Back in the day, when people talked about outdoor living spaces they were most likely referring to a patio or deck or an area with a grill, table and chairs.
Today’s outdoor living spaces are going upscale with features that you typically expect to find indoors, and may have difficulty imagining outside. We’re not talking about sun rooms that are heated/cooled like other rooms in your home. We’re talking about true outdoor spaces that may have a roof – but there aren’t any walls surrounding it.
This month, we turned to the annual survey of landscape architects for the latest trends in outdoor living features. Landscape architects design outdoor spaces all year long, so they have a good sense of what’s new to the market. From lighting and seating, to sinks, refrigerators and yes – even televisions outdoors!
If you’ve been thinking about adding an outdoor living space to your home, keep in mind that it is important to balance what you’d really enjoy, with what prospective buyers are going to value when you’re selling your house. Here’s an interesting bit from AppraisersForum.com, “… It is only worth what a buyer is willing to pay for the amenity and typically when a person is buying a home, the deck or patio is nice, but other amenities of the property typically far outweigh the outdoor living space”.
Lighting and Seating Top the List of Outdoor Living Features
Homeowners know that landscaping increases a home’s value, and lighting is a key element for both safety and beauty. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that lighting tops the list of outdoor living features with 98.3% of landscape architects rating this as somewhat or very popular.
If we’re spending a fair amount of time outdoors and not just working in the garden, we need a place to sit down. In the world of landscape architects, outdoor seating covers 3 of the top 6 outdoor living features. One decision you need to make is whether you’re going to build seating in as a permanent fixture that will remain when you sell the house, or buy outdoor furniture you can take with you.
A more interesting seating decision is whether you should add casual seating into the landscape design, like a secret reading nook out among the trees? This makes sense when you want a place to escape for privacy or a great view.
- Seating/dining areas – 97.7%
- Installed seating (benches, seat walls, ledges, steps, boulders) – 89.6%
- Outdoor furniture – 84.1%
Outdoor Living Features That Add Excitement
Now that you have a comfortable place to sit, you might want to add a focal point to this outdoor space, just like you do in each room of your house. Fireplaces or fire pits are more and more popular today at 95.4% versus your tried and true grill (94.3%) for a family barbecue.
Here’s where the list of outdoor living features gets really interesting.
- Features related to food prep/serving – sinks (55.0%), refrigerators (53.7%), counter space (75.5%) and utility storage (65.5%).
- Entertainment focused outdoor living features – stereo systems (60.7%), wireless/Internet connectivity (56.0%) and televisions/projection screens (49.4%).
wireless/internet connectivity – 56.0%. - Outdoor comfort – outdoor heaters (48.9%), outdoor cooling systems including fans (37.2%).
- Sleeping and bathing – showers/baths (46.8%), hammocks (34.1%) and bedrooms/sleeping spaces (14.9%).
We hope we have inspired you to create the backyard oasis you’ve always dreamed of.
