From small courtyard to entertaining hang-out, here’s how to dial up the style and make the most of your summer living space
We’re a nation that loves to venture outdoors to play, relax and entertain. But unfortunately – unlike warmer climes with almost-constant sunshine and blue skies – our variable climate makes outdoor living a little more hit and miss. Cue: the emergence of outdoor rooms.
Outdoor rooms add so much to a home. Done well, they can double your entertaining space, become an extra living room, give you a better connection to your garden and allow you to be outdoors but out of the elements. They’re also a great mood-setter, giving you an instant holiday vibe and a reset from everyday life.
Here’s what to keep in mind if you’re considering adding an outdoor room to your place.
Vision
When it comes to outdoor rooms, anything goes – from simple covered pergolas over decks to Balinese huts at the far end of the lawn to full second kitchens, complete with dishwashers, wine fridges and entertaining islands. What your outdoor room looks like will be heavily impacted by the ‘B’ word: budget.
Sheldon Barnett from Rescaped says a simple deck and covered pergola could cost between $8000 to $15,000. Taking it up a level and adding in an outdoor fire, built-in barbecue, hardwood deck and louvres might start from around $60,000 depending on your individual site and plans. Chuck in a full kitchen, bar, ceiling fan, pizza oven, built-in sound system, double-sided fireplace, outdoor movie screen and you’re looking at $100,000+.
A good idea, no matter what your budget, is to ensure the aesthetic of your outdoor room matches that of your house for a cohesive look. Consider matching materials, rooflines, colours and textures; tying in some materials from the exterior of the house into the outdoor room will help connect the two structures.
But first: location
“Think carefully about the location of your outdoor room. You might want it to flow off the house as an extension, be poolside as a place you can hang out in between dips, or nestled in a corner of your garden as more of a destination and a great way to soften noise levels,” says Sheldon.
“Regardless of where you have your outdoor room, there are three key things you want to ensure: you have shelter from the wind, it takes in the view you want to enjoy, and it gets light and sun at the right time. For example, outdoor rooms with a barbecue and fireplace would normally be set on the western side of the property to maximise the setting sun,” Sheldon explains.
At the heart of it, you’ll want a roof so you can use the space year-round, offers some protection from the elements – you might want a wall on a particularly windy side or at least curtains or blinds that can be rolled down when needed – and enough space to fit the outdoor furniture of your choice.
Planning
The size of your outdoor room, says Sheldon, will be determined by the overall use of the space.
Will your outdoor room be treated like an extra lounge with an outdoor couch or two and a relaxing outlook? Will it be an outdoor dining room with a big outdoor table and chairs? Will you use it to entertain, with a bar for those late summer nights with friends? You might even have enough space to fit them all, creating separate areas for cooking, eating and relaxing under the same roof.
“Build something that works for you. However you choose to use it, my recommendation is to make sure it’s at least big enough for all the members of your household, plus a few more. Keep in mind the bigger the structure, the more expensive it will be, especially with wide-span versions that need big beams,” Sheldon says.
Interior designer Sarah Foote from Sarah Foote Design suggests these specifics when stepping out the room size: “The minimum for an outdoor area with a small two-seater-type garden table and chairs would be 2000mm x 2500mm. Always make sure you allow a minimum of 800mm-1000mm between edge and chair for good flow. A medium-sized outdoor room big enough for six-seater dining table needs to be 3000mm x 4000mm. If you can, go a bit bigger to allow for better flow,” she says.
If your outdoor room is to come off your kitchen, living room or dining room, Sarah points out that easy access is an important factor in making sure your outdoor area feels like another room of your home.
“You want your access between the two to be as seamless as possible. Bi-fold doors are ideal for this – opening right up to allow ideal indoor-outdoor flow to connect the areas. If this isn’t possible, then it becomes even more important to ensure your furniture and accessories are similar to the house interiors to add that connection,” she says.
If you want your outdoor room to sit at the back of your garden, make sure you face it away from neighbours to dampen noise and maximise privacy.
Getting legal
The rules around outdoor rooms are all dependent on your local council rules and the particular zoning of your property. Each council has a different set of requirements for each region and zone depending on location and density of the area. Your best bet is to talk to your local council (or a builder or landscaper familiar with the rules of your area) so you don’t get caught out.
