Where can we Play?

We are currently talking about designing our back yards as rooms. Areas where we design it furnish it and use it for different purposes just like we have different rooms in our house. This week we will talk about the “Fun Room”. I have been thinking there are so many different rooms we could design here that we need to take more than one time to look at it so this time I am going to talk about the pool room. No not the one with a table, balls and cues but the water playground of the summer.
More and more the pool has become a big part of the back yard and for those who like swimming and sun bathing it provides a huge amount of fun and pleasure. Many times it becomes the focus of activity in our back yards. The thing I don’t like is how they can sometimes take over. I have no problem with having a pool in the back yard but it needs to be sized right so that it allows for other activities as well. So once we get the pool sized right for our yard we can put it where it works. I personally like to see some room between it and the house so we have space for our entertainment and intimate rooms. We also don’t want it to be inconvenient. We need to think safety first so that we need to have the proper fencing and make sure we meet the municipal codes and all. I think there needs to be a good walking area around the pool. This should be 4’ minimum and could be concrete or paving stones if the pool is in ground or decking if it is above ground. All of this takes space and for some of us, we just don’t have enough of that but sometimes a hot tub is the right answer (maybe not for the kids though). The landscaping design around the pool is important and can take a rather plain back yard with a pool to one that is both enjoyable for the kids to play in but welcoming and a pleasure to the eyes as well.
To make it all work right we need to have the right furniture, loungers, chairs and tables for those times when we want to spend time in the sun working on our tan, relax and have something to drink or just enjoying the view.
When you are looking for furniture to meet these needs check out “Teaksnmore” and “Outdoorcedars” they both have wonderful outdoor and patio furniture, loungers and chairs. The links are over to the right.

What’s your idea of an intimate room?

If you were asked to describe an intimate room in a word or two what words would you use? You might say things like: small, cozy, special, just right for the two of us. All of those things certainly could be true. What I’m not talking about here is the bedroom. So if you were to paint a picture of what the intimate room would look like it might be a small room or area on the deck with a small table and a couple of chairs where you would spend some time in the evening by yourself or with someone else having a great time of conversation along with a glass of wine. We talked earlier in another article about lighting and here is the perfect time to use candles for both lighting and atmosphere. Another time you might use this room would be in the morning reading the paper and enjoying a cup of coffee before your busy day begins. A Bistro set would be perfect for this. It is also a great spot to spend some time with a friend during the day over a coffee or drink. Any time there are only a couple of you this room is the right place to be.
For this room in your back yard you will need an area no bigger than 10 x 10 and it could be a fair amount smaller. The name I have given it really tells you the feel it should have “intimate”. A small gazebo or corner on you deck are perfect. It could be near a hot tub in case the conversation leads in that direction. It will want to have a feeling of enclosure (a feeling of walls if at all possible) so if you don’t have a gazebo then an area that has that kind of feel is what you are looking for.
I personally have enjoyed my times in the morning having a coffee and doing some reading listening to the birds and the sound of water from my water garden. It’s very relaxing.
Think about your back yard and where you could set this room up. Mine is in a corner of our deck. I have flowers hanging around from and overhead beam it feels just right.
If you are looking for a bistro set to set your room off right check out the ones we have at "Teaks n More" in the oak section. The link is to the right or click here. While your there have a look around at all the choices there are of Outdoor Garden Furniture.
Next time we will talk about the “Fun Room”.

Do you love to entertain?

The first room I will talk about is the entertainment room.
This is the space we will use to entertain our friends or family. The size will depend on our habits, desires and the space we have to work with. Do you entertain one other family at a time with the total number being 20 or less, or are you a “big time” entertainer?
In this room we will need to have a place for a table and chairs for eating. You will also need a place for the BBQ and a place to set the food and/or the drinks on a bar area or side tables. All this means that it probably should be very close to the house for the ease of getting the food from kitchen to our outdoor room easily. Often this room is on the deck or patio just outside the back door. This is not a necessity. If you have the money, some people build a small outdoor kitchen complete with stove and frig, counter space the works so they can do all the prep work outside as well. Whatever the case you want the room big enough so that people won’t feel cramped but small enough that people don’t feel lost. Often the walls are the railing on the deck but if you have a patio or are out on the grass try placing some large pots of flowers around to give the room it’s own space. This works great if you want your room to be able to be sized differently depending on the number you are entertaining.
Having a good table set both attractive and comfortable is a must. Do you remember the picnic tables we used to have, about 4 x 8 with a bench on each side, practical (well sort of, remember trying to get seated at one), but not much to look at? Well the world has changed. The patio sets today look so much better and there is so much more to choose from. It seems like every department store out there has them (in season that is).
The choice you make will depend on your taste. I personally like wood. It is more environmentally appealing in the natural setting and I don’t know but it just makes me feel more comfortable. After dinner it’s time to clean up and play some games or just enjoy a relaxing evening of conversation, so the furniture you use needs to be comfortable. For me the other important factor is quality. There is nothing worse then spending good money on something only to have it break or looking old in a short period of time. Cedar wood or Teak wood furniture is great for this. They both stand up well outdoors and last looking good for years.
Teak costs a little more but needs no finishing and lasts the longest because of its natural oils that protects it from the weather.
Now is a good time to start planning for next summer and start making some purchases so it doesn’t hit you all at once next spring.
Have a look at our outdoor furniture at our stores "Teaks n More" and "Outdoor Cedars". I love the styles! If you are looking for more casual sets you can find them at "Outdoor Cedars". The links are on the right.
Next time we will talk about the “intimate room”.

Making it look Great!

When you start thinking about your back yard one of the big things to think about is design. Our Back yards are quite varied, big ones small ones plain ones and meticulously groomed or barely groomed and everything in-between.
We all love going to a back yard that a lot of time and energy has been spent on, along with a sense of style and design and we say wow. Many though would not want it for their back yard. Why? They don’t have either the time or the money for it.
Well in this series I am going to talk about design but not a specific design, but a way of thinking about design that will help us make the right choices for us as individuals. This will help us develop our back yards in a way that will get us not only what we are really looking for but one that will fit our needs our desires and our budget.
We are going to talk about our back yards as rooms. So what do I mean? Well like we have different rooms in our house with different purposes so we can have different rooms outside. Each of these rooms will have a definable area. The “walls” may be a couple trees or some scrubs or a flower bed or hanging baskets or the railing on our deck. The room could be the deck or patio or it could be just a part of it. These rooms could be small like 8-10 sq feet or huge. Have you ever been somewhere and felt uncomfortable or lost in a yard or park because the space was so large that it made you feel uncomfortable. What we want to do here is to size our outdoor rooms to the activity we are using it for. In our house often we find a small room or large closet and make it into a room for reading. Why? Because we feel comfortable and cozy there, and we feel lost in the living room when we are there by ourselves. We want to feel comfortable where we are and we sure don’t want to feel lost in our own back yards.
So we are going to talk about how to define our rooms, what we need in the room, where the best place is to locate it, and many other things as we think about this together.
Next time we will talk about the “Entertainment room”.
So til next time keep enjoying your back yard and if you get a chance check out our furniture stores. The links are to the right.