shade sails to provide some coolness on hot days, and even outdoor fans to provide a breeze or to ward off mosquitoes.
Use your front yard as a gathering spot
Yep. We said the front yard.
As public gatherings decreased in 2020, people found ways to meet outdoors in small groups where and when they could. The front yard became a fun, new place to add outdoor living structures like pergolas and patios to have dinner or chat with neighbors.
This trend also created more vignettes for you to see when you were stuck inside. Your windows are now frames to your own “outdoor artwork” that you can admire while working from home. Improve these views by creating cozy seating areas that seem like they’re taken out of a Tuscan villa or lush landscapes that draw birds near windows.
Embrace native gardens and sustainability
The interior of your home is designed to be safe, efficient and comfortable. Make sure the design of your outdoor living space is the same, providing a safe haven for both you and the natural environment.
Part environmental sustainability, part beauty, all good: Attracting birds and pollinators like bees and butterflies continues to be a positive trend in landscaping. Nothing does this better than native plants.
Native plants not only provide wildlife habitats, but they also require less water and can sustain your regional weather variations better than other plants because they are meant to grow here.
Using native plants is part of a bigger trend toward sustainable initiatives. In addition to adding native plants, other strategies like composting and drip irrigation help you improve your home’s landscape while also benefiting the environment.
Light the night
Need to decompress after a long day? Extend your outdoor enjoyment as the sun sets with landscaping lighting. As the frequency of outdoor entertaining escalates, so will the need to illuminate those spaces.
Professionally installed landscape lighting can be unseen at its source but cast just the right amount of light on focal points, plants or outdoor living structures you need to see to navigate the space.
Lighting in the right tones, such as golds over whites, can also bring a soothing vibe and calming mood to the landscape.
Looking for creative, custom ways to elevate your landscape? We’d love to help you achieve a space that can ease your worries and extend your outdoor living enjoyment. Learn more about gardens we’ve designed here or contact us for a consultation about how we can bring your dream landscape to life.
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