Enjoy some alfresco dining at home

Like pools, they create a very functional and versatile new addition to your property. But they add real value too if done well.

Happy New Year to all our readers - may 2017 bring you much joy and some really good design.

Last year my team and I designed some exceptional outdoor spaces to suit a wide variety of tastes. All were very different but all were based on the same good design principles that allow great design to suit individual nuances.

Last year was the year of the pool for us. We designed a smorgasbord of contemporary modern pool gardens that turned beautiful pools into beautiful landscapes.

Pools might be the last thing on your mind with the atrocious weather we have been thrown, and as I write this North Canterbury is getting severe hail - what’s this all about?

Today we have had four seasons in one day in Marlborough. There was a beautiful breathless surface on the bay this morning as the sun rose, a gentle breeze picked up from the east and then after lunch the tail spun round to the south and whacked us with a huge southerly gale.

Designing a good garden is tough work - it has to look great and be affordable, but it also needs to be able to withstand our South Pacific weather. If it’s not hot and dry it’s often dark and stormy.

Wet and stormy days are an inspiration. They not only give me a reprieve from the tools but they also blow out the old stifled air and freshen up the world around us.

I have a good number of exciting design briefs to tackle in 2017 and already the trend is towards outdoor rooms with builtin barbecues and kitchens.

These are great projects because, like pools, they create a very functional and versatile new addition to your property. But they add real value too if done well.

Once again it is imperative to blend the new with the old so that they feel part of the same property. Built-in kitchens add great indoor-outdoor flow to a home. They allow summers to be enjoyed to their full extent - don’t forget those great sunny, but brisk, winter days where you can use it too if you have preloaded it with winter features like lights and a heater.

Outdoor kitchens tend to flow cleanly from indoor kitchen areas and then onwards to outdoor lounges where one can relax after dinner - throw in a pool for good measure and you are permanently on holiday without leaving home. If only.

Having a nice place at home to unwind after long, hard hours at work is a must these days. Why bother working so hard if you can’t recharge your batteries on a daily basis?

Marlborough is well known for its fine wine and great food so let’s bring it home and make somewhere really special to entertain in 2017.

Just remember it all starts with great design and finishes with a glass of bubbles to celebrate.

PHOTO: FAIRFAX NZ Built-in barbecues and kitchens are great projects because, like pools, they create a very functional and versatile new addition to your property.