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Outdoor Rooms
The new trend for luxurious outdoor rooms
uses sturdy but attractive furnishings to
create an elegant and comfortable entertaining
space to relax with family and friends. If
you are thinking of creating an elegant outdoor
room, consider the following:
- When building your outdoor room, use natural
materials that harmonize with the construction
of your house. Stone, brick, or tile floors
and walls will add to the luxurious feeling
and make your room a more permanent part
of your property. Consider using newer materials
such as cast stone. You might even install a pergola to serve as a see through roof.
- Break up the space to provide areas for both
seating and dining. Using area rugs is a good way to accomplish this. Make these
areas more intimate by placing decorative
planters in strategic spots to define the
spaces and to hide any unattractive features,
such as meters mounted on walls. Round dining
tables encourage conversation more than long
oblong models.
- Curtains that resist damage from the weather
can be installed to provide privacy and protection
from wind and rain.
- Hang mirrors to reflect sunlight and moonlight
and use lamps to increase the
ambiance of
your room. Consider installing
a ceiling fan to cool the space and keep bugs away. If
you really want to splurge,
build an outdoor fireplace that will extend the seasonal use of your
room or install a water feature
such as a
small waterfall or fountain that can mask the noise of traffic. An outdoor audio system can also be a valuable investment.
- Manufacturers are producing many styles of
furniture from high quality
woods such as
teak, cypress, and Brazilian
cherry or lightweight
aluminum that looks like cast
iron. Weather
resistant wicker and rattan are extremely comfortable choices. This
furniture can be left outside year round.
The sofas, easy chairs and ottomans can be
upholstered in fabrics that are made for
the outdoors.
- Bring the indoors out. Pillows and throws
can easily be carried back into the house
in case of bad weather, but they add an incomparable
luxurious touch. For truly elegant entertaining,
use fine linens, china, crystal and silver.
Finally, don’t forget the lighting. Candles
are good for romantic dining. Outdoor lighting that defines pathways and highlights features of your yard will
add drama to your setting. |
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