Many homeowners associate indoor-outdoor living with luxurious elements like massive pools and patios. But you don’t need these things to get more value out of your backyard. There are certain ways to design a home that encourages people to spend time outdoors. Also, it’s perfectly feasible to build a serene and inviting outdoor area without extensive space. 

On that note, here are a few budget-friendly ways to make your exterior more livable and accessible, creating more space for your family to enjoy:

Open Floor Plan

In the typical open floor plan, the kitchen, dining area, and living area are all connected to form one unified social space. It’s ideal for entertaining guests or just spending time with your family, since everyone’s hanging out in the same part of the home. Here in Miami, a typical open floor plan naturally puts the entrance to the backyard near the living area. 

Think about it: you’re also much more likely to enter your backyard when it’s right next to an area designed for socializing and relaxation. If you’re having guests over and you’re all hanging out in the kitchen or living area, the fun can easily spill outside. 

Seamless Transition to the Exterior

An essential element of indoor-outdoor living is a seamless transition between your interior and exterior. You can accomplish this with an array of options including French doors or the increasingly popular cantilever doors. These fold open and closed like an accordion, allowing you to keep your interior and exterior partly open and partly closed at the same time. 

Doors may seem like a minor detail, but they are practically mandatory for indoor-outdoor living because you’re more likely to go outside when your backyard is constantly in your sightline. The backyard feels less separate from the rest of the home, and that makes sense since there’s less of a barrier in front of it. 

Hardscaping as Your Outdoor Living Room’s Flooring

If you don’t have the budget for a large patio, you can still create a charming outdoor hangout space with hardscaping. You have lots of different materials to choose from, like pea gravel, rocks, brick chips, etc. If you want your outdoor space to be relaxing, choose a material that’s easy to walk on, and doesn’t clash with the color palette and aesthetic of your interior. Remember, you want to maintain that seamless transition to your backyard. 

Hardscaping allows you to define your outdoor living area, making it much more welcoming in the process. Outdoor furniture also sits more easily on a hard surface. As a bonus, it also allows water to drain more naturally.

Building Your Outdoor Living Area

Now that you’ve laid the foundation, it’s time to build your outdoor hangout. Think about the last time you were in a cozy backyard. What exactly made it so cozy? Often the backyard’s generous lighting, which extends the use of your backyard past sunset, is a key element. You can drape string lights across your space, and layer your lighting with landscape lighting highlighting pathways or your landscaping. 

Here in Miami, another component of a cozy outdoor area is shade, which also helps define the space. Personally speaking, we love a pergola as a feature especially when it’s under your tree canopy. 

Lastly, give your outdoor space a focal point in the form of a table, or even a fire pit with Adirondacks around it. Making a comfortable place to gather is the key to actually using your outdoor living area regularly. 

When broken down into steps and components, creating an outdoor living area doesn’t seem too stressful or expensive, does it? We couldn’t agree more. If you’re ready to give yourself and your love ones another place to have fun, Debowsky Design Group is happy to create the outdoor oasis that suits your taste as well as your budget. Get in touch and we’ll show you how!