How a Landscape Designer Links Outdoor and Indoor Rooms in Sparta and Branchville, NJ, Areas
If you relish the idea of indoor/outdoor living, you’ll want to know how a landscape designer can provide a connection between how you like to spend time indoors to what you can do outdoors in the Sparta and Branchville, NJ, areas.
A Fresh Way of Looking at Home Life
In the past, house and outdoor living spaces were clearly defined. You were either indoors, or out. Each space had its own character and charm, but it also had a strict boundary.
Today, many of us are compelled to spend more time outdoors—to enjoy nature’s bounty and the fresh open air. Many landscape design choices can add to the successful transition from indoor living to more outdoor living.
Outdoor Structures
One wonderful way to transition smoothly from the home to the landscape via the outdoor living area is to add a pergola. A pergola can feel like an extension of the home and an extension of the landscape thanks to its open sides and airy yet sheltered appearance. Consider choosing materials and colors that complement both your indoor and outdoor spaces to achieve the most cohesive look.
If you prefer an outdoor structure with a solid roof, you could choose a gazebo (rounded) or pavilion (square or rectangular) as the main outdoor “room.” This approach will shelter you from inclement weather while still maintaining an airy and natural setting. Introduce home-like warmth with the addition of a fire pit on a nearby patio.
Landscape Lighting
If your indoor and outdoor living is to be truly seamless, you will want to have an outdoor lighting setup that makes going back and forth in the evening truly seamless. Strategic outdoor lighting can, of course, create an outdoor space that is illuminated for safety and ambiance but done artfully, this can be achieved in a slightly more subdued way so that you don’t lose the feeling of being outdoors at night. Good outdoor lighting design won’t let your landscape be pitch-black while the house is lit up. At the same time, it won’t overwhelm the nighttime atmosphere.
A well-executed exterior lighting design can help to create focal points, bringing the focus to the most compelling features in the landscape, while also minimizing darkness around critical areas, such as the walkway from the home to the patio. Ideally, the lighting contributes to creating a relaxing ambiance in outdoor seating areas, by giving you proper light for preparing meals outdoors yet just enough light to enjoy the food and the nighttime sky views.
Transitions from Indoors to Outdoors
Your home and outdoor spaces have their own unique appeal. However, to create a sense of continuity, there could be a transitional zone that defines the indoor and outdoor living areas but also joins them. Cues can be taken from the home and the landscape to successfully create seamless transitions.
For example, a flagstone patio could provide the perfect transition between a wood-floored home and a natural landscape. A more formal or modern home could benefit from the smoother lines of a limestone patio that picks up the colors of the stone local to the area.
Related: 3 Outdoor Living Features That Will Make Your Home More Appealing In 2021