Creating a great outdoor entertainment area this season

What was once only viewed in the most expensive American homes, the “Outdoor Room” — as it’s called in the home and design sectors — has now become mainstream offering all homeowners great outdoor entertaining options.

Outdoor entertaining in such a space whether the goal is to create a beach house feel or just a comfortable and casual place to interact in the backyard is easier than ever. Here are some ideas and design tips to get you on your way to the best outdoor entertainment space on the block in Virginia or wherever you call home.

Outdoor Kitchens

Some of the more interesting attractions homeowners are adding for outdoor entertaining is an outdoor kitchen complete with many built-ins such as high-efficiency barbecue cooktops, Wok side burners, Stainless Steel refrigerators, pizza ovens, speed racks for outdoor bars, fireplaces, and fire pits.

It’s true, that since the COVID-19 pandemic, homeowners have been spending a lot of time and effort in making their backyards the best place for outdoor entertaining.

Yes, backyards across the country are becoming much more than a deck or patio simply used for outdoor dining, barbecuing, and the like. Homeowners want a more stylish outdoor room that is an entertaining center built around the main attraction, the grill. In short, they want a wonderfully aesthetic design that equals a dream outdoor oasis to be proud of.

People have been upgrading their indoor kitchens for years with professional-grade stoves, range tops, refrigerators, dishwashers, and more. And in the past decade, a growing number of homeowners have been applying that same top-of-the-line approach to their outdoor living rooms/spaces for great outdoor entertaining by installing outdoor kitchens.

Getting Trendy

Why the trend for more outdoor rooms and additional emphasis on luxury? As mentioned, since the COVID-19 pandemic and the many lockdowns and lock-ins that kept people at home, most have gotten used to spending more time in their humble abodes.

Even though most COVID-19 pandemic mandates have been lifted, as well as social distancing practices, for the most part, people still want to stay closer to home to spend more time with their family and friends. This means making their homes and yards more flexible and creating better outdoor entertaining places to comfortably gather.

The indoor "Great Room" that became popular years ago combined the kitchen, dining room, and family room into one large space where it was easy for everyone to connect.

As homeowners have become more attracted to a casual lifestyle, the concept of enjoying everything in one place is carried over to their outdoors where landscaping is part of the ambiance.

Again, those Stainless-Steel appliances that became the kitchen standard years ago, have also become the standard for backyard cooking, outdoor dining, and outdoor entertaining.

Homeowners want their outdoor rooms to be well equipped and coordinated in design and are adding counter space, covered patios, lounge chairs, ambient lighting, edible gardens, picnic tables, refrigerators, and various other accessories to complement their outdoor entertaining areas.

Other Cool Ideas

This concept of ‘outdoor living,’ makes a backyard and patio an extension of the living space of your home that many homeowners are loving year-round depending on where they live.

Some other ideas to add to your outdoor room beside the above could include additional seating, extra seating, and more casual seating with clean lines including sofas, loveseats, lounges, club chairs, and spring rockers all in the effort to create a cozy space.

Don't forget outdoor table lamps and floor lamps, outdoor rugs, outdoor fireplaces, and many new styles, sizes, and shapes of umbrellas, cabanas, pergolas, and gazebos can all create a house beautiful appearance.

Outdoor seating and other furniture trends have also become more sophisticated with clean lines or simple lines in their designs and now include outdoor weatherproof synthetic wicker, tropical/Caribbean influence styles and fabric (bamboo, banana prints), and sling-type mesh fabrics for easy maintenance.

Demand is high for patio/backyard covers including table umbrellas, market umbrellas, wrought iron, resin, and fabrics all to make the best backyard living space ever.

These covers provide comfort, and shelter from the elements, and make ‘outdoor living’ easier and more comfortable.

How to Create Cozy

Another popular design idea for backyard living is outdoor fireplaces and fire pits as these can be built as a permanent structure in the landscape plan or can be bought as a prefabricated unit and installed the next day.

Prefabricated, full-size outdoor fireplaces with a hearth can be wood-burning or gas log and are super popular all over the country.

Other design tips include adding a seating area around a fire area, as comfortable couches are great for entertaining or just enjoying on your own. Go bold and big and add a TV and an outdoor projector to show your creativity and cap off the area that neighbors will envy.

Super Spas

As for spas, and other water features, these too have become an excellent backyard item that many homeowners are adding to their yards.

Since many people are stressed from long hours at the office, coming home to an outdoor spa is an attractive option like one with hydrotherapy options. These are cyclone jets designed to target pressure points throughout the body, including the balls of your feet. Such jets have been shown to reduce heartbeat and soothe sore muscles. Many doctors prescribe this for rehabilitation therapy, too.

Swimming Pools

One of the ultimate backyard entertainment areas and usually the focal point is the swimming pool in all its wet glory.

If you’re thinking of putting in a pool this year, why go simple when you can add fountains and waterfalls that complement, or overflowing urns or cascades over stones?

Also, vanishing edge pools are popular as well as uniquely shaped pools that are becoming the trend. Artificial rock pools and spas are on trend too because homeowners are staying away from pools with tile coping and want to feel like they are on vacation.

The sky is the limit when thinking about installing a pool as swimming pool companies today can turn a backyard into something you would see in a resort thanks to the use of caves, waterfalls, slides, and diving rocks to accent any backyard.

Rockpools can be great fun, and not only do they look beautiful, but they also provide an unlimited amount of fun by jumping off the rocks, sliding down a rockslide, and swimming under waterfall caves.

High-Tech

Thanks to the state-of-the-art technology all around us, outdoor appliances, including Stainless Steel, prefabricated fireplaces, bulletproof patio furniture, and large screen TVs outside are now possible.

Add some ceiling fans that operate via remote for a subtle airflow to keep the space comfortable on extremely hot days, or misters to cast air-born cooling and you’re set for the day.

How about a groovy palapa or thatch structure or a few Tiki torches here and there, up-lighted palms or shade trees, hidden speakers in the shrubbery ...

In the end, homeowners are excited about taking the indoors, outdoors, and entertaining as often as they can in the Great Outdoors, wherever they may live.

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