Part of the Australian lifestyle for many is enjoying the outdoors. The great thing is that you don’t need to go far from home to enjoy our beautiful climate. With a range of outdoor living ideas to create the perfect entertaining area, it’s little wonder that outdoor dining is so popular. But for a fully functional home, these outdoor and indoor spaces should connect seamlessly. Plus, there are other ways to bring a little piece of the outdoors into your home.
We’ll give you some tips on connecting indoor and outdoor living spaces for maximum comfort and functionality.
Using natural light
One of the best ways to connect indoor and outdoor spaces is to allow plenty of natural light into your home. When indoor spaces are illuminated with natural light, it’s like letting a little bit of the outdoors inside. There are countless ways to bring natural light into your home, such as large windows, glass doors and skylights.
Natural light is a great way to connect the indoor and outdoor spaces of your home but it also provides efficiency benefits. With natural light to keep your home warm in winter, your heating bills go down. Plus, you’ll spend much less on lighting throughout the year.
Continuity of flooring
When joining your indoor and outdoor spaces, it’s a good idea to consider the type of flooring you use. The flooring doesn’t need to be identical because that might not be practical, but similar surfaces are recommended. You could use flooring such as polished concrete, natural stone, or timber to provide continuity between your indoor and outdoor spaces. By maintaining the continuity of flooring, the spaces feel connected both visually and physically.
Bi-fold and sliding doors
Access from your outdoor entertaining area should ideally be through bi-fold or sliding doors. Both can be fully opened to bring the two spaces together but can be easily closed when necessary. Large sliding glass doors are always a popular option because your indoor and outdoor spaces are still connected visually. They also allow plenty of natural light into your home, and we’ve already touched on the benefits of that.
Bi-fold and sliding doors are really just two of the options. There are many door styles available, and your Sydney architect is well-placed to suggest the best solutions for your space. But essentially, anything that offers a visual and physical connection to your outdoor space is going to be ideal.
Incorporate outdoor entertaining spaces
We’ve talked about how to make a connection between indoor and outdoor spaces, but what about the design of your outdoor space? This needs to be considered carefully during the design stage of your new home build. We’ve already touched on flooring continuity, so you should plan the best outdoor floor materials that can be extended into the home.
Planning your outdoor areas is important to visual outlook, so ensure you position furniture, outdoor kitchens, fire pits, or any other features carefully. There should be clear and unobstructed movement between the two spaces. Don’t overdo the features in your outdoor entertaining spaces, either. Functional items are fine, but you should still attempt to minimise clutter on both sides of the door.
Plants and landscaping
A great way to bring the outdoors inside is with the use of plants and other forms of greenery. They’re great for brightening up the home, improving air quality, and creating a more natural environment inside. You can use indoor plants strategically by placing them near doors or windows to create a natural flow.
Outdoor landscaping also plays a part, especially when connecting outdoor and indoor areas. If the landscaping complements the architectural features of the home, it creates a smoother blend between indoors and out. You can also consider vertical gardens or green walls in your outdoor entertaining areas to maintain a natural feel amongst man-made items like furniture and outdoor kitchens.
Shade and climate control
The way that you connect indoor and outdoor spaces can impact climate control, particularly inside the home. You can always design to include heaters, fire pits and ventilation in outdoor entertaining areas. But if the door to the entertaining area is open, the weather outside can find its way in.
You can use things like awnings, shade sails or even covered patios and pergolas to keep the elements away, but remember that these also affect the natural light entering your home. If you rely on natural sunlight to heat your home, this should be a consideration when designing.
Natural materials indoors
Finally, you can bring the outdoors inside on a permanent basis by using natural materials in the home. Exposed timber, stone, and other materials create a natural environment indoors, and using similar materials to your outdoor spaces creates a seamless flow. You can even consider using natural textures and fabrics to decorate, further enhancing the connection between indoors and outdoors.
Want to connect your outdoor living areas?
Here at buck&simple, we specialise in modern home design that suits your lifestyle. Our expert designers and architects take your ideas and bring them to life with highly functional, aesthetically pleasing, and energy-efficient homes. If you want a home that seamlessly blends the indoors and outdoors, we’re the team to call. Contact us today and find out how we can help.