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Over the past couple of years, the outdoor space has been utilized as an additional room, and the trend looks to continue gaining momentum into the future. Outdoor living and entertaining have become increasingly important to modern-day life. Nowadays, more people are enjoying spending time outdoors while at home with family and friends. Ultimately, this means there’s a greater need for homeowners to offer their guests a comfortable outdoor space where they can unwind, relax, enjoy, and catch up on social life.
In light of these developments, specific trends have become popular when it comes to outdoor living and entertainment at home. These backyard trends showcase the latest and most exciting trends in outdoor styling and design.
#1 Transforming outside space to inside
Redesigning outdoor spaces as an extension of our indoor spaces is already a huge trend, and excellent for making outdoor spaces usable all year-round. The demand for al fresco dining has seen many homeowners transform their patios into outdoor dining spaces. With LED lighting and heat lamps installed in your patio or backyard, you can enjoy family dinners under the stars. You can also take outdoor dining at home a notch higher by installing a kitchen/bar station, especially if you’re really into barbecues. Cushions and rugs can all find their place on teak garden benches just as they would on the sofas in your living room.
#2 Redesigning outdoor spaces for year-round use
As the COVID-19 pandemic raged on throughout 2020, many homeowners realized that holiday gatherings wouldn’t be as merry as they used to be if they didn’t get creative. Consequently, many people invested heavily in products that could make their backyards, balconies, and patios more livable even in the winter. Borrowing a leaf from the Scandinavians, who are masters in year-round outdoor entertaining, people have discovered the allure of things like heavy-duty blankets, pizza ovens, and outdoor fireplaces. Additionally, people have discovered the need for firepits and heat lamps when it comes to snuggling up. Other outdoor accessories that have gained popularity include shade sails and umbrellas to repel the sun and drop-down screens to enclose patio spaces and keep insects like mosquitoes at bay.
#3 Natural materials
Plastic and metal outdoor furniture and accessories have been popular for a long time because they offer clean, modern lines often associated with minimalism. Moreover, these materials tend to be very resistant to the elements. The interest in minimalism has been waning in the past few years, so has the use of artificial or synthetic materials in alfresco decor. More people are looking into using natural materials, like wood, wicker, wool, and organic cotton.
The main reason behind the design shift to more natural materials is probably increased environmental conservation awareness. Natural materials like wood and cotton often don’t require extensive refinement processes that involve the use of toxic and harmful chemicals that are widely associated with catastrophic environmental consequences. As long as you make a point of taking good care of outdoor furniture made from natural materials, like wood, by moving them under cover during bad weather, you should be able to maintain their natural design for many years.
#4 More permanent sheltering
Temporary pop-up outdoor structures are giving way to more permanent sheltering with features like built-in cooking areas installed with barbecue and pizza ovens, storage areas, as well as prep areas. The most enthusiastic barbecue fans are now not satisfied with one grill alone. Instead, they invest in various models, from smokers for the slow cook, gas-fired for a quick cook, charcoal for the authentic barbecue experience, and even to the wood pellet grills you can easily control from your smartphone. The portable parasol is also giving way to more semi-permanent overhead protection. Lastly, rustic wooden furniture sourced from sustainable sources is increasingly becoming popular when it comes to manufacturing traditional garden benches, like teak garden benches and picnic tables.
#5 Green chill zones for big-city residents
Limited square footage is no longer a hindrance for big-city dwellers that want to create dynamic outdoor spaces. City dwellers are increasingly transforming their tiny balconies into gardens by utilizing the available vertical space. People are also using the outside walls of their balconies to inject color into the space with plants and nature-inspired murals. However, you have to strategize when it comes to placing pops of color to make the most out of tiny spaces like balconies. While one color scheme might seem restful, it can become somewhat boring. For instance, green can be a great backdrop color to mix up with other colors, shades, and tints to contrast and accent.
#6 A shift from cool-toned to warm color palettes
Apart from the shift in the types of materials used for outdoor furniture and accessories, modern outdoor furniture is increasingly becoming available in warm and inviting colors. For a long time, color palettes for most outdoor pieces have been relatively cool-toned: icy blues, black, grey, cream, and whites. While cool colors tend to have a refreshing and calming effect, they often don’t make outdoor spaces feel very welcoming. In recent years, the focus has shifted to warm and earthy hues, such as golden yellow, brown, olive green, taupe, and dusty red.
The great thing about warm colors is that you can integrate them into different places in your outdoor spaces, not just the furniture. For instance, your back and front door could do wonders on the ambiance of the surrounding outdoor space with a new coat of warm-colored paint. Alternatively, you can change the color of your home’s trim around the doors and windows. How about adding decorative hardscaping such as fences with a warm, inviting color palette? These are relatively small fixes, but they pack a huge decorative punch, and everyone visiting your home will definitely like it.
The most notable outdoor living trends going forward will focus more on making outdoor spaces more of an area to socialize, rather than a horticultural centerpiece. Functionality, environmental protection, and sustainability will also continue to play a more prominent role.