Outdoor Living

The Concept of Outdoor Rooms

Outdoor Rooms define the four main areas of your yard based on functionality.  These landscape design areas are:

Public Area
Simply enough, the public area is viewed by the public.  It is also the area that can best give your home an attractive setting. This curb appeal encompasses the driveway and pathway that draw attention and provide access routes to the entry points of your home. Foundation plantings provide focal highlights to foyer, enhance the architecture of your home without hiding it, and also unite natural green-scape with man-made structures. A house is probably the most expensive thing people purchase in a lifetime, so it’s relevant that it should be suitably displayed to recognize that value.

Family Living Area
This area is generally the greatest space and is linked to the social areas of your interior, namely the living room, family room and/or dining room. Used for an assortment of activities such as outdoor dining, patio or deck space, swimming pool or spa, lawn games or children’s play. If possible this area should maximize the sunlight hours of each day, therefore southern and west facing locations (for afternoon sun and evening warmth) are preferable.

Private Living Area
The private living area may be used for quiet reading, a breakfast nook, or a relaxing hot tub, etc. These semi-passive activities are best suited to a separate screened area adjoining possibly the master bedroom or encompassing a larger area of your backyard.

Service Areas
These areas may include a garden tool storage area, dog run, vegetable garden, compost pile, place for garbage container, or storage area for recreation vehicle, etc.  As such, services areas are best linked to the closest suitable access via garage, laundry/kitchen area.

Within your landscape, storage areas do not need sun, so shaded locations are ideal. As these areas are not developed for attraction, they should not be viewed from the other major rooms.