How To Get Closer To Nature Through Outdoor Living Spaces
No matter how fresh and bright the inside of your home is and how large the windows are, nothing compares to the experience of spending time outdoors, being completely immersed in nature and feeling the gentle breeze and the sunlight touch your skin. It's one thing to admire the views through a window and another to be on the other side of the barrier. Outdoor living spaces offer something unique. The same way we decorate the interior of our homes according to our personality, needs and preferred style, we do the same when putting together an outdoor space. The possibilities are more numerous than anyone can imagine and we can only glimpse at some of the design strategies that can be employed in such a case.
Something like this evokes the intriguing beauty of a termite nest. These cocoon like structures shelter intimate lounge spaces and complement others which are completely exposed to the outdoors. That's definitely a way to make a statement.
But what if you want something a lot simpler and more in touch with nature? Perhaps in such a case you would enjoy a seating area made of rocks and stones. It can be an inconspicuous retreat in a beautiful garden.
This type of daybeds and hanging chairs are suitable for a lot of different outdoor spaces. You can have one out in the garden, in the middle of the lovely flowering flowers or under a tall tree or you can place something like this by the pool.
Most outdoor furniture is lightweight and casual, made of rattan or other similar materials. It's not meant to be striking but rather to blend in with the surroundings and to establish a connection with the nature around it.
The surrounding decor plays a very important role when creating an outdoor living space. The type of furniture you're going to use, the colors, materials, finishes, dimensions and forms are all linked to the environment.
A gazebo is a wonderful feature for a garden or backyard. Inside it there can be a lovely circular seating area with a modular sectional placed around a simple table.
Try to make the interior of the gazebo as comfortable as possible. Since it's a covered and protected space, you can opt for upholstered furniture and a lot of comfy throw pillows.
It's nice to have some flexibility so have a look at this G-POD. It's a garden lounge or gazebo-like structure which you can assemble and place anywhere you want. it's designed to look like a sphere with sections that open and close to offer shade and privacy when needed.
A water feature always make an outdoor living space stand out. Even a small artificial waterfall or a tiny pond can have a big impact on the overall atmosphere and the look and structure of such a space.
Pools and ponds always add a serene and relaxing touch to any outdoor space. But in order to enjoy that you need the right setting.
A sunken outdoor lounge space framed by a pond and a set of stairs is quite the unusual sight. While the water feature gives the seating area privacy, it also conceals it and robes it of the lovely water view.
Outdoor pavilions and tents offer quite a bit of flexibility themselves. They can be installed just about anywhere and you can put them up in the spring and take them down in autumn.
The vast openness of the outdoors can sometimes be overwhelming. Framing the outdoor living spaces in some way can be beneficial, creating a more intimate and comfortable ambiance and also delineating the space from everything else around it.
Covered terraces and decks are a lovely example of intermediate spaces, placed between the closed indoor spaces and the open outdoors. They offer some of the comfort and intimacy of an indoor room while also being exposed to the exterior.
Outdoor dining areas are particularly exquisite. They're the perfect setting for a casual or romantic dinner which can be enjoyed while breathing in the fresh air, listening to the song of the birds and admiring the views.
Roof terraces like the one designed by Escritorio Yuri Vital for this house in Brazil offer a great advantage. From up here you can see beyond the tree canopies and admire the distant mountains and views. That makes the roof terrace the best spot in the house for meditation, relaxation and socialization.
This house in Australia also has a beautiful terrace from where to admire the surroundings. It's also a great spot from where to keep an eye on the whole property. the lower lounge space is just steps away but in a whole different category. This is a house designed by Andrew Simpson Architects.
Preserving the integrity and beauty of the site is sometimes one of the main goals for architects such as Lucas Mc Lean. When designing this house in Argentina, the trees present on the site were preserved and then allowed to grow through the wooden floor of the deck.
Isn't it beautiful how the water feature was integrated into the design of this sheltered deck? As simple as it may be, it definitely brings the wow factor into the mix and makes this whole outdoor living space special. It's something that Vieyra Arquitectos designed for a residence in Mexico.
Don't be discouraged by the fact that you only have a small terrace or a tiny balcony. There are plenty of ways to make the most of that. It's all about the ambiance you want to create there. Isn't this apartment balcony just wonderful, with its wooden bench, sleek chairs and side tables? It's an apartment in Stockholm by Doomie Design.
When you're not limited by space, a lot of interesting options present themselves. A wonderful example is this villa in Italy created by NG-STUDIO. It has a vast lawn with a pergola perched on its edge. It's partially suspended above a lower outdoor living space with a pool.
Why limit yourself to a small pool when you can have your house framed by a large pond? That sounds dreamy and for this house in Sao Paulo by Studio Arthur Casas it's the reality. The house is designed to establish a smooth dialogue between the interior and exterior spaces and the outdoor living space is huge and quite complex, occupying almost the entire ground floor.
Outdoor living spaces often make the transition from closed indoor environments to open outdoor areas. The residence designed by Enrique Fieldman in Florida is quite complex, featuring an outdoor living area, a kitchen and even a bar.
As it turns out, outdoor kitchens and bars are more popular than even right now. A lot of contemporary and renovated residences like this one in Sao Paulo revived by Arthur Casas put great emphasis on the outdoor spaces and interior courtyards.
Some interior courtyards can be quite small, serving merely as transition spaces from one wing to another or an extensions for the interior spaces surrounding them. Even so, lovely nooks like the one designed by Taller Estilo Arquitectura are simply perfect.
When you have an outdoor deck as large as this one, you get to add a lot of beautiful features to it. The outdoor living space can be big and furnished with comfortable sofas and armchairs and there's plenty of room for ornaments as well.
The house you see here was designed by Fabrizia Freeza. It's an interesting combination of rustic and contemporary with a lot of charm expressed through materials, textures, colors and finishes.
Instead of a deck or a terrace that serves as a buffer between the indoor and outdoor environments, an alternative can be to have this area placed not in front of the house but rather attached to its size like an extension or an annex. You can find some inspiration in the design created by Giordano Hadamik for this house in Italy.
Simplicity and harmony are the defining characteristics of most contemporary homes and their outdoor living spaces. The house designed by Original Vision in Hong Kong is an exquisite example. It has a stylish wooden deck that sits above a pool of water.
There are also ways to bring the outdoors in. You can have a sort of interior courtyard which doesn't necessarily have to have an open roof. It can be decorated with large potted plants and even with small trees, like a garden inserted at the core of the house. It's quite the zen feature.
Plants and greenery in general are always a part of an outdoor living space's decor, regardless of its type of exact function. Whether it's an open garden, a flower bed, a large planter or green wall covered with moss or climbing plants, the decor is always fresh and charming. This lovely dining space was designed by GCA Architects for a residence in Barcelona. You're reading How To Get Closer To Nature Through Outdoor Living Spaces , originally posted on Homedit. If you enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Homedit on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.