MOVE IT OUTDOORS
Al fresco living in your backyard,
Today, courtesy of unstinting optimism, we’re turning our attention to the great outdoors. You read that correctly: the great outdoors.
Even though many parts of Canada witnessed freezing rain and snow as recently as this past week, we remain utterly unfazed by the meteorological drama. Take solace in the fact it’s similarly dreary in Glasgow. We were home for three weeks — for a spot of telly and to service private clients. It’s chucking down like there’s no tomorrow.
So what switched our focus from indoors to out? You may remember we reported from Tartan Week in New York last Saturday. Immediately thereafter, we dashed to L.A. for meetings and to oversee a project for clients who are selling their Beverly Hills villa and downsizing to a waterside penthouse. He’s a lawyer, she’s a script writer and their shared affection for boating makes Marina Del Rey an obvious choice.
Reminiscing about that Californian trip reminded us of what we miss most — in climatic terms — as we settle back into Scotland. Over here the weather can typically be described as “ish.” Never Baltic, never Saharan, never really, well, anything. It’s one reason we’ve grown to love North America. OK, so Canuck mercury isn’t (currently) playing ball, but at least there are prospects.
We enjoy this pronounced seasonal demarcation, a thermostatic pattern which tells us what to expect. Crisp falls, for example, which tend to deliver bitingly cold winters. And temperate springs which yield, in turn, to gorgeous summers. You get the gist.
So anyway, prepare for an outpouring of patio pointers and terrace tips, composed to help you plan relaxing afternoons and casual evenings in temperate bliss. It’s amazing what you can do — with just a little expense — to make the great outdoors even greater. Here’s our 12-point guide.
Scan your neighbourhood for inspiration and take photos of things you like. Look upon this as “external mood boarding.” Consider all your options and, if necessary, make a 3D model or plot everything out on graph paper.
Before so much as thinking of furniture and accessories, ensure the outdoor space is ready. Use a power washer to remove grit and grime. Doing this won’t simply clean, it’ll reveal the original tones and patina of your decking.
Treat your timbers. Apply wood preservative to inhibit moisture ingress and sun damage. The team at your local Home Hardware will help you choose the best products.
If you have any slabbed areas, clean between each tile (the manicure comes later) and apply weed killer to inhibit further problems.
Be sure-footed; it’s best to avoid glossy surfaces in outdoor areas. We sometimes add sand to exterior floor paint to provide extra grip. About a cup of medium gauge per gallon should suffice.
Choose lighter colours to help reflect heat so your terrace stays cool.
If you have grass, think Wimbledon. Invest in a mower and start striping your verdant patch. A clipped lawn suggests overall garden care.
To avoid your porch becoming a messy stop-off point for kitchen garbage, buy colour-coded crates, arrange neatly and ensure they don’t overflow. If space is tight, sort refuse into bags and head for your nearest recycling centre. You know it makes sense.
Consider the way your furniture relates to the rest of the exterior. Plunder detail from your home’s architectural period — rooflines, eaves, etc. — and mirror these esthetics. Mixing and matching is fun, but respecting your home’s architectural “vernacular” will pay dividends.
Bright potted flowers will add drama. Nowadays you needn’t be an expert to achieve great results — even big box stores have horticulture that’s bred to challenge the most abject conditions. Hanging baskets, too, are a great way to add pop, although remember that, on hot days, they can dry out in less than an hour.
A few carefully selected cushions will add “pop” to the plainest furniture, while decorative outdoors crockery will awaken even the most boring table.
Tuck wee tea lights into storm jars and light citronella candles to keep bugs at bay. It would be hellish to find a plague of yellow jackets sucking the life out of your balsamic dressing as you serve up that achingly cool walnut and arugula salad. Stung tongue, anybody? Thought not.
TODAY’S MAKEOVER
Flooring OK, so we’ve squawked this a million times but, as always, preparation is key. Slap on the paint (especially in outside application) and it’ll flake off quickly. Sand everything carefully, however, and lovingly apply the finish layer by layer, and the fruits of your decorative labours will endure .
Decorative railings C&J watchwords: safety and glamour. Working to a strict design, our builders removed the old railings, installed a secure top rail and side supports, and infilled the main area with decorative X-frame motifs. To act as a wind shield on breezier days, we applied timber sections at the rear and painted these black to help them “disappear.” The X detail, painted white, really pops and, in doing so, brings the overall vision to life.
Seating With every hot day comes the prospect of an unexpected downpour that can damage lessthan weatherproof furniture. We love genuine wicker, but the thought of our clients heaving everything inside then out between showers made us feel sufficiently guilty that we employed wicker look-alike plastic to better cope should storm clouds loom. Try andrewricharddesigns.com for a cool range of options.
Outdoor rug Even with the most potent precipitation, this rug will remain comfy underfoot and impervious to mould and fibre “collapse.” Most outdoor rugs tend to be one colour, but this one has a big traditional damask print that adds a wonderful layer of visual interest. Check out korhani.com and prepare to be floored with rug-tastic inspiration starting at just $9.
Acrylic mirrored section Treated to the same colour scheme as the rest of the deck, and with acrylic mirror sections installed to bounce light and conceal dated louvre doors, the rear elevation (it’s actually a tool shed) suddenly takes on the look of a cute wee coach house. Remember to place mirrors thoughtfully; birds often find them invisible and fly into them so use them in strict moderation at low level. Lamps, flanking the doors, complete our transformative vision.
Try the “Fabback” acrylic mirror from Home Depot (homedepot.ca). Available in 48 by 24-inch sheets, it costs approximately $62 per section.
Planting With a stunning natural forest already providing a rich, verdant backdrop, all that remained to be done was add faux box-ball topiaries from Canadian Tire (canadiantire.ca). Simple, cost-effective and no trimming required.
With careful planning, it’s relatively easy to transform your lacklustre patio into a brightly manicured, exciting haven.
We’re all familiar with the maxim “bring the outdoors in,” but — should the mercury fail to accelerate — perhaps it’ll finally be time to “take your indoor sunshine out.” Jaunty tablecloths at the ready? We’ll see you next week.