Inside OUT

The trend for the past few years has been and continues to be a move from the inside out. The most important step in this process is *space planning. Just like planning a new interior space, outdoor living spaces take time and planning. Before you begin the space planning process it is important to ask yourself a series of questions…or create a profile of the intended space . What will the function of the space be? Will I be entertaining a few or many people? Will it be for recreation? Will children utilize this space?

* Your outdoor space needs to be defined as an actual area. A deck, patio, slab of concrete all does this for you. If you do not have this, define the space with your seating grouping, flowering pots and landscape lighting. This is the area in which your outdoor furniture will be placed, forming a living/dining room outside. So you obviously need to thoroughly review the existing site conditions. Are there existing shade structures? Which direction does the area face? What type of flooring, lighting and walls currently exist? And is there an outdoor kitchen?
Execution of the plan depends on these preliminary steps to help avoid pitfalls and mistakes in the creation of the perfect outdoor living space.
If you have a hardscape area to work with such as a cement slab, you may consider paiting or dyeing it to soften the look. You can also add decorative bricks or pavers around the edges to give it more appeal. Use a natural fiber indoor/outdoor area rug like sisal or jute to define the actual conversation area. An area rug can be used on any surface to make it feel more comfortable and finished.

*When doing interior design it is necessary to think of the house and the exterior living area as a totality; a series of spaces linked together. It is therefore appropriate that a common style and theme runs throughout. This is not to say that all interior design elements should be the same but they should work together and complement each other to strengthen the whole composition. A way to create this theme or storyline is with the well considered use of color. Color schemes in general are a great way to unify a collection of spaces.

The number one rule with color is to maintain continuity. Try and match the indoor color scheme with the one outdoors. One nifty idea is to make the color of your outdoor plants match a feature wall inside. If you’re not feeling that brave, play it safe and go with a neutral palette as it’s such a large area. Then add splashes of color through cushions, upholstery, furniture and knick-knacks. On the other extreme a casual, open-plan area is the perfect canvas for bright and vibrant shades.

*Balance is one of the primary principals of Interior Design. Balance is extremely important to a well designed room be it inside or outside. Secondly, is the creation or enhancement of a *focal point. Interior design’s biggest enemy is boredom. A well-designed room always has, depending on the size of it, one or more focal points. A focal point must be dominant to draw attention and interesting enough to encourage the viewer to look further. A focal point thus must have a lasting impression but must also be an integral part of the decoration linked through scale, style, color or theme. For the outdoor living area, this can be a cooking station or fireplace or pit or a water feature or even a beautiful green area for sitting/relaxing.

Next is RHYTHM. In interior design, rhythm is all about visual pattern repetition. Rhythm is defined as continuity, recurrence or organized movement. To achieve these themes in a design, you need to think about repetition, progression, transition and contrast. Using these mechanisms will impart a sense of movement to your space, leading the eye from one design element to another.
Repetition is the use of the same element more than once throughout a space. In creating the perfect outdoor living space that clearly ties into the rest of your home, bring a throw pillow outside made of the same fabric as some of your indoor elements. You can repeat a pattern, color, texture, line, or any other element, or even more than one element.
Progression is taking an element and increasing or decreasing one or more of its qualities. The most obvious implementation of this would be a gradation by size. A cluster of candles of varying sizes on a simple tray creates interest because of the natural progression shown. You can also achieve progression via color, such as in a monochromatic color scheme where each element is a slightly different shade of the same hue.

Transition is a little harder to define. Unlike repetition or progression, transition tends to be a smoother flow, where the eye naturally glides from one area to another. The most common transition is the use of a curved line to gently lead the eye, such as an arched doorway or when thinking of the outdoor living space, a winding path.

Finally, contrast is fairly straightforward. Putting two elements in opposition to one another, such as black and white pillows on a outdoor sofa or bench is the hallmark of this design principle. Opposition can also be implied by contrasts in form, such as circles and squares used together. Contrast can be quite jarring, and is generally used to enliven a space. Be careful not to undo any hard work you’ve done using the other mechanisms by introducing too much contrast!

Another important element of interior design where it is necessary to take infinite pains is details. Details should not be obvious but they should be right, enhancing the overall feel of a room.
Scale and Proportion – These two design principles go hand in hand, since both relate to size and shape. Proportion has to do with the ratio of one design element to another, or one element to the whole. Scale concerns itself with the size of one object compared to another.

Lighting: Landscape architects can also take care of lighting issues: spotlight your vegetation, illuminate your walkways, or add tiki torches to your deck to add some ambience (and to control the summer insect infestation).

Flowering pots and containers are a welcome addition, if you have a green thumb. Group your containers together for maximum impact and easier watering. Make sure the containers vary in height and size with one or two pieces breaking up the terra cotta pot look. Choose flowers that do well in this area because they will be under close inspection by people on the patio. No plant is better than a dead plant. Use spheres, baskets, smaller pots, and sculptures to fill in a container and add interest.








spaggetti




























SPACE PLANNING

CREATE A PROFILE OF SPACE

What will function of space be?
Will I be entertaining for a few or for many?
Will it be for recreation or relaxation or both?
Will children be utilizing the space?

