Now that Spring is here, the weather is changing, and warmer temperatures are on their way - it’s time to dust off the patio furniture and get outside. But for some homeowners, it’s a reminder to start contacting contractors to schedule an outdoor porch or patio project. It’s therefore important for contractors to be in-the-know of the trends. Let’s explore some of the top trends for 2019 so when your next client asks to create a modern outdoor space, you have some ideas.
More than ever, homeowners today are leaning towards bringing the indoors out, making their outdoor spaces more comfortable and alluring for quality time with family and friends. They are looking to expand their outdoor area to include multiple seating areas, utilizing porches, decks and patios. Building just one type of space is a thing of the past. Today’s clients want to create combinations of areas that flow naturally from one to the next, with each offering a different activity - one area for eating, one for lounging, one for warming up by the firepit. Multi-leveling these spaces is also extremely popular.
Homeowners are also looking for more creative uses of their backyard, including eye-catching treatments such as stone firepits, backyard bars, built-in grills and kitchen areas, unique water features, as well as combining the space with more greenery areas, making small herb and vegetable gardens part of the decor and not just a food source. In addition, because homeowners are investing more in outdoor spaces, they want to use it as much as possible. Therefore, providing shade and shelter is also something to think about to protect loungers from the sun and provide privacy.
There are three big trends on the more decorative side of outdoor space development. First is color. Color master Pantone released their trend reports for 2019, and rich chocolates and rust reds topped the color list. These bold colors are a change from the popular grays of the past two years. Fortunately, these colors are easily found in wood and stone building materials, so you may be on trend already!
Another more decorative trend is in the decking design. This is not a new trend, but still extremely popular with homeowners - deck borders and framing. Fine edge details make the design of the home’s deck and porch more pleasing to the eye. Using SCRAIL® InvisiDeck® can help with this, since this system can create a sophisticated deck without unsightly fasteners on the surface. It’s easy and fast to install, making this more decorative design feature easier to accomplish.
Lastly, take a fresh look at the lighting. Again, keeping in mind the vision of bringing the indoors to the outdoors, it’s important to follow interior design trends. Like in indoor dining areas, the use of modern chandeliers and hanging pendants are popular over eating and lounge outdoor areas, while lit LED stairs and walkways are also on trend.
As long as you have quality materials, the right tools, and plan appropriately, bringing these outdoor space trends to your clients will be an achievable goal and help your projects move faster and be built to last.