RAISING THE BAR ON OUTDOOR DESIGN
Finding beauty and comfort in our outside living spaces
One notable realization that's come out of the COVID-19 pandemic is that when it comes to our homes, space is the true luxury and not just indoor space, says Paul Sangha, landscape architect and founder of Paul Sangha Creative.
“There's a realization that all this outdoor space that we take for granted has the huge potential of being very similar to our interior spaces,” he says.
“You can eat outside and grow your food outdoors, the air quality is going to be great and to live in a truly healthy lifestyle, you've got to get outside,” says Sangha.
Sangha says he and his landscaping design colleagues have struggled to keep up with the demand for their services over the past six months. People are spending more time at home and are looking for better ways to use their outdoor areas, be it a lawn, patio or balcony.
He says more and more people are wanting to use whatever outdoor space they have to grow their own food.
“There is a desire to create more resilient, self-sustaining spaces that provide a sense of safety and flexibility in the face of an unpredictable future,” he says.
It is definitely easier to get excited about using our outdoor living areas if they are well designed and beautifully furnished, while also providing a good level of comfort in the way of seating and heating.
Greg Benson is the founder of Loll Designs, based in Duluth, Minn. The company is known for its stylish, modern outdoor furniture collections made from recycled plastic, mostly milk jugs.
Loll has just released two new products designed to entice people outdoors year round, the Fire Ring and Loll Swing.
The swing is a remake of the classic tree swing, in fun, bright colours, and made from the same recycled plastic as their other collections. The rope for the tree swing is made by a company based in Connecticut that makes rigging for tall ships, says Benson.
“It's nice rope. Really well made. There's no maintenance. It will look the same for a very long time,” he says.
In designing the fire ring, says Benson, they realized that many people have outdoor fire pits, but don't use them all that often. Adding a plastic top on their fire ring means it doubles as a cocktail table when not in use.
Making outdoor living areas beautiful is something Port Coquitlam-based Green Theory excels at.
Green Theory designs and manufactures highly customized metal planters for the commercial landscape industry and was recently chosen to produce the aluminum benches for IDS Vancouver's Wonderment installation, designed by Studio Block and Laura Melling Studio.
What sets Green Theory apart, says managing partner, Joel Franske, is that its products are designed to last for decades.
“They don't rust. We powder coat them, and there are no volatile organic compounds (VOCS) in the finish,” he says.
Another point of difference, says Franske, is that the company is scaled to the point that it can produce things faster than others.
Founded only five years ago, Green Theory distributes throughout Canada and the U.S. and is set to release a new collection, created in collaboration with other designers, in the next few months.
“We've spent years on our own in-house estimation and drawing programs, and now we can quote $100,000 jobs in about 15 minutes,” he says.