Improve Your Outdoor Living

Flower Gardens… Barbeque…  Family gatherings…  Solitude…  Outdoor living in Michigan only reigns for a short period of time each year, so why not make the most of it?  Here are a variety of ways in which to enhance your time outdoors.

Create a Focal Point

Your home living area is built around one focal point, whether it’s a sofa or a piece of art.  This allows your eye something to focus on.  Everything else in the room become accent pieces that lend support.  The same idea applies to your outdoor living space.  Here the focal point may be a pond or flower garden.  Once your focal point has been established, it is time to build around it.

Form Traffic Patterns

Whether the size of your yard is large or small, your outdoor living space will come together better if you have established paths for traffic.  This can be accomplished in a variety of ways such as creating a formal walkway, generating shifts in the hardscape or simply by planting trees or shrubs to designate corners and borders.  This provides a solution to paths of unwanted traffic.

Furniture Arrangement Matters

In order to establish the different variety of outdoor activities, shrewdly arrange the furniture to differentiate these zones.  Think about placing a bench and dining table in the corner of a smaller area.  This still allows enough space for movement.  For larger areas, you may even consider selecting an outdoor rug to break the sitting and dining areas apart.

 

Encase Yourself in Privacy

If you discover that you like privacy and solitude while outdoors, you may find it necessary to plant shrubs or dwarf trees to shield yourself from prying eyes.  Another great screening option is establish planted vines that climb a trellis.  And lastly, large potted plants also serve the same purpose while creating your privacy.

Create a Fire Source

Should you have a fireplace inside your home, you know how comforting it feels to curl up near it with a good book on a quiet night.  Or when entertaining, your friends and family will gravitate towards this heating source on chilly days.  Well, why not recreate that feeling outdoors?  If you have the appropriate outdoor space as well as the budget, you might want to consider building a full-size fireplace outside.  But, if you don’t, then think about adding a fire pit instead.  They are both affordable and flexible.

 

Seating Options

When thinking about the outdoor space you are working with, think about all the options you can offer.  This way you, family and friends can all enjoy this space.  One thing to keep in mind is to not add so many seating options that you will reduce the space to a cluttered mess.  Be selective, but think about the following options:

•         Benches
•         Chairs
•         Pint-size stools
•         Scaled-down kid versions

 

Increase the Visual Appeal

Consider adding items that will make your space more interesting.  Think about items such as small accents, sculptures or water features that will add a zing.  There is no need to spend a lot of money on these items, visit flea markets or architectural salvage shops.  If you don’t want or need to add a built-in fountain, consider a tabletop version.