HOME INTERIORS
Installing an awning, pergola, trellis or canopy over your deck or patio will instantly define the area.
spending time outdoors isn’t necessarily limited to the daylight hours, and auxiliary light is still important. Tiki torches and solar posts stuck in the ground can be nice, but to truly reflect the intimacy of a regular living room, nothing sets the mood like the overhead and tabletop lighting we have inside. And light pointed downward will create a softer, cozier glow. The outdoor lighting industry has improved significantly in recent years, and outdoor fittings can be as stylish and elegant as indoor lighting. Pendants, chandeliers and candelabras are now graded for outside use and can withstand the elements, while they look and act like typical indoor fixtures. For a more casual approach, candle lanterns hung from a hook in the ceiling or placed on tables or railings lend a subtle nighttime glow. They’re also easy to move where you need them and require no wiring. Or maybe even string up some holiday lights in your outdoor spaces for a festive feel. Effective lighting can make your outdoor living space safer and it can also help to transform your yard or deck into an inviting place to spend time after the sun goes down.
RUGS Similar to ceilings, rugs also provide warmth and intimacy by creating a boundary between the room itself and the rest of the elements. They anchor and define the area as 76
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a space. And just like furniture and lighting made for out-of-doors, rugs have certainly come a long way and offer a myriad of colors and patterns to allow your design aesthetic to carry over from inside the house.
FIREPLACE An outdoor living space can be created around a fireplace. The popularity of fire pits and outdoor fireplaces in recent years provides double duty by helping set both mood and temperature, which means you can enjoy your open air living room even when it’s chilly. Well-designed outdoor environments that blend seamlessly with the rest of the style in the house will not only add value to the property and make it look more spacious, but will also make a more enjoyable place to live, creating a visual extension of, and complement to, indoor spaces. Whatever you choose to do with your outdoor space, a fresh-air living room is an easy and inexpensive way to extend your home, your time spent outdoors, and perhaps even provide the feeling of a mini vacation only steps away. Meredith Coopman of Meredith Coopman Design Studio lives in the Flathead Valley. She has a background in architecture and interior design. You can reach her at meredith@meredithcoopmandesign.com. FL