It's The Custom

You’ve heard more than enough about curb appeal, but on the flip side of the house, there is something to be said about an amazing outdoor retreat that is great for entertaining, relaxing, and cooling off when the summer heat is at it’s peak.

Here are some tips creating a retreat where you can enjoy the great outdoors right in the backyard of your home.

Choose seating that invites you to stay a while – The first step to creating a perfect outdoor living space that invites you to kick back and stay a while is selecting comfortable and inviting furniture to place in shaded areas. Think outside the traditional patio table and chairs, and create conversational areas similar to those you would inside your home by grouping love seats and chairs with plush, outdoor cushions around coffee tables and end tables. This type of outdoor seating is growing in popularity and can be found just about anywhere, in any style to compliment your home. Don’t forget an outdoor storage bench for storing your pillows and other decorative accents like candles!

Have it made in the shade - If you don’t have a covered porch or patio you can create shade using swing arm or tilting umbrellas, awnings or canvas canopies, and even vine-wrapped pergolas. While shade trees will also get the job done, it will also require a lot more cleaning and maintenance of your furniture before use. It’s always cooler in the shade, and you can make it even cooler by adding outdoor fans to keep the air moving and naturally keep the bugs away.

Add custom touches that are perfect for your family – A pool for cooling off in the summer heat, a fire pit for keeping warm in fall and winter nights, or an outdoor kitchen complete with grill and fridge are perfect custom touches for your backyard. Think about the activities you and your family enjoys the most and make your backyard an oasis in which you can enjoy them. It could even be a raised garden bed for growing organic vegetables! The key is to add something special that keeps calling your family to the backyard to soak up the sun and enjoy the day together.

We built this custom pool house for clients in Frontenac, MO. Surrounding the pool you will find plenty of seating, a hot tub, and even a fire pit.

Enjoying the great outdoors in a great backyard is all about designing the perfect space for your family, and creating a great retreat where you can enjoy time together and in nature-right outside your backdoor!

Tags: backyard design, backyards, custom homes, fire pits, pool houses, seating

This entry was posted on Friday, May 18th, 2012 at 4:29 pm and is filed under Home Design. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.