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OUTDOOR OPTIONS
With every home we design, we think through how we interact with the outdoors, how we extend our living and entertaining spaces beyond the walls of our houses, how we ease ourselves into the landscape. Life on the southern coast is an indoor/outdoor life for most of the year, so it’s important to determine how best to use our outdoor spaces, and the elements of design that connect the interior with the exterior. Porches, verandas, and patios have a long tradition in the South and we spend much time in these outdoor “rooms.” These exposed spaces for dining, lounging, and entertaining are so significant to the overall design and feel of a home. Because we spend so much time in these areas, we prefer to think of them as additional living rooms and design them accordingly,
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with furnishings that are stylish and comfortable and that carry the style and palette of the interior outside. There are many ways to enhance and add to your exterior spaces and broaden your options outside the house. With a few additions, your outdoor rooms can be transformed into stylish and enjoyable living space — just in time for summer! • Ottomans, gardens stools or scatter tables not only provide spots to rest your beverage, but also to expand your seating options to allow for larger groups to gather. • Hanging beds, swings, and rocking chairs are comfortable and fun additions to any outdoor living area. • Grouping various planters of different shapes and sizes around a front door or up exterior steps, adding layers of greens and seasonal flowers, is an easy way to give a porch a fresh look.
