Outdoor rooms have become as important as indoor ones. In fact, they are probably the biggest trend in custom home design today. Home buyers are beginning to expect their new house to have an outdoor room, and they want it to be a good room—functional and beautiful.
To make an outdoor room a true and gracious extension of the house, you will need to give the same careful attention to the basics of good design—prospect, scale, and comfort—that you give to its interior counterparts.
The view from the outdoor room should be the best the site has to offer. If there’s no natural view, create one. A water feature, a well-placed specimen tree, a flower garden, or a fire pit can add visual interest to a plain site.
Whether meant for family gatherings or fund-raising bashes, the outdoor room should be scaled to fit the clients’ lifestyle and activities. It will add to the visual and experiential pleasure of the owners and their guests if the room responds in size and proportion to the house, the site, and the people who will use it.
Finally, comfort is paramount. The outdoor room should provide a shady retreat on hot days. If the room can’t be sited to capture prevailing breezes, use ceiling fans to cool the occupants as well as discourage mosquitoes. A fireplace can extend the owners’ use and enjoyment of their outdoor room well beyond summer. Add some mellow lighting, comfortable seating for dining and conversing, pipe in a little music, and the outdoor room could become the owners’ favorite place in the house.
