Outdoor Living
Outdoor living can so easily be overlooked, yet it doesn’t need to be difficult to tackle. It is one of the easiest ways to achieve a cohesive look that helps extend your living space footage.
Summer can be one the most enjoyable seasons when it comes to being outdoors. There is so much to look forward to and enjoy. The promise of fun and good times ahead. The allure of easy but delicious food cooked outside with mouth watering salads and cold sides to compliment. Heavily iced beverages dripping with condensation. The little pool of water collecting at the bottom to form a perfect water ring mark where it sits. Just writing about it wants to make me relax, walk outside and sip on a cocktail.
I spent years as a child playing in my parents backyard. It was a true English garden full of lush green manicured lawns, fruit trees, rose bushes intertwined through hedges and shrubs and flowers in every shade that nature provided. My father loves gardening and he has a natural green thumb. The hours he spent working and tending to the back garden gave us all endless hours of enjoyment. He knew the importance of time spent outdoors and the peacefulness and sanctity it can provide.
Unfortunately, outdoor space is so often neglected as a living space. It can be glossed over so easily. When you look at a living space it is so important to evaluate the entire area, inside as well as out. Outdoors can be transformed to another room. An essential one that will give an immense amount of pleasure to all that view.
You don’t have to have a huge space outdoors to make it functional and aesthetically pleasing. No outside area is too large or small. Tackle a large area in stages and break it down into smaller sections, just as you would indoors. If you don’t have an open area, make the most of a balcony. If you don't have that then window boxes filled with herb and flowers look and smell amazing and help bring the outdoors in. Even the front steps leading to your door shouldn’t be neglected and can easily be enhanced. Cute pots filled to the brim with flowers and garden ornaments can be incredibly welcoming and become a lovely little spot to sit and enjoy a cup of tea with the early morning Georgia sun or gin and tonic as you enjoy the sunset.
Now that we are spending more time at home than ever before its the perfect time to transform your outdoor space into your own personal haven! Check out our simple tips to transform your yard into an oasis.
PAINT
Paint doesn’t have to be restricted to indoors. Have you been too afraid to throw caution to the wind and use that color you adore in your living room? Forget the mild muted colors and use nature's palette to your advantage. Go wild with masonry paint. Paint that boring brick wall a color that really stands out against the green vegetation. There are a plethora of colors that stand tall and look vibrant against the flower colors that are naturally occurring outdoors. Does your wooden fence need a paint touch up? Let loose and try another color that isn’t a neutral or blends in. You have so many options here, this isn’t the time to shy away and be afraid. You will be surprised how much easier it is to carry bright bold colours outdoors.
Soften the look of statues and outdoor ornaments with plans. Fill in awkward spots with greenery, shrubs and flowers. Peekaboo ornaments add depth and make your eye wander to find the full story
PLANTING
Planting can seem overwhelming at first and depending on the size of your outdoor space and shrubs it can take a fair amount of time to create the aesthetic you are going for without completely breaking the bank. Large established plants need time to mature and the cost can be financially steep. Try mixing it up with plants of varying sizes and coloring. Your eye needs to be caught by variations in shape, height and color.
Use different pots in various sizes to create a lush mini garden. Fill with flowers, plants or grasses. These can transform a space into an inviting environment. Planters are especially useful to soften harsh lines on decks, patios or balconies.
PLANTERS
Potted plants can look extremely attractive, whether they are arranged individually or together as an assortment. The pots themselves can be vibrant or subtle and just as much show stoppers as what is planted inside them.
Don’t particularly have a green thumb or often kill your plants? Succulents are a great option for you. They are one of the easiest plants to look after and they most certainly aren’t boring! Find a beautiful planter and have fun building your own masterpiece!
Be creative with your pots. Use different fillers for your pots to keep weeds at bay. Not only do they make your plants pop but they are functional. Try color glass beads or shells as alternatives to stones and mulch. You can have fun and experiment with options.
COLOR SCHEME
Use the color wheel the same as you would indoors. The same design principles apply. Choose flowers with hues that compliment each other for color combinations that will be naturally pleasing to look at. Harmonious colors sharing similar hues of either cool or warm will be incredibly soothing and relaxing. Thinking about adding more drama and visually stirring things up? A split complementary color scheme would work well. Choose colors on the opposite ends of the color wheel and will pop against each other.
Add bright colors to your landscape by adding bright cushions and pillows!
SENSORY INDULGENCE
When planning an outdoor space it is good to remember that we can use all of our senses. Not only does visual stimuli enhance our enjoyment but the ability to feel texture, scent and sound will improve the experience. Think of adding a running water feature or wind chimes for a sound bath or planting heavily scented perfumed shrubs that give off fragrance.
Sensory indulgence can transport you from the suburbs of Atlanta to a resort in your own backyard!
If you have a covered outdoor area such as a screened in porch or balcony make the most of it! Bring the indoors out. Use furniture and decor to display your personality. Add subtle hints of planting crossover from indoors outside.
It truly is difficult to plan an uninviting outdoor space. Nature takes over and allows it’s beauty to take on it’s natural appeal. A home can function well without the outdoor space being finished. But there will always be something missing. That extra sparkle, the cherry on the cake. The biggest thing to remember if you can be much bolder outside than you may normally be indoors. Don’t be afraid and let your imagination carry you away.