The Great Outdoors Series: Design Trends in 2021
A highlight of our trip to Japan was visiting the Hakone Open-Air Museum. The Weeper by Francoise Xavier and Claude Lalanne was one of my favorites. The Les Lalanne may sound familiar to those who follow my blog: they are the sculptors behind my favorite sheep!
Time to Head Outside
Summer is here! If you’re fully vaccinated, you can gather with your other vaccinated friends and not wear masks! It almost feels like we are back to our regularly scheduled programming!
Now that the weather is getting more and more beautiful here in Virginia and we are all spending more time outside in nature, I’m writing a blog series for The Great Outdoors to run all summer. I’ll cover everything that has to do with creating your very own outdoor oasis at your home. First up: the trends I’m seeing and tracking as we move into summer 2021.
A Breath of Fresh Air
When we were in the midst of figuring out just how bad the COVID-19 pandemic was going to be, I missed socializing on our patio with friends and family (and a glass of wine or two!). Designing outdoor spaces for my client’s homes is fun, creative, and allows me to think outside the box a bit more than I can inside four walls. Keep reading for insight into recent trends, my designs, and how to bring your outdoor space to life!
Backyard Fever
One thing that has been exciting to see come out of the pandemic is watching the design industry respond to quickly changing consumer demands. While backyards and outdoor space weren’t always on the forefront of everyone’s mind before the pandemic, they quickly became areas of rest and relaxation while the world was crumbling around us.
Relaxing poolside at home while ignoring all world news was probably a fabulous way to spend 2020. Source here.
In the world of design there’s been a surge in outdoor furnishing and design requests. Since last summer, there has been an uptick in sales of stylish outdoor furniture, rugs, appliances, and outdoor space essentials. Get your orders in now---if you’ve tried ordering any furniture you know that it’s taking months to get it into your home: supply chain issues another consequence of COVID!
The cement floor tiles and modern furniture work beautifully with those sculptural trees. Lounging on the daybed listening to the sound of water falling over the tiled wall fountain would be so soothing! Source.
This cozy corner would be a great place to enjoy, breakfast, lunch, snacks, dinner, or cocktails. I love the morrocan hanging lanterns, what a nice touch! Source.
Interior designers have been turning run-of-the-mill exteriors into oases; there is so much creativity going into outdoor spaces right now! While we were spending all of our time inside our homes, it’s obvious people felt the need to expand their living spaces beyond their four walls and take advantage of all available space.
Who doesn’t love movie night under the stars? This family-friendly space serves so many purposes and really expands usable living area beyond the house itself. A perfect place to send the kids outside to play some games or read a book. Its versatility makes it a perfect outdoor space! Source here.
“90% of Americans agree their outdoor living space is more valuable than ever before.”
---ICFA
The International Casual Furnishings Association found that in the past year our uses for outdoor space have shifted from recreation and play to a focus on rest and relaxation as we continue to process the unprecedented global pandemic and all of its consequences.
Along with simply being outside, the living wall and greenery in this design really transforms this bricked-in space into a secluded oasis. I love how the philodendron tendrils create a privacy curtain for this unusual outdoor dining area. Source here. Photo: Ricardo Labougle
All of this demand has led to some interesting trends for outdoor design.
Architectural Digest dives deep into trends that have popped up in the last year. Overall: a focus on wellness, functionality, and superior quality. Three of my favorite things! Photo: Douglas Friedman
Trending Now
Wellness
With this growth in demand for outdoor design, some top trends began emerging. The pandemic definitely shifted priorities for many people. Refocusing on our own health (both physical and mental) has bubbled up to the top of the national conversation.
From that comes the first trend I’ve seen in outdoor design: Wellness. Overall wellness carries over into our home and office designs as well, but as many outdoor spaces were blank canvases before this year, it’s been a top priority for many clients. Creating a place to rest and recharge away from the never-ending to-do (or, perhaps more appropriately, “to-clean”!) list became increasingly important as we were all stuck at home with our spouses and families for the better part of last year.
Integral to a Wellness-focused design is comfortable seating and a connection to nature. A serene backyard setting by Renée Byers. Photo: Annie Schlechter. Source.
Function
If you’ve been following my blog or done any projects with me, you know that my favorite part of creating a design is making it stylish and functional. I love designing outdoor spaces that work as efficiently as my client’s indoor spaces--- especially now that we’re looking to spend time outdoors for rest and relaxation and not just for exercise or gardening.
Zoning Out
Subdividing your outdoor space into zones will help you define what goes where. Zones are defined by their main function or in other words, what you are going to be actually doing in each zone: cooking, playing, gardening, lounging/reading/socializing, eating.