III. REVIEW EXISTING SITE CONDITIONS

Are there existing shade structures?
Which direction does the area face?
What type of flooring, lighting and walls currently exist?
And is there an outdoor kitchen?

LINK INSIDE TO OUT

Complement outside design to inside of home. It strengthens the whole composition.
Use color to create and unify the theme or storyline. Color schemes in general are a great way to unify a collection of spaces.

BALANCE

Balance is one of the primary principals of Interior Design. Balance is extremely important to a well designed room be it inside or outside.

FOCAL POINT

Creation or enhancement of a focal point. A well-designed room always has, depending on the size of it, one or more focal points.

Cooking Station
Fireplace or pit
Water Feature

RHTHYM

Repetition
Progression
Transition
Contrast

DETAIL

Scale and Proportion
Lighting
Groupings of furniture and potted plants




































Well, summer is officially here and we should be in the middle of some smokin' hot weather. I love the SUMMER for many reasons...not the least of which is: the living space of my home increases dramatically...because I bring the inside OUT.

Creating an outdoor living space is a great way to enjoy the summer and to increase your living area. Just like planning an interior space, creating an outdoor living area takes time, patience and, most of all, planning. How about a few pointers on creating that perfect space and avoiding costly mistakes and design disasters!

The first thing to do is to decide how the space will be used. This is identifying the function of the space. Are you hoping to create a space for dining, relaxing, recreation or a combination of activities?

Since your outdoor space needs to be identified and outlined, you must thoroughly review your existing site conditions. What elements or hard-scapes are you already working with? Are you working with a deck, patio, slab of concrete, or combination? If you don't necessary have any of these elements, you can still create an outlined space through furnishings groupings, outdoor rugs, flower pots, and landscape lighting. So, once you have identified the general space and existing site conditions, you can move onto the next phase of the plan: Space Planning.

The easiest way to begin is to take overall measurements and draw them out onto 1/4" graph paper. You don't have to be an artist or a mathematician! Typically the masterpiece will be for your eyes only:) and is to be used as a guideline to help you make plans for furniture and accessory placement and avoid unnecessary purchases or costly mistakes. Usually I just rough out on the graph paper the overall dimensions of the room and then as I'm reviewing which items will be positioned in the space, I can confirm that all pieces will actually fit comfortably into the space.

Remember that BALANCE is one of the primary principals of Interior Design. Balance is extremely important to a well designed room be it inside or outside. Keeping this in mind, the creation or enhancement of a focal point during the space planning phase is vital. Interior design’s biggest enemy is boredom. A well-designed room always has, depending on the size of it, one or more focal points. A focal point must be dominant to draw attention and interesting enough to encourage the viewer to look further. A focal point needs to have a lasting impression but must also be an integral part of the decoration linked through scale, style, color or theme. For the outdoor living area, this can be a cooking station or fireplace or pit or a water feature or even a beautiful green area for sitting/relaxing.

OK! Now we're moving closer and closer to the really fun stuff! So, you've determined what type of space you will be creating, you've determined what the existing conditions are and what you have to work with. You've also now determined what furnishings and/or grills, tables, loungers will be placed into the space and you've verified that they are all going to fit nicely. Further, you've decided on your focal point(s) in relation to the well placed items in your STUNNING space. WELL DONE.

The next thing to keep in mind is that it is necessary to think of the house and the exterior living area as a totality; a series of spaces linked together. So, it's therefore appropriate that a common style and theme runs throughout. This is not to say that all interior design elements should be the same but they should work together and complement each other to strengthen the whole composition. A way to create this theme or storyline is with the well considered use of color. Color schemes in general are a great way to unify a collection of spaces.

In creating the perfect outdoor living space that clearly ties into the rest of your home it's VITAL that you remember the number one rule with color is to maintain continuity. Try and match the indoor color scheme with the exterior color scheme...but maybe think about mixing it up just a bit. Perhaps you could focus on one of your secondary or accessory colors and bring it to the forefront. One nifty idea is to make the color of your outdoor plants match a feature wall from inside. When choosing the textiles on your seating or tableware, consider what you already have going on inside and play with it. Another super easy way is to bring a throw pillow outside made of the same fabric as some of your indoor elements. You can repeat a pattern, color, texture, line, or any other element, or even more than one element. It just don't get any easier than that:)!

If you have a green thumb, accessorizing can be very easy with flowering pots and containers as a welcome addition. Group your containers together for maximum impact and easier watering. Make sure the containers vary in height and size with one or two pieces breaking up the terra-cotta pot look. Choose flowers that do well in this area because they will be under close inspection by people on the patio. No plant is better than a dead plant. Use spheres, baskets, smaller pots, and sculptures to fill in a container and add interest.

Dress up your table with totally "green" linens. Having fun and beautiful table linens is a must plus it saves trees! There are so many great options for plates/dishes, outdoor stemware, silverware and the like. Have fun and make your guest feel like the special people that they are! HAPPY SUMMER and as always, remember: Better Living by Design:).