Backyard Paradise for Your Country Home
A space to relax and renew your soul. A space where blue sky is your ceiling and plush grass is a comforting carpet. Trees and trellises encircle with an old wicker chair to welcome your tired body. Birds warble and a gentle breeze soothes your mind. A private haven where you can get away from it all for total peace and tranquility. This incredible space can be right outside your back door.
Rest comfortably with all the amenities of a vacation resort right in your own backyard. Many homeowners are following this trend of transforming their yards into outdoor rooms, making these spaces as important to family life as their living rooms and kitchens.
People work long, hard days and having a comfort zone to relax is a key element to a rewarding existence. As people tend to stay home after a tough day, it is especially convenient to have a place of their own to turn to. Developing a peaceful sanctuary will allow you to live as well outdoors as you do inside and should be part of your cozy country house.
“Outdoor rooms are really a reflection of your space indoors,” says Susan Palm Lynch, the landscape architect of Land Concepts Landscape Architecture in Rockford, Illinois. Your outdoor room is actually an extension of your interior country house plan so there needs to be a smooth transition incorporating the styles of each space.
According to Lynch, a continuation of the color scheme is one way to achieve this result. “Using plants that bloom to pick up the colors indoors works well. Seat cushions and other fabrics also tie colors together.”
Lynch further explains that using similar materials inside and outside creates a positive flow from one area to the other. For example, when you use a slate or stone floor for a sunroom, you should choose the same material for the patio when you consider building a country house plan.
While these spaces are perfect to renew your spirits, they are also are ideal for family fun and entertaining. Many outdoor rooms include kitchens with sophisticated sinks and grills. Lynch says that one of the latest “hot” trends with backyard rooms is the rise of outdoor fireplaces to increase the outdoor season.
Plant materials provide enclosure and help to act as walls for your “room.” Decorative fencing, climbing vines and tightly planted hedges create a secluded sanctuary. Lynch adds, “Texture can be added throughout the design using varying greens with subtle differences in shades to create an eye-catching effect even with nothing blooming.”
When you have a big gathering, many chairs and seating arrangements are useful. But, homeowners also enjoy having “a hidden spot tucked away with just a lounge chair for reading a book,” Lynch says. A charming foot-path is a way to link the two different “rooms” together and create your oven private space in a backyard paradise.
Lynch has also seen a rise in the use of pergolas. Topped with climbing roses for filtered shade and using decorative wood with the same stain used throughout the house, these structures can provide enclosure while still allowing light to shine through.
The use of lighting is an impressive finishing touch to create an alluring evening atmosphere. From lamp posts to well-lit pathways to lights in your trees, any use of light is sure to add to the romantic ambiance of your outdoor sanctuary.
Cost is always an important factor when you design an outdoor room. Lynch advises that a good rule of thumb is to budget for 10% of the value of your home. A landscape architect can work within any means to create a backyard retreat. Attractive landscaping is sure to increase the value of your home.
Large scale or small, many people are looking to create their own private place to relax and incorporate outdoor rooms into their country house plans. In today’s rushed and harried world, it is refreshing to take time to just enjoy the great outdoors peacefully or share your inviting outdoor space with family and friends.
Leave a Comment