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There was a time when cooler weather meant homeowners headed indoors. But nowadays with a variety of furnishings, lighting, fireplaces, and all the comforts of a home available for outdoor living areas, the backyard has become another room, an extension of indoor entertainment spaces.
Full Moon
The moonlight could attract some homeowners outside at night or maybe the glow from a lamp made to withstand the outdoors is inviting. Either way, homeowners are opting to extend summertime entertaining into the fall, even if the nights are a little brisker, by incorporating comfy blankets, throws, and warm conversation areas into outside settings, says Libby Langdon, host of “Design Invasion,” a home redecorating show on FOX. “It’s really about creating a whole mood,” says Langdon, who combines her talents as an actress with her interest and expertise in interior and fashion design.
Near and Far
Langdon recently decorated an approximately 70-by-90-foot deck in the Hamptons. “I wanted to create an outdoor living room and I wanted the indoor spaces to flow seamlessly into the outdoor deck,” she says. For this area, Langdon selected the Bay View Collection from Braxton Culler Inc., which is hand-woven resin material that is weatherproof with cushions that are stain, soil, and mildew resistant. “I wanted to keep the palette neutral, clean, and elegant, so I chose the Bay View Collection in an Antique Black finish,” Langdon says. “It looks like traditional material but the black finish updates the look.”
Lamps by Shady Lady featuring Sunbrella fabric shades and glass covering the electrical components illuminate the selection of seven sofas, 10 occasional chairs, five ottomans, and groupings of nesting, coffee, and end tables. Several conversation areas “maximize the space for the family hanging around the pool during the day, but also work well for entertaining and throwing parties in the evening,” Langdon says. Bamboo rugs by Shaw Rugs delineate the sections of the patio. Also, “I’m loving teak torches,” such as the kind found at local home improvement stores or online, she adds.
Closer to home, a Potomac family recently added Janus et Cie’s furnishings with Sunbrella’s Canvas Parrot and Canvas Sky Blue fabrics to the outdoor settings designed and built by Dan Law, landscape design consultant at Garden Gate Landscaping Inc. Law says that in general the trend is towards more bells and whistles outside. There are lots of opportunities for enhancements, he says, such as with lighting, irrigation, remote controls, integrated sound systems, and wireless speakers. Homeowners are making an outside space more like an interior room.
“There seems to be a renewed awareness of the ‘view from within,’ i.e., homeowners want to look out and see a beautiful space as much as they are concerned about curb appeal,” says Charles Bowers, president of Garden Gate Landscaping Inc. “Along with good-looking landscaping, they are including utility in their environments like outdoor kitchens, water features and ponds, swimming pools, cabanas, statuary, and art.”
Different Decks
Not only are outdoor furnishings in vogue, but also the style of the porches, patios, and decks are key to creating that certain ambiance. Rick Harlan Schneider, design principal at Inscape Studio, and Petros Zouzoulas, project architect, opted for natural elements, such as nontoxic lumber and sustainably-harvested cedar, for the “Butterfly Pavilion” built by DMI Development Group.
Art’s Form
With artwork springing up in area yards, another art form, animalier sculptures in bronze, finds a place in outdoor settings as well. “What I love about sculptures placed outside is that they change with the light,” says Diana Reuter-Twining, whose art has been shown locally at the Red Fox Inn in Middleburg and will be shown nationally at the National Sculpture Society’s Annual Exhibition in New York this fall.
Charles Owen, president of Fine Landscapes Ltd. and Betsy Owen, vice president of Fine Landscapes Ltd. and president of Maison et Jardin Ltd., decorate gardens with finds from France, including doors, sculptures, and hand-carved limestone chimneys and fountains. With its own plant nursery, Fine Landscapes Ltd. offers large, mature trees and shrubs for an “instant forest,” Betsy Owen says. Furniture-wise, Mia Georgette Karam, store manager at Maison et Jardin Ltd., points to the poly-wicker table sets, double chaise longues, and cast aluminum chairs as recent favorites among customers.
Around the Country
Nationally, the trend is on fire. Take the Windy City where The Merchandise Mart hosts trade shows and market events for architects to showcase the latest in residential designs and products. According to Michele Hodo, director of marketing for The Merchandise Mart Design Center, entertaining outdoors brings a romantic ambiance to a dinner party. Larger tables, rugs on stone patios, and indoor furniture moved outdoors are among the latest trends.
Erin Shakoor, a Chicago-based interior designer at Shakoor Inc., says lavish items, such as waterproof sound systems, stone containers housing speakers, swim-up bars, and wet decks, which are shallow reclining pools, are becoming the focus of affluent outdoor spaces. Even sleeping pavilions and hand-painted fabrics are cropping up, she says, with a motorized floating deck among the most unique things she’s seen. Creating outdoor living spaces ranks up there with kitchens and baths as far as renovations, Shakoor adds. Colors, such as coral, mandarin, saffron, pomegranate, and metallics, shine with a backdrop of greenery.
Let’s Chat
One of Langdon’s favorite furniture manufacturers is Brown Jordan for creating an enticing outdoor scene. Stephen Elton, vice president of sales for Brown Jordan’s eastern region, says that “chat tables,” which are made at coffee table height, are a popular trend right now. The casual “chat table” is selected first, followed by the chairs, thus forming “chat groups.” Made from a combination of materials, such as woven or metal products with teak, “a natural mix,” Elton says, these tables feature “in” tabletop choices, including granite and mosaic tiles. Another successful product is the “balcony table,” which is higher than a standard dining table but lower than bar height.
High-style tents and cabanas are hot right now, says James Caughman, vice president and general manager of The Washington Design Center. J. Lambeth & Company Inc. offers tents and cabanas for entertaining and relaxing, while Baker Knapp & Tubbs features McGuire’s latest lines of porch furnishings in rattan, wicker, iron, and more.
Water and Fire
Sports courts, hammocks, firepits, meditation gardens, koi ponds, pools, and patios fill the area’s yards with individual “rooms” for outdoor entertaining. Some homeowners opt for the more typical hot tub and swimming pool, while others add the latest in home theatres, audio equipment, and artwork to transform what used to be just a yard into what has become an outdoor living room. Even urban dwellers find ways to create usable outdoor spaces.
With football season upon us, why leave the beauty and serenity of the backyard to view the games or other sporting events? Langdon will be at her Long Island or New York City home this season watching the New York Jets. “I love football,” Langdon says. Actually she’s “addicted” to the sport, she says. Add an outdoor entertainment center, such as one from Frontgate, a blanket, some peanuts, and why not fire up the grill for hot dogs? It’s like being at the stadium, but no driving is required.
