We’ve all been spending a lot more time at home than usual since the pandemic first began and the trend for indoor outdoor living spaces has really accelerated as a result.
The advantages of such spaces are numerous. It’s a very effective way of making your home feel bigger, you are easily able to enjoy lots of fresh air and natural light and you can enjoy your garden whatever the weather.
If this is a home improvement that you are considering for your property, then follow the following tips and advice to really make an indoor outdoor space work for you and your family.
Make good use of glass
Sliding glass doors or bi-fold doors that open fully on to the rear of your property will help you make the most of both spaces come rain or shine. You can even incorporate sky views into the design too with the addition of rooflights, particularly if you’re thinking of a one-storey extension.
Choose your flooring well
By sticking to the same floor for both the indoors and the exterior a seamless sense of flow is created. This continuity also helps to draw the eye outside from the kitchen and vice versa and is the very best way of achieving a cohesive look.
There are practicalities to bear in mind here. The tiles you choose for outside must be suitable for all weathers. This means the material should be frost-proof and slip resistant but also ideally it will be UV resistant too, so the colour of the tile won’t fade from direct sunlight.
Ceralsio offers all these qualities and more, making it an extremely suitable solution for indoor outdoor living spaces. And it’s not just suitable for flooring; as it comes in a range of thicknesses there is the opportunity to use the same surface for wall cladding too, both inside and outside and to really make the most of your outside space.
Choose a natural effect tile, like Iseo Gris for example, to really bring the outdoors in and vice versa, while options such as Croma White and Croma Grey are great for creating a contemporary indoor outdoor living spaces that run on a continuous finish. Consider also combining different shades and even finishes to divide a large paved patio area into several zones depending on what it will be used for, e.g cooking, dining, relaxing.
Material choice is important
It’s not just your flooring and wall cladding that can help blur the boundaries between indoors and out. Consider also using finishes outside that are more commonly associated with indoors for the same effect. Painting a garden fence or wall in a shade often used for kitchens, or simply matching some planters with your kitchen colour will tie the look together. Likewise, incorporating raw materials such as an exposed brick wall inside brings the outdoors in, while positioning indoor plants by the windows or door and patio planters near to the house will help the two spaces really feel like one.
Just add lights
Your garden looks lovely by day so don’t waste all that hard work once it gets dark. Light up pathways, flower beds, walls and fences and add outdoor fairy lights to achieve a summery ambience. If you’re using the patio area for dining too then why not add a pendent light above the table, perfect for those family barbecues.
For more advice on choosing flooring and worktops for your home get in touch today.
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