Construction
Get your mood board started because there are a lot of options when it comes to the look of an outdoor room and most of them are down to budget and personal taste. For flooring, common choices are decking (hardwood or composite), concrete (etch with a tile pattern, if you like) or tiles. Just make sure you choose tiles designed for outdoor use that are non-slip and easy to clean.
“With our clients, composite decking and porcelain paving are popular at the moment. Decking really helps with that indoor-outdoor flow as it can be laid flush with the house flooring, but with concrete, tiles and paving you generally you have to be 150mm down from the house floor level unless you add a strip drain, which is reasonably costly,” says Sheldon.
Textual stone chips and mint-coloured metal outdoor furniture add a touch of the Med to this outdoor space in France. Fermob Alize sunlounge, $1960 each, from Jardin.
Sarah agrees. “Depending on the style of house, timber is a good choice for a patio area because it softens the look of the area and weathers to become a beautiful silver colour, which makes a great backdrop for furniture. However, it does require ongoing maintenance – there are now wood composite products available in great colours that are also worth investigating,” she says. “Pavers are also a good choice, especially in areas where you need to lay directly onto the ground (which you can’t do with decking). I suggest looking at some interesting patterns such as herringbone or French basket if using a small paver.”
Overhead, Sheldon says lots of their clients are choosing to use louvres. “The benefit of them is they are waterproof, providing shade and protection from the elements, but they can also let in light and airflow into the area when they are open,” he shares.
Made of powder-coated aluminium, louvres also add a contemporary architectural look to the home and require little maintenance. As well as the more pricey options, places like Mitre 10 and Container Door now offer off-the-shelf versions that are a good budget-friendly option if their sizing happens to fit your space.
“We are also designing a few custom pergolas that have vertical and horizontal battens, topped with clear roofing. Cedar is commonly used for these pergolas because it is a lighter timber plus it looks good. You can use sheets of clear acrylic panels and get a good look; there are cheaper corrugated plastic panels but they tend to collect debris so it’s worth spending a bit more for the flat sheets,” Sheldon says.
Sheldon suggests planting early to help your outdoor room look like part of the landscape, helping it nestle into the landscape and connect the spaces. “Plants can soften spaces so instead of using block walls or fences for privacy, consider using hedging or growing a climber on the fence,” he says. “Also, think early on about planting strategically to give you privacy, shade or a focal point.”
Finishing
And now the fun part – adding those decorative touches.
Sarah advises using the same materials and colours you have in your house to link your outdoors to the indoors, making it clear it’s an extension of your home.
“Always choose furniture and accessories made for the outdoor environment – there are plenty of outdoor rugs and cushions available on the market and they’re more hard-wearing,” she says.
It’s important to allow space around your furniture so don’t automatically go for the largest pieces you can fit into the space.
Pots are an effective way to add texture and interest to an outside area. Sarah suggests you go for large pots and make them uniform in colour, but play around with different sizes, shapes and textures. Use them like you would in your home: to fill empty corners, add a focal point, add height, or give a touch of nature to an otherwise bland space. Add a shelf up high and line with plants to draw the eye up and soften the look of the empty wall.
As with your interior, lighting can go a long way to creating mood in your outdoor room. Hang festoon lights or fairy-lights from the ceiling or around the roof edging, add solar lights (there are some decent ones on the market now) or even use LED strips for a party vibe, if that’s what you’ll be using your outdoor room for.
“Layer up your lighting choices to create atmosphere,” Sarah suggests. “Add in some outdoor lanterns with battery-operated candles for fuss-free entertaining and a beautiful glow. Make sure you have some good task lighting where you need it to save you from needing to hold a torch when barbecuing or lighting the fire.”
Quality bean bags are a good item to have on standby for long nights when you need more seating, and bar carts are a fun yet practical piece of furniture to consider. Not only do they add a bit of personality, they can essentially be treated as a portable bar – easy.
Making guests comfortable for the long-haul is vital; make sure you can keep them warm as the temperature drops. Have a basket full of rugs for those extra chilly nights, install wall-mounted heaters out of eye level or add a fireplace if your budget allows.
“Making sure your family and guests are warm means they’ll linger and you can extend the use of the space later into evenings – the success factor of any outdoor room,” says Sarah.
Words by: Debbie Harrison.
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