How to create zones in your backyard to help create that perfect outdoor space for your home.
In Australia, we are fortunate that, for the most part, we have awesome weather and outdoor living, and hanging out in the backyard is a big part of what we do on the weekend. It's a big part of where I hang out with my family and kids.
Having a seamless flow between indoor and outdoor has become a core component of Australia’s home design.
It's also no surprise that since COVID, people are spending more time at home, working more from home, having to home school and people are craving for that outdoor space that will complement their family's needs. There has been a lot of focus placed on creating that perfect outdoor space, which is what I intend to cover here.
So what are some things to consider when you’re looking to update or renovate your outdoor space?
We all want an outdoor area that is going to be gorgeous and inviting, yet be functional for our needs.
What is your ‘home personality’ and how do you connect that, to your outdoor space?
Do you know what ‘home personality’ you are?
To make your outdoor space work for you, it helps to identify what your home personality is.
There are 4 main categories:
- Home Body: someone who likes to relax and chill at home
- Entertainer: Loves to entertain and thrives on having people over. Tend to have more of an extrovert personality.
- Parent with young kids: spends a lot of time outside with the kids
- Chef: you love to cook and entertain with food.
Do you recognise yourself in mostly one or a couple of home personalities?
Once you have this identified, you can turn your attention to setting up zones. This does strongly depend on how much space you have to play with, but in even the smallest of backyards, you can create some zones to reflect your personality and create the feeling of space.
The key is prioritising what works for you best.
Breaking up your backyard space into zones
- Dining and Alfresco zone
- Sitting/ chill-out lounge zone
- Green Space zone
- Special Interest zone- pool/ fire pit/ pizza oven
- Kids play zone- swings, basketball hoop, trampoline
Depending on what your home personality is, your main zone should reflect that. For example, if you're a Home Body, you want to identify a zone in your backyard that can be dedicated to relaxing, lounging around, and is super comfortable and plush. If you love to entertain, then your key zone will be a special interest zone, maybe a fire pit. A place where you can gather friends and family.
Whatever your key zones are, map them out in your backyard and create the zones with different textures, seating, planting.
How to connect the flow from inside to outside. The ultimate Australian Design Principle
Your home will seem more expansive and inviting if you can connect your indoor space to your outdoor space.
- Use things to take your eye outside
- Use things to take your eye outside
- Slider doors can be useful to open up the divide between indoors and outdoors
- Servery window can connect the inside to the outdoor eating or cooking zone
- Having a covered area next to the house will also add the sense of expansion of the home and help to create seamless flow.
- Creating seamless flow of flooring from indoor to outdoor through recessing base tracks of doors and/ or using the same flooring that extends to the outdoor space.
- Adding a pergola that is connected to the house will also give the sense of another room and help to draw the eye outwards.