Moving indoor spaces outside

With spring around the corner, it’s time for more backyard barbecues and patio entertaining. That also means consumers are searching for the hottest trends for their outdoor spaces. A dominant theme from last year that will continue in 2014 is creating living spaces outside that include the comforts of indoor amenities.

“The biggest thing continues to be outdoor living spaces,” says Jody Shilan, executive director of New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association. “The outdoor kitchen has been very popular, and now people are creating outdoor living rooms and family rooms with flat-screen TVs.”

People want to look out the back window and feel that their yard is just an outdoor extension of their home, says Chris Psencik, development operations director of Southern Botanical, based in Dallas, Texas. Even on small lots with little distinction, there is usually a way to make an outdoor courtyard that homeowners can take advantage of year-round.

Advantage Development System CEO Sid Raisch says people are “buying smaller properties post-recession and using their patios as part of their living space, which is a significant shift from pre-recession times.” Plus, people are intrigued with what they can create as a result of the plethora of do-it-yourself home improvements shows and the large variety of products being marketed for outdoor living spaces, he says.
 

Stalled projects resume

Psencik says people are getting excited about being outside again, and with a recovering economy, consumers are willing to open up their pocketbooks to spend some money.

“Already this year, I’m seeing projects that people had put on the shelves like remodels, pools, irrigation, patios, coming down the pipeline,” Psencik says.

With that, Psencik says people in Dallas are also asking a lot more questions about sustainable projects and water efficiency. There has been a lot more talk about native materials than in the past, which is driven by water restrictions.

In the past, some homeowners might have spent $100,000 to install a yard of turf and plants and pay the enormous amounts of money to water it and keep it alive, Psencik says. They’re no longer doing that; especially in the middle of August in Texas, when restrictions only allow watering the yard one day per week. Consumers are a lot smarter about using drip irrigation and native plants. They understand the water and energy efficiencies and those costs impact how they spend their money.
 

Popular patio trends

Outdoor professional-grade kitchens are all the rage. Kitchens and grills are getting bigger - grills are getting six instead of four burners, and people are adding rotisseries, warming trays, fridges and sinks. Those features seem to be increasing in popularity along with the cooking shows on TV.

“They will probably never go away,” says Psencik. “People love outdoor kitchens, and they love arbors. In Texas, you need ways to get shade.”

Heating the patio is also important so people can enjoy the outdoors on cooler nights. Firepits and fireplaces remain popular, Shilan says. But new for patios are outdoor heaters for the cool seasons and misting systems for the hottest times of year, says Raisch. They’ve been largely used in commercial settings, but are becoming more popular in residential settings.

Psencik says water features with recirculating water or bubble features that create noise are gaining popularity. They’re especially beneficial to drown out the neighbor’s car next door or road traffic, he says. It’s a way to mute the sound, along with trees or vegetation, and create that quiet space. Pondless waterfalls are very easy to use with a reservoir underneath and re-circulating water. They’re easy to install and highly decorative, Shilan says.
 

Materials and colors

Muted, neutral earth tones and bright, bold colors are both popular when it comes to patio furniture and accessories. Outdoor furnishings still include wicker-like pieces, but they are getting brightly-colored cushions and pillows to escape the brown and tan. Overhead materials like umbrellas are seeing more color, too. Pergolas are still popular. And, just like the inside of the house, outdoor living areas have a surface rug with comfy chairs around it, Psencik says.

“There is more interest in the contemporary look and style with soft clean lines and edges,” he says. “There’s a lot more emphasis on the material type and textures and how they interrelate with the house. Colors include a lot of muted tones of green and grey highlighted by accents of color to create splashes that pop against the soft palate.”

Materials used in these outdoor living rooms and kitchens often vary with a consumer’s budget, Shilan says. Natural stone is coming back into favor to match home exteriors, but the natural veneer stone is more cost effective, Shilan says. Pavers and paver blocks are still popular with precut modular solutions available. That’s easy to install because all homeowners have to do is assemble the pieces. They are even available for fireplaces in two pieces and within a few hours, people can build a fireplace, he says.

Concrete has become very popular and there are many different finishes, textures, and features, Psencik says, and you can achieve more on a concrete budget, too. It’s more expensive to do stone, but it is timeless, lasts forever, and can be recycled. Most of the choices are driven by price point; nothing has been taken off the map.

Wood is gaining popularity as well, Psencik says, because you can get a long sustainable life out of the product with a crisp, clean look. He’s doing more wood projects now.

“Do-it-yourselfers tend to use the plain and simple pavers while the contractors tend to use more patterns and bolder color of the brick and stone,” Raisch says. “Another popular material for decks and associated project is Trex, or other wood/plastic composite products and vinyl/PVC. Treated wood has taken a back seat because of maintenance issues with cleaning, sealing, staining, etc.”

When it comes to lighting these outdoor areas, Shilan says LED lighting leads the way because you can get a lot more light for your money. The quality and brightness allows consumers to do a bigger lighting system on a transformer where they might be able to typically run 20 lights. Now you can run three times that with the same transformer, the bulbs last longer, and they need to be replaced less frequently.

String lighting is still a little bit easier to integrate effectively and decoratively during the year, Shilan says. The LED low voltage lighting is slowly replacing incandescent lighting, says Psencik. It’s easier on the pocketbook, but gets the same results.

“People are really taking the indoor experience and recreating it outdoors,” Shilan says. “Taking that living room feel outside just makes sense and they’re going even beyond that to make it an area where they want to be.”

Roberta Miller is a North Texas-based freelance writer. She’s an amateur gardener, who has learned how to make the most of native plants in the Texas summers.

Photos courtesy of Chris Psencik and Green Meadows Landscaping