The Room Outside

When furnishing an outdoor living space, comfort may be king but quality and fl exibility are just as important

- Karen Booth

As spring inches its way towards summer, thoughts increasingly turn to outdoor living — lunches on the deck, picnics on the lawn, dinner under the stars, lounging by the pool. Having a wellfurnished, beautifully decorated outdoor living space makes all of these scenarios so much more appealing, and it provides an additional “room” you can use when entertaining.

“A great outdoor living area is like an extension of your home — it’s that extra room we all need when we want to gather with friends or family, or simply take some time out for ourselves,” says Steve Warner, director of Outhouse Design. “A thoughtfully designed, well-furnished space doesn’t just add value to your home, however. More importantly, it adds lifestyle value to you and your family.”

“Well-selected garden furniture is the icing on the garden design cake,” says Brent Candeo, director of Candeo Design. “You can design and build beautiful spaces but never use them due to the fact there’s either no furniture or you’ve chosen the wrong furniture. When you equip an outdoor living area with comfortable furniture that’s suited to purpose and complements the design of the space… you’ll find you want to spend a lot more time in it.”

SERVING ITS PURPOSE

“The first thing to think about is how you want to use specific areas,” Brent advises. “Are you intending to dine out there or would you like to have an outdoor lounge area? Maybe you want the space to provide for more than one function or you have multiple spaces to furnish. Once you’ve worked out how you intend to use each area, then you can think about the furniture you’d like for that space.”