As the temperatures continue to rise, outdoor living spaces become key to true summertime enjoyment. While you soak up the sunshine, think ahead to next summer and how you may be able to better utilize your outdoor oasis. After all, a yard is a special place of refuge and we believe you deserve to enjoy it in style and comfort.
Whether you’re looking to build a new house or create an addition to your existing one, these outdoor living ideas will undoubtedly increase your enjoyment of your home. In fact, these upgrades may have you feeling like you’re living in a luxury hotel—just without the room service.
Covered Porches
Imagine throwing open your doors and, with a steaming mug of coffee in hand, lounging on your covered porch while enjoying fresh air, birdsong, or the comforting hush of summer rain. This is the beauty of a covered porch. It seamlessly connects the interior of your home with its outside surroundings and does so while providing protection against damaging UV rays or inclement weather. And, for those who like to host parties, these types of porches also enhance a guest’s experience because they can easily transition from the inside space to the outside one without having to worry about the weather.
A tip from our team: If you’re building a covered porch as an addition to your home, it is imperative that it’s design transitions smoothly from the original building.
Pools
If you ask a child, the advantages of a backyard pool are obvious: pool parties and playtime that lasts all day in the summer. However, having a pool in your backyard comes with other benefits as well.
From a design perspective, a pool provides an easy and beautiful addition to the yard from which to build around. But its impact on health is even more valuable than its design function. Several research studies have found that the presence of water in architectural design can improve concentration and memory and decrease heart rate, blood pressure, and rates of stress. In addition, a pool is a great-low impact exercise for just about everyone. We can’t think of a better way to help you feel like you’re relaxing in the lap of luxury than by floating in your own Caribbean blue-colored pool.
A tip from our team: Before designing a pool, consider how you want to use your backyard space in its entirety. This will help inform the size, location, orientation, and design of the pool itself as well as the design of the surrounding areas.
Entertainment Barns
Luke Brian and Jason Aldean both have something in common aside from being A-list country crooners: they also have stunning entertainment barns on their properties. For people like these singers who are big on hosting guests, an entertainment barn allows them to put some space between their guests and the sanctity of their living spaces.
And, despite the name, an entertainment barn has many uses outside of being a private event venue. They can also be used as an overnight guest house, a detached office space, a workshop, a game room for adults, a playroom for kids, a “classroom” space for artists and creatives, or a place to host parent meetings, book clubs, or garden parties. However you intend to use it, an entertainment barn is the ultimate private luxury retreat that you’ll never have to travel to.
A tip from our team: When building an entertainment barn, you will want to work with an architect who will be able to connect it to the rest of your property in a cohesive and natural way. The best way to do this is to select certain styles from the private areas of your home to incorporate in your entertainment barn. To learn more about our tips on barn design, visit The Art of the Barn.
Bring The Vacation to You
It is important to remember that your home living space isn’t confined to what’s between the front and back doors. Your outside living space should feel as inviting and comfortable as your living room. So, whether you choose one of these options or all three, we have no doubt you will revel in the added luxury of your home as you lounge in your new outdoor space.