New homes deliver indoor-outdoor creativity

There’s no arguing that spending a few years cooped up at home with fewer places to go than usual helped people live more inventively within the walls of their own homes. But ingenuity didn’t end with the pandemic.

In fact, for new-home builders, it might have been just the beginning. These days, even four years since staying home all the time was en vogue, homebuilders inspire people to want to spend more time at home than they normally might.

One set of creative approaches homogenizes the areas between rooms inside the home and outdoor spaces around the home.

New twists on open plans

For years, builders have been designing homes with open floor plans that connect indoor and outdoor spaces. Large sliding glass doors, folding walls and movable glass panels blur the boundaries between the interior and exterior, creating a sense of continuity.

How do you want your builder to exceed expectations when it comes to seamless, harmonious indoor and outdoor living areas?

In most homes, kitchens, great rooms, living rooms and primary suites are set up to maximize flow and movement between outdoors and indoors. For example, today’s kitchens showcase more room between features such as counters, center islands with bar seating, dining areas and patio doors.

Indoor-outdoor flow

Some builders offer or include a California Room as a standard feature with smooth entry and exit points between multiple, comfortable dining and entertainment areas. Even if a California Room is not an option, builders in 2024 are well-versed in addressing the needs of buyers for indoor-outdoor options.

Ask about positioning an outdoor kitchen, bar or a built-in barbecue on an upgraded patio in the backyard. In some home plans, a porch, a deck or even balconies off bedrooms can bridge the connection between indoors and out.

Even the home office, which might also double as a guest room or sunroom, can get an upgrade with bigger windows for a sunroomtype feel. That same room might benefit from the addition of large, exterior doors or movable partitions so it can serve as home office by day and relaxing entertainment area by night.

For those who are more interested in the low-maintenance living of a condominium or townhome community, ask how balconies or patios can be finished in order to extend the home’s living spaces.

Spotlight the natural light

Builders prioritize natural light by incorporating ample windows, skylights and strategically placed wide doorways inside the home. In doing so, they allow sunlight to flood the indoor spaces.

Taking things a step or two further, as a homeowner, consider hanging framed mirrors on interior walls or even displaying windowframe style mirrors on walls opposite the actual windows themselves. Doing so not only brings the outdoors in by way of reflection, but enhances the brightness and aesthetics of the home.

Add green and water features

A recirculating fountain in the California Room or on the patio adds ambience to outdoor time but you can also place a smaller replica on the kitchen counter along with some greenery. When factoring in greenery, include living walls on sun-exposed exteriors or indoor gardens for orchids and succulents.

At a condominium or townhome community, consider a rooftop terrace, a landscaped courtyard and even shared gardens on common space between neighbors’ homes.

New homes are smart

Worried about forgetting which light is natural and which is plugged in? Smart-home technology to the rescue! All new-construction homes include smarthome features that allow the owners to program and control everything from indoor temperatures to features such as lighting and security systems.

Many builders prioritize sustainability by incorporating energyefficient materials, renewable energy systems and water-saving features into their designs. Additionally, they may utilize eco-friendly construction techniques and incorporate elements such as rainwater harvesting systems and drought-resistant landscaping to minimize environmental impact and promote a healthier indoor-outdoor living environment.

Chances are, the builders you meet have envisioned or been asked about the indoor-outdoor spaces you imagine. Speak with every one of them to share your dreams. Then revisit and keep the conversations open before and during construction.