For the past months of being stuck at home, many of us are finding ways to improve our living space and enjoy our home more. And what better way to do that than enhancing our outdoor living area, be it a small green backyard or acres of land. This year, the popularity of transforming the outdoor area into fully functional living spaces will continue to thrive.
The pursuit for more outdoor living spaces comes from either achieving better health or living a more sustainable lifestyle. Curious what kind of outdoor spaces can you create on your property? Here’s a list of some top outdoor living trends this 2021 that you should definitely consider.
Yard as the new gathering spot
One of the most popular outdoor living ideas today is creating year-round gathering spots in the yard. This is ideal if you have an underutilized area in your front yard or back yard. You can set up a fire pit or fireplace, a wide table, and comfy seating. Such setup is recommended to encourage families or groups of friends to use their yard to have meals or for entertainment purposes instead of going outside. You can create other specific options: an alfresco dining spot with comfy seating and stylish furniture or a cool kitchen or bar station, which is perfect for pizza or BBQ weekend parties.
Seamless transitions of spaces
This trend is basically about increasing the connectivity of architecture and nature. Or creating a seamless transition between your indoor space and the environment. This trend is also called biophilic design. It is perfect for homeowners looking to maximize their living space while enjoying nature. Such architectural design is also said to be beneficial for boosting mental health.
To create a beautiful marriage between your indoors and outdoors, it’s recommended to utilize the same fabrics and flooring when decorating. Other ways to achieve a biophilic design include using natural materials in your interior and installing more windows and skylights.
Edible gardens for healthy living
As many people are now prioritizing healthy lifestyles, it only makes sense that edible gardens are becoming a hit. The first thing you need is a spot in your yard with enough sunlight to grow fruits, vegetables, or herbs. If you are a beginner, it’s best to start with a small raised bed to plant some crops. You can always add more beds once you improve your gardening skills. Aside from raised beds, you can opt for vertical crop tunnels, plant containers, or decorative garden edges.
Also, while areas with generous sunlight are the best option, you can still grow some veggies even if your yard has less light. For this, stick to shade-tolerant food plants such as lettuce, spinach, or Swiss chard.
Fully functional microspaces
If you’re living in a small space, this trend is perfect for you. Microspaces are best recommended to those living in a single-family house with limited yard space. This trend even uses front porches to create an outdoor living area. You can try some microspace ideas, including a DIY wood deck, stock tank pool, vertical garden, and glamping tent. If you already have a patio area, you can upgrade it by adding outdoor string lights, umbrellas, or flower boxes.
Low-maintenance elegance
Gone are the days when creating outdoor living spaces needs to be grand or luxurious. This year, creating low-maintenance, minimalistic, yet classy areas is in. If you have a spacious terrace, you can easily create simple dining set up outside. You can also mix in an outdoor dining area with an entertainment quarter by adding club chairs and a sofa. On the other hand, if you’re opting to use your empty patio, you can create a secluded getaway spot perfect for afternoon naps. This simple setup can be built by almost any kind of roofing and divided-light windows.
Backyard privacy
Plenty of homeowners nowadays want more privacy in their backyards. Some crave more privacy because they want to use their outdoor space for relaxation, exercise, meditation, or family gatherings. In fact, home hunters also prefer more private properties than others. Homeowners follow this trend by installing property fences, steel window well covers, and trellises. Others even choose to build a gazebo or pergola to add privacy on their decks and patios.
These are just a few of the many outdoor living trends for homeowners. Creating these outdoor living spaces is not necessarily expensive. If you want to save money, be sure to DIY what you can and only worth with reputable contractors or builders. By doing that, you can guarantee an impressive project that is both functional and visually appealing without wasting bucks.
