Increase your living space with an outdoor living room!

Many people would love to spend more time outdoors, but don't really have a good spot to relax outside. It's not that relaxing to sit in an old lawn chair unevenly balanced on some patchy grass, no matter how nice the weather is. You can greatly and economically increase your living area, and your enjoyment of your home and property with an outdoor living room. What separates an outdoor living room from a standard patio or porch? Well, there is a little more structure involved, to create and define the space. This structure could be a stone seat wall, an ornate trellis with vines, or maybe a tall hedge on 1 side. Overhead could be a pergola, sometimes also called an arbor, or shade structure. This helps you feel like you are in a cozy and comfortable area, not just sitting out in the middle of the yard. For the ultimate in outdoor enjoyment, a freestanding hearth or fireplace could be incorporated. The patio can be bricks, brick pavers, stamped concrete, or natural stone. You can see some examples of outdoor living rooms by clicking on the "inspiration and ideas" tab.