With the utmost attention paid to interior and exterior connection in all of our new builds and renovations, our clients often anticipate the arrival of summer with excitement. Especially on holiday weekends, it’s time to add the elements architecture cannot direct—friends and family—to enjoy outdoor spaces to the fullest and celebrate al fresco living.
Creating seamless transitions from indoors to out makes outdoor entertaining almost effortless for our homeowners. Ground floors are often connected directly to porches, patios, or terraces covered by pergolas, capitalizing on long views or water vistas where possible to draw guests outside. When this sort of smooth transition is executed successfully, the outdoor program all but becomes additional square footage for the home.
Depending on client asks, we often create layers of outdoor spaces that offer homeowners lively, multifunctional gathering options. This may mean designing an outdoor kitchen alongside a large dining area or a fireplace while also developing more secluded hideaway spaces to enjoy with smaller groups.
For active and multigenerational families, recreation is often the name. Aquatics in the form of pools, spas, fountains, or ponds may be placed near putting greens, tennis courts, bocce courts, or horseshoe pits creating spaces in which meaningful memories are made. All of these elements can be integrated for moments of action and delight at a property.
When evening temperatures drop, outdoor entertaining need not cease. Warm flames from a fire pit or outdoor fireplace offer a magically magnetic and inviting place to congregate. Homeowners can encourage guests to linger by bringing blankets outside and offering roasting skewers for marshmallows over the fire. Dark-sky compliant outdoor lighting can also significantly enhance the evening ambiance.
Well-designed outdoor entertaining areas can be as comfortable and inviting as their indoor counterparts. If this discussion of entertaining outdoors has you rethinking your own exterior program, contact us to learn how we might approach the project. In the interim, we invite you to find inspiration in our portfolio.
Originally posted August 15, 2019.
Revised July 30, 2022.