{"id":939,"date":"2020-07-27T10:15:40","date_gmt":"2020-07-27T10:15:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sineadcassidydesign.com\/?p=939"},"modified":"2020-07-27T10:20:51","modified_gmt":"2020-07-27T10:20:51","slug":"skys-the-limit-for-open-air-rooms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sineadcassidydesign.com\/index.php\/skys-the-limit-for-open-air-rooms\/","title":{"rendered":"Sky’s the limit for open-air rooms"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Home Editor Eve Kelliher gets the inside track on why we\u2019re now so keen on outdoor havens<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Bringing
Bringing the outside in and vice versa is a key trend in home and garden design.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Weeks confined to base have been the equivalent of lashing a dollop of Miracle-Gro on every fantasy we\u2019ve ever entertained of our creating very own luxury super garden. It has to be my all-time favourite dream: Discovering that extra room we never knew was there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And while we\u2019ve always referred to the garden as \u201cthe room outside\u201d its potential as a viable open-air extension to our living space has been unlocked in recent times \u2014 in no small part due to the lockdown and TV shows transforming backyard deserts into soothing oases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research bears this out: Google searches for \u201chouse with garden\u201d were up 260% year on year in April. Nearly half -42%- of buyers now require a home with a garden, according to the Goodmove and Rightmove websites. \u201cLockdown has had a huge impact on consumer preference, with the demand for houses with gardens and more space going up, and demand for flats rapidly decreasing,\u201d Louise Fraser of Goodmove tells me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Munster interior designer Sinead Cassidy agrees. Covid-19 \u201creset all our outdoor recreation options\u201d, she says. \u201cWe had to look close to home to see how we could get our daily dose of vitamin D and how we could extend our home in any manner possible with everyone together for a prolonged period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A fire-pit was the hero of Covid-19 as, once the restrictions were initially lifted, small groups could gather and spend time outdoors comfortably.\u201d We might have to grin and bear it at times as we grip those umbrellas when \u201crelaxing\u201d, but right now, the open-air living room has never been so popular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe see our gardens as having the potential to be a multifunctional extra living space to allow for dining, chilling out and used by all,\u201d says Sinead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The traditional lawn and flowerbed staple layout of past suburban gardens has been elevated to \u201ca whole other sophisticated level\u201d, she adds:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People are now lavishing the same attention to detail on their gardens as they would on their interiors. Clever outlay and design at the start of your project space is the key.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\"Summer
Summer bedding: How about a bedroom in a glass wing surrounded by a large green garden? Picture: iStock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Any practical tips? \u201cBi-fold doors can act as a sleek divider for a gateway to the garden. Low-threshold designs allow for equal floor finishes inside and out which is seamless transitioning,\u201d says Sinead. \u201cA corner fitting is a great option for adding to an existing dining area and opening the space up.\u201d What about people like me, who sometimes like to enjoy the outdoors from a relatively safe distance, curled up with a book?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Additional
Additional recreation space created by garden seating.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Such a concept is key to any forever-home plan, it seems. \u201cIf we want to add more of a garden perspective to our existing living area, changing a window to a full-length picture window is a fantastic way to invite the outdoors in,\u201d adds Sinead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are embarking on a hybrid project of interior meets exterior, you should consider where the best access to your garden is, she advises. \u201cIdeally it should be adjacent to your kitchen for dining al fresco,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aspect is another key consideration in the layout of your garden room in order to make the most of the sun and indeed the shelter for furniture and barbecues adds the Cork-based interior designer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Linking your interior with the exterior is big news right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is a trend to towards matching the outside flooring to the inside especially where you have the floor running level with the house,\u201d says Sinead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Granite, concrete, tiling are all available choices. Ensure your outdoor flooring has an appropriate slip resistance rating.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Another nugget from Sinead, who chairs the Munster chapter of the Interiors Association, is to decide on your priority for your outdoor space. \u201cIs it dining and barbecues, conversations with friends, fire pit, water feature, easy maintenance, privacy, or storage?\u201d she asks. If you are creating a studio room, consider planting the roof to blend into the landscape, she adds. \u201cWill the furniture be left out all year round? If not storage will have to be factored into the garden,\u201d adds Sinead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like me, Sinead does not consider herself a seasoned gardener, so advocates easy maintenance. \u201cClever planting and the use of big planters are a great way to enclose the seating area in an open-plan outdoor room,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Rooms
Rooms are often now designed to bring the outside in.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As for lighting, Sinead recalls that episode of Room To Improve: Dermot\u2019s Home when he met renowned architect Niall McLaughlin while designing his own home. \u201cNiall is not a fan of large sheets of glass and considers it quite forbidding, particularly at night time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dermot\u2019s solution to this was to illuminate the garden and light up the shrubbery at night. No more black blanket of darkness. Lighting outdoors not only provides the much-needed illumination but can also create drama and atmosphere after the sun goes down,\u201d she suggests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Similarly, mindful interior colour themes create unity. \u201cUse of greens and neutrals are a wonderful way to capture nature and to be mindful of the seasons,\u201d says Sinead. \u201cBotanically-inspired indoor fabrics, rugs and furnishings can form another layer of the symbiotic internal\/external relationship and make rooms feel lighter and brighter.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Home Editor Eve Kelliher gets the inside track on why we\u2019re now so keen on outdoor havens Weeks confined to… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":940,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/sineadcassidydesign.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/1853852_4_articleinline_bn-1007259_08cc99f700e140de8b4be9d58ec5b822.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nSky's the limit for open-air rooms | Sin\u00e9ad Cassidy Design<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sineadcassidydesign.com\/index.php\/skys-the-limit-for-open-air-rooms\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" 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