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:
Use plants as a focal point
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.
Break up the space with levels
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.
Illuminate with an outdoor lighting scheme
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.
Create a seamless flow
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.
About the Author
Carolyn Andrews
Carolyn Andrews has over 30 years licensed Brokerage experience in both California and Colorado. Born in England, Carolyn moved to California in 1980, then relocated to Denver, Colorado in 1991. Carolyn has also received recognition for Top Sales at RE/MAX Alliance Aurora in 2007-2008 and is a member of the RE/MAX Hall of Fame & Chairman’s Club, as well as a recipient of the ReMax Lifetime Achievement Award. Carolyn has sold over 2000 homes personally in her career. Carolyn has been actively involved in many aspects of the Real Estate business including investment property, luxury homes, mountain resort property, skiin/ski out, REO/default management, loss mitigation, valuations, and disposition. She has been a speaker and panelist at several conferences and has been consulted on many occasions by various organizations in the REO/financial industries for her expertise and served on many boards. She has attended numerous ongoing classes to stay abreast of changes in the ever-evolving Real Estate industry. She is the prior State Director for Colorado for VAREP(Veterans Association of Real Estate Professionals). She is a member of 3 boards of Realtors including Metro Denver, Colorado Springs and Summit County mountain areas. She heads up The Andrews Group and is or has been an active member of NAR, CAR,REOMAC, CIPS, CRS, AREAA, NAPW, NAHREP, and is an original member of the ELITEReal Estate network. She was ranked #1 for most homes sold in Denver 2007 by Denver Board of Realtors, #2 for 2008, and #2 for 2009, #5 in 2010 and #4 in 2011 and has been consistently in the top 10 ever since. Carolyn Andrews has been a top rated Endorsed Local Provider for the Dave Ramsey Organization and also a Top Producing agent for 2018 for the Homelight Company.
