Make your yard a summer home
It started with a flat of annuals in bloom. But the weather turned too cold for them to survive and they shrivelled, and then were gone. A new flat of flowers appeared but this time sitting in the house near the window.
We are all a little desperate for some warmer weather. And getting your home’s outdoor space prepared for summer’s arrival should be on the agenda right now if you’re going to get out into the yard and enjoy it.
The backyard is a great way to expand your living area in good weather and the way that we think of our yards has changed dramatically over the decades. Neighbours used to discuss lawn mowers over the chain link fence. Now, privacy fences are at six feet and there is more of a push to get rid of backyard grass in favour of an expanded living area.
Creating zones in the yard that can be a combination of plantings around stone or wood walkways are the current popular urban yard design. Think of yard as openconcept space to be furnished with outdoor kitchens, TVs and entertainment systems. Even the furniture has progressed beyond aluminum lawn chairs to full-on living room sets with sofas, love seats, padded benches and large coffee tables. Despite our brief summers, Ontario residents spend more on outdoor furniture per person than any other North American city.
Urban backyards are changing for lots of reasons. Many people find life too busy to care for a large lawn and instead opt for lots of patio space, outdoor bars, lounge chairs, an outdoor cooking space and a casual dining experience. Grass is being eliminated in favour of flowers and trees around which the patio is built. Flowers in bloom on a variety of levels are far more appealing than a flat green lawn anyway, if you ask me.
The ability to eat al fresco is one of the most appealing aspects of outdoor living. It is, perhaps, the most ingrained; the family picnic table has been around for as long as I can remember. Create dining space close to the back door of the house because, despite organizing everything you need for the meal, something always gets forgotten. Walking from one end of the yard to the kitchen just isn’t convenient. The view from inside-to-out and the patio furniture is also an inviting picture.
You naturally want to have some shade at the table. There are lots of versions of the patio umbrella and they look like everything from a traditional umbrella that you might see in Loblaws’ outdoor collection to a sail, or a whale-tail shape you might see at finer outdoor furniture stores, like Andrew Richards designs. Add acrylic tableware, which can be found at a range of stores from high-end to dollar stores. I would suggest you avoid the disposable versions, not only for the sake of the Earth but also for your guests: paper plates don’t handle heat well and, with a glass of wine in the other hand, it’s impossible to balance. The idea of indoors-out has really taken off and it is fairly common to see an outdoor kitchen — really a built-in barbecue next to a set of cupboards. Occasionally I have seen an outdoor sink next to a fridge. Generally these elements are built into a covered area and are, essentially, an outdoor kitchen. The grills tend to be built into stone or wooden elements in keeping with the rest of the construction of the yard. Most appliance stores will offer an option to buildin the grill and many will offer the completed kitchen-like setup to make things really easy. Bars can be created either as part of the kitchen area or in a separate space, complete with music systems and TVs connected to their indoor counterparts. Once you head outdoors, you need to return to the house only to use the bathroom or answer the front door. Outdoor furniture these days so closely resembles that of the indoors that you would think the roof has blown off the house; a sectional sofa with a chaise and two chairs surrounding a coffee table, or two love seats facing each other with some occasional chairs — the options are endless. Classic teak, stainless steel, iron and woven plastics are now created so that they can stay outdoors even through winter. Some of them need to be covered with a tarp but many are fine exposed to the elements.
When it comes to fabrics, they are created to be sun and water resistant. Today’s foam padding is also water repellent — no more running through the rain to save the cushions. During the buying process, ask that these features be included so you can eliminate the question: “Where are we going to store all this stuff?”
Continue to create zones for the variety of people in your family and circle of guests. If you have a pool, you know yours home will be the hub of activity on very hot days. Having a space for sun worshippers and a place to be away from the crowd to read or have a private phone call is also good. All of this, of course, depends on the space that you have available.
Essentially, mirror the interior with kitchen and dining close to the house, living room in the middle of the yard and quiet spaces deepest into the yard. When you have completed the process, your home will be a doubly large living space for the months of warm weather.
Now is the time to plan and execute the outdoor landscape.
I feel like we sent an invitation to spring and spring has replied, “Maybe.” But if the flat of plants in that window can survive to be planted, and the temperature can climb to a reasonable warmth, excitement will build about the outdoors. Glen Peloso is a designer who is the editor of Reno & Decor magazine and national design contributor to Canadian Home Trends magazine. You can also catch Glen on the Marilyn Denis Show, weekdays at 10 a.m. on CTV. Glen appears every two weeks in New in Homes & Condos. You can contact him through his website glenpelosointeriors.com, follow him on Twitter at @peloso1 or on Facebook.