Ultimate Lounging For All Patios

Many of us aren’t able to change the sizes and layouts of our patios or decks. We’re left to choose furniture and its arrangement, decide what to plant, and select other outdoor elements to make the space our own. Make tiny terraces feel larger and expansive decks more inviting with these tricks for styling your outdoor lounge.

Small Bistro Approximate size: 48 square feet (4.5 square meters) or smaller
Great for: Hanging out on your own or with one or two other peopleIf you’re starting with a deck, patio or balcony with a small footprint, most design challenges center on how to maximize the space. Steal a design trick from this contemporary terrace in London and stick to a light and bright color palette to visually open the space and make it feel larger than it actually is.

This cozy balcony in Stockholm makes an argument for getting the largest outdoor lounge your small patio will support. The homeowners squeezed a sectional sofa into their postage stamp-size terrace, creating enough seating to host a small group. Piles of pillows, a soft throw, a bistro table for drinks and a chevron outdoor rug make the space even more inviting.
Hanging chairs can be a great option if you have an awning or covered porch. They make a bold design statement and keep the floor clear. A single cloud-gray egg-shaped chair hung in the corner of a covered porch looks almost irresistible, encouraging one to curl up with a good book.

There are a few ways to approach a small, narrow space such as a skinny rooftop terrace or a side yard patio. This rooftop deck in New York uses wall-mounted planters to save floor space and adds lounge chair seating that is long but narrow. A hammock with a floor stand may not be practical to walk around, but it sure looks like a dreamy destination for an afternoon nap.Another strategy for narrow spaces is to use furniture, screens or medium-size plants to divide the space. For example, placing a bench seat running across the shorter side of a patio can help the space feel wider and less like a corridor.

Medium-Size Outdoor Living Room Approximate size: 120 square feet (11 square meters)
Great for: Kicking back with a small groupCombinations of furniture, such as a built-in bench paired with outdoor chairs or a sofa, often work well to allow flexibility, expand seating and open up more room for planting on medium-size patios or decks.

The designer of this southwest London backyard built bench seating into the planter to save space and create a cozy nook for a couple of people. A folding table and a pair of bright Acapulco chairs can be moved in to allow seating for additional guests.

This medium-size roof deck in London’s Kensington neighborhood also uses a combination of seating options to comfortably accommodate up to seven people. The designer included four cushy ottomans instead of a second outdoor sofa. This keeps the seating arrangement flexible and views of the garden and rooftops uninterrupted. The low-lying ottomans also open up space for a row of boxwoods potted in tall planters, a pleasing design feature of the terrace.

Decks that are 12 by 12 feet, plus or minus a foot or so, can be ideal for hosting a small group in a space that feels intimate rather than too spread out. If your existing hardscape feels larger than what you can use for a lounge, consider quartering off a section of it as a small group seating area.For example, this San Francisco backyard uses an L-shaped bench seat to define a lounge area around an outdoor table. The space feels cozy and inviting for four or five people to share a conversation.

Larger Entertaining SpotApproximate size: 168 square feet (15.6 square meters) or larger
Great for: Hosting a backyard party for six or moreOne of the challenges of choosing the furniture layout and planting design for a large patio is making an expansive space feel more human-scale. For example, arranging large-scale outdoor seating in U-shaped or semicircular layouts, around a coffee table or fire pit, can make the space feel like a cozy, more inviting gathering place.

This expansive rooftop terrace in London, also shown in the previous photo, uses a U-shaped arrangement of sectional outdoor sofas to form an inviting lounge for a large group. The surrounding planters — filled with trimmed boxwood, pale pink and white geraniums, fragrant confederate jasmine and a small tree — encircle the seating area, enhancing the pleasant feeling of enclosure.
This garden in Sheffield, England, achieves a similarly intimate feeling in a large space with two semicircular sectional sofas arranged to face each other across a small table. This is a great spot to entertain guests on warm summer evenings.

Lowering the ceiling of an outdoor room can make an open area feel less exposed. In this backyard in Marin County in Northern California, a movable shade sail set on wires provides cover from the sun and makes the space feel more intimate.Other ways to lower the ceiling of your outdoor room: Build a pergola, plant trees to provide a leafy canopy or hang crisscrossing string lights overhead.

Real Estate Is Still The Best Long Term Investment

According to Bankrate’s latest Financial Security Index Poll, Americans who have money to set aside for the next 10 years would rather invest in real estate than any other type of investment.

Bankrate asked Americans to answer the following question:

“What is the best way to invest money you wouldn’t need for 10 years or more?”

Real Estate came in as the top choice with 28% of all respondents (3% higher than last year), while cash investments – such as savings accounts and CD’s – came in second with 23% (the same as last year). The chart below shows the full results:

The article points out several reasons for these results:

“After bottoming out at the end of 2011 following the worst housing collapse in generations, home prices have gone gangbusters recently, climbing back above their record pre-crisis levels. Prices jumped 6.6 percent during the 12 months that ended in May, according to CoreLogic.

