Here in St. Louis, we’re fortunate that we can comfortably entertain outdoors for many months of the year. Depending on which community you’ve chosen for your new Consort home construction, your outdoor living options can take on many forms of dreamscapes.
Just as your personal style is imprinted on the choices you’ve made inside of your home, the same is true outdoors. Are your outdoor furniture cushions bold mango and lime green, resting on on walnut brown, clean-lined modular wicker? Or are you more about the pastel floral prints against summery, white wicker with lacey, feminine edging details?
Some of the current trends Consort recommends incorporating into outdoor living spaces include the following:
1. The “Living Wall.”