This year more than ever before, we are looking for our homes to better serve us. By creating an outdoor setting that is comfortable and practical, we can feel satisfied that every available millimetre has been taken advantage of. As you would when designing an interior, be sure to consider the zones for dining, reading, cooking and entertaining and the flow between.
Having just completed our first landscape renovation with the help of the brilliant team at Outdoor Establishments, today’s journal entry will guide you through the 4 key elements that will elevate your outdoor setting experience.
Dynamic material selection is the first element, be sure to use every surface as an opportunity to contribute to the scheme. What do we mean by dynamic? It means to consider the tension between materials and to understand that successful combinations come together through selecting ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ finishes. For example in this courtyard, the natural limestone of the flooring sits triumphantly alongside concrete used for detailing around the pond and the BBQ setting.
In many urban homes, a rectilinear geometry is inherent in the garden, and so the second key element becomes to find an opportunity to insert a curving line. Why do we need a curve? There’s something powerful about curves, with people displaying a strong bias for roundness. In this courtyard, the organic shape of the crazy paving as well as the arc shaped sandstone seating, bring balance to the angular lines of the boundary walls, the pond and bbq.
And so we come to the third key element, which is about framing the view from inside the home so that an individuals’ experience with nature can be curated. When an outdoor setting is perfectly framed as a backdrop to the interior, it can feel as though a painting has come to life.
Lighting is our last key element, and its effect cannot be under estimated. As well as serving a practical function of illuminating dining and cooking areas, lighting can create drama and give an illusion of infinite depth thanks to shadows and blurring corners.
Select the images to click through the gallery!
Are you excited by these possibilities?
If so, get in touch today, we would love to hear from you