Your back yard can do a lot more for you than serve as a place to plop your tool shed or the kids’ swing set. These days, homeowners have an exciting range of possibilities when it comes to this often-overlooked part of their property.
From an outdoor living room or a firepit entertainment center to a full-blown second kitchen under the open sky, outdoor living spaces can now be equipped with almost all the comforts of indoor living.
2019 Trends in Outdoor Living
To help us keep track of it all, the National Association of Landscape Professionals publishes an annual report on outdoor living spaces. And yes, before you ask, outdoor living styles shift from year to year, just as styles do on the fashion runways!).
But you don’t have to attend New York Fashion Week or fly to Paris to see the latest style trends. In this industry, we have the big home shows that take place each winter, where all the top style makers and trendsetters show us what’s new in outdoor living for the upcoming warm-weather season.
Here’s what we’re seeing for 2019. Skim through these ideas and see if any might be suitable for your own back yard this coming Spring and summer in the Raleigh area.
Multifunctional Hardscaping Projects
People want more than a pretty yard to look at through their window. They want to use their backyards – spend time in them, too. That means incorporating backyard elements that serve two or more functions.
A great example of this is a retaining wall that not only adds structure and support to your yard but also has some built-in seating. The seating can then serve as the anchor for a whole new outdoor living space. People are getting creative in this area, designing spaces they can use for, let’s say, movie night or cozy nooks for summer meals at home.
Phenomenal Pergolas
A pergola, in it’s most basic form, is merely an overhead structure that provides shade. Sometimes lights are strung along the edges and sometimes plants can be hung from its upper beams.
But for 2019, the pergola is set to receive a serious upgrade.
No longer viewed as a stand-alone structure, the pergola is now starting to become the centerpiece for elaborate, wonderfully outfitted outdoor living spaces. We’re thinking along the lines of outdoor living rooms nestled beneath the rafters of a beautiful, sophisticated pergola, perhaps anchored by a stone patio and framed by a retaining wall.
The trend-makers are also predicting that outdoor kitchens and fire pits will increasingly be housed under these modern, updated pergola styles.
Metals
Experts are also predicting a major trend toward using metals in backyard living spaces. That could mean anything from decorative features like artful copper pinwheels to decorative elements that blend with masonry projects like water features. And steel or ironwork go beautifully with stone hardscaping projects, like the kind we specialize in here at Covis.
Whether you’re thinking about incorporating a few small trendy ideas or you’re looking to redo your entire yard, we’re here to help. From the design phase to breaking ground and through to completion, we’re with you every step of the way, offering professional advice and expertise in all your home stonework projects. Give us a call!
