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Outdoor Spaces Take You Places

Creating outdoor spaces that take you places to escape is the best part of outdoor living. Outdoor rooms make you feel a million miles away even if you are just across your own door's threshold.

Stacie Stamper, Neighbor

Posted Sun, May 29, 2011 at 4:19 pm ET|Updated Sat, Jun 4, 2011 at 4:27 pm ET

There is nothing better than sipping a glass of ice tea and enjoying the southern breeze during the early morning and evening hours. Creating outdoor spaces that allow for an escape from the everyday stresses is the best part of outdoor living.

Comfortable furniture, beautiful flowers, garden accents, and outdoor art all adds to the enjoyment of outdoor living. So where do you start? Consider how you want to use the outdoor space and who will be enjoying it before you begin spending. It is one thing to create something pretty to look at but then to not use it because it isn't comfortable, functional or practical would be a shame. If you need inspiration call Garden Designer Tara Dillard.

Understand the purpose of your outdoor room then start at the floor surface and work up. For an easy an affordable solution to transform traditional concrete to a beautiful surface, consider stamping a stone pattern and staining by Concrete Resurfacing. For hardscape floor options made of wood, stone and brick and accents like fire pits, fireplaces, and outdoor kitchens, SkillTouch Construction is a one-stop-shop for building outdoor rooms. Next consider the outdoor room's ceiling. It can be a canopy of foliage and trees, an umbrella, or a new generation of a pergola called a Vergola, which is an environmentally controlled louver system that shelters against sun and rain.

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Once the outdoor room's floor and ceiling structure is determined, it's time to furnish your living space. There are so many options for furniture from iron, aluminum, teak, wicker, and plastic. There is also an endless selection of fabrics for seat cushions and outdoor draperies. If you find you are confused, consult with interior designer Shelia Jones of Delaney Interiors, who can also design exterior spaces and offer expertise in selection of furniture, fabrics, drapes, and outdoor rugs.

When your outdoor room is furnished, it's time to accessorize and decorate. Consider professionally designed flower pots from Suzi Pryles of Bloomin Pots, mosaic accents on exterior walls by artist Jennifer Freeman of Mosaic Odyssey, and outdoor art by Betsi Burgess of Florida Dream Painter. Art festivals are a great place to find unique garden accents for decorating outdoor rooms. Unusual bird feeders, sun catchers, wind chimes, and garden sculpture are great finds at events like Barefoot in the Park and the Yellow Daisy Festival. Decorative paver stones, flower pot sticks, and red glass to attract hummingbirds are among my personal favorites to add interest. The Bloomin Pots website offers unique flower pots and urns, garden accents and fire pots for outdoor lighting at night.