Toss in persistently low interest rates, tax goodies that come with owning a mortgage, and the psychological payoff from planting your roots, and maybe it’s no wonder real estate remains popular.”

The article also revealed that:

“Bankrate’s Financial Security Index — based on survey questions about how people feel about their debt, savings, net worth, job security and overall financial situation — has hit its third-highest level since the poll’s inception in December 2010.”

Bottom Line

We have often written about the financial and non-financial reasons homeownership makes sense. It is nice to see that Americans still believe in homeownership as the best investment.

4 Storage Ideas For Your Kitchen Island

A lot of attention goes into selecting the right storage for an island’s main base cabinetry. But don’t forget about the ends of the island. Depending on which way your island faces and how much space you’ve got in relation to the drawers and cabinets you select, you’ve got plenty of options for display and storage. Here are four ideas to get your creative juices flowing.
1. Drawer DisplayDesigners: Bob Shelton (architect) and Danielle Zimmermann (interior designer), both of Shelton Design/Build
Location: Pittsburgh
Size: 230 square feet (21.3 square meters)Homeowners’ request: A 16-by-16-foot addition with a new kitchen and mudroom.

Island storage: Cabinets painted coastal blue with a marble-looking quartz countertop. Four glass-front drawers on end with glass cup pulls. The drawers have a false back with storage behind so the homeowners can display colorful fruit, candy, pasta, cookbooks and more.

Other special features: Twelve-foot vaulted ceiling. Stainless steel apron-front sink. Dark stained bamboo wood floor. Custom pine shelves flanking the range hood, which help establish a clear end point for the backsplash tile.

“Uh-oh” moment: During construction, the clients were concerned that the windows were too small and too few. But once the light gray paint was on the walls and the white cabinets were installed, the space felt like it had ample natural light. Pendants with 8-foot-long cords help keep the light unobstructed.

Paint by Sherwin-Williams: March Wind (walls) and Pure White (trim); pendants: Elementary Schoolhouse cord-hung light, Barn Light Electric; flooring: Portfolio in Paris Black, Teragren; countertop: Cambria in Brittannica; cabinets by Medallion Cabinetry: Maple Islander with Coastal finish (base cabinets) and Maple Cottage in white finish (upper cabinets); appliances: Jenn-Air; backsplash tile: South Beach subway in Linto, 3 by 6 inches, Ken Mason Tile; faucet: Beckon single-handle electronic pull-down sprayer in polished nickel, Kohler; range hood: Euro in stainless steel, Cavaliere; island hardware: round glass cup pulls, Restoration Hardware; contractor: Shelton Building Associates; photographer: Laura Petrilla of MissLPhotography

2. Party FridgeDesigner: Erin Jones of Erin Interiors
Location: Brooklin, Ontario, Canada
Size: 200 square feet (18.5 square meters)Homeowners’ request: A fresh look with more functional space and a layout that would work for a busy household.

Island storage: A transitional-style island features a bar fridge that perfectly fits the available end space.

Other special features: Shaker-style white cabinetry with an accent of charcoal gray (Benjamin Moore’s Kendall Charcoal). Large-format porcelain floor tile. Glass tile backsplash.

Floor tile: Duomo in cream, Midgley West; backsplash: Cristallo glass subway tile in Dove Gray, Olympia Tile; countertop: quartz; pendant lights: Union Lighting; bar fridge: Vinopazzo, AG International

3. Cookbook Call-OutDesigners: Hayer Builders Group and Kleen Design
Location: Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
Size: 144 square feet (13.3 square meters); 16 by 9 feet (4.8 by 2.7 feet)Island storage: A quartz-topped island features a slim built-in cookbook holder that puts front covers on display. There’s also a wine fridge on the other end of the island.

Other special features: Four-by-12-inch Carrara marble tile backsplash. Laminate flooring that looks like wood. Cutout over the sink that overlooks a downstairs living room.

Perimeter cabinets: Concrete Groovz, Woodgrain TFL collection, Prism; island cabinets: flakeboard flat-panel in Diva, TFL collection, Prism; cabinet hardware: Richelieu; faucet: Moen; flooring: Esperanza II collection in Denia, Beaulieu; pendant lights: C53701MB in matte black, Capitol Lighting Gallery

4. Deep DisplayDesigner: Leo Chester of Kerr Construction
Location: Burnaby, British Columbia, CanadaHomeowners’ request: A spacious renovated kitchen that would focus on surrounding mountain views.

Island storage: A 4-by-10-foot rift-cut white oak island is topped with a Caesarstone counter (with pop-up electrical outlets) and bookended by two deep display shelves.

Other special features: Blond wood cabinets. Porcelain tile backsplash.

Designer secret: “With the decision to use glulam beams, we were able to hold the structural loads as well as create a more open space,” designer Leo Chester says.

Bar stools: Scan Design; cabinetry and millwork: HF Custom Cabinets; backsplash tile: Ames Tile & Stone; fridge: Sub-Zero; range: Wolf; hood: Thermador; pendant lights: Norburn Lighting & Bath Centre