The client project below is a perfect example. The barren backyard on the left was not an area where the homeowners wanted to linger. I re-designed this urban space to maximize functionality as well as relaxation. It now has a covered patio with lounge and dining spaces, a grilling area, a larger dining area, a lounge area, a fire pit, and a serene sitting area with a water feature.
Let’s Get Cooking
Outdoor kitchens are a perfect example of applying indoor functionality to the great outdoors. Our outdoor kitchen at the beach not only has great seating sheltered from the sun but has the best bartender/chef in North Carolina! Stay tuned for a whole post on outdoor kitchens coming soon!
Quality First
“The Bitterness of Poor Quality Remains Long After the Sweetness of Low Price is Forgotten” ---- Benjamin Franklin
Materials Matter
The third trend I see emerging today is an emphasis on superior quality for outdoor design. No one wants their furniture falling apart after one season or their outdoor grill to malfunction in the middle of a party. I am a strong believer that you get what you pay for, but more expensive doesn’t necessarily mean “best”. The number one concern when first approaching an outdoor design is the material used. No matter where you are, your furniture and appliances will be weathering the storm (literally) out there year-round, in most cases. That’s why it’s important to choose materials that will last well beyond your expectations.
Tune in for Part 2 of this Great Outdoors series to clear up any and all materials confusion!
Make it Unique
I’m also a strong believer in supporting companies with track records in quality and customer service. Buying from local businesses with good reputations creates a relationship with your supplier if something does go wrong. In Richmond, I love that we have a large community of artisans and craftspeople who create unique, well-made pieces for customers around the world.
Dana Gibson creates beautiful fabrics and home furnishings that brighten up any space!
David Bonhoff is a furniture artisan. I would love to design a chair and have him create a seating arrangement for a client’s outdoor space.
Wendy Umanoff is a Richmond lighting designer who creates amazing lighting from common objects. One of her designs would look great on my covered porch!
How about this for an outdoor installation? What family wouldn’t want a working flower gear garden wall?! This one is actually installed in a church in the children’s worship chapel—but I’m all in for an outdoor version! Sallie Plumley is so talented (check out her instagram) and she’s such a nice person to boot! Check out the video of this gear wall in action here.
Essential Elements
Materials in Nature
As we’re spending so much more time at home, I think we all have a newfound appreciation for the basics of our homes: providing shelter and refuge during times of extreme uncertainty. Stripping design down to basics, we move to these outdoor spaces and come back to the four natural elements that make up our entire world -- fire, water, earth, and air. This article highlights the importance of all four elements in our outdoor designs and why they should be at the forefront of any designer approaching an outdoor living space project.
Source here.
This renewed interest in our gardens and our local natural community (read: deer, birds, and other critters!) has led to some beautiful designs incorporating all four essential elements. Fire pits and grills, fountains or other water features, open air patios with pergolas to emphasize access to fresh air, and, of course, the earth, should all be included to create the perfect outdoor space.
The pool, plants and terracotta flooring and flower pots all subtly incorporate natural materials in this beautiful outdoor space. Source here.
Nurturing Gardens
In addition to using natural materials (bricks, ceramics, etc), the earth element is most obviously incorporated through gardens. Edible kitchen gardens are another trend that has emerged big since the pandemic began (part of a backup plan for getting off the grid perhaps?). In addition to flowers and foliage, many clients are asking their designers for space for a kitchen garden where they can be somewhat self-sufficient… remember the TP shortage of spring 2020? And how there was no flour to be found anywhere? I think I can put my finger on the origin of this 2021 outdoor design trend!
This kitchen garden is beautiful and functional! Source.
For those with small spaces and perhaps only an apartment patio -- worry not! There are many planters and tools available for you to have your very own edible garden. These planters from Lettuce Grow are my favorite combo: stylish and functional.
Going Native
In addition to kitchen gardens, there is a larger emphasis being put on creating natural, abundant outdoor spaces with gardens that look like they’ve always been there. This has a lot to do with bringing native plantings back into the limelight (less water, good for the natural community around you, better chance of survival!), and pulling some attention away from meticulously manicured gardens and yards. People are now using their outdoor spaces as somewhere to escape, even though it’s just a few steps from their home. This means creating a peaceful, cozy atmosphere enveloped with nature. Biophilia, anyone?!
Apparently, creating a garden based on native plantings results in a garden that is more efficient and easier to maintain--I’m all for that! Source.
Stay Tuned!
Loved this post and want more? More is coming! I’ll be focusing on outdoor spaces for the next couple of blog posts, emphasizing the three big trends -- wellness, functionality, and quality -- as well as the four essential elements -- fire, water, earth, and air.
If you’re already ready to transform your outdoor space, get in touch with me! We’ll enjoy a glass of wine out there while we imagine what could be, then make it a reality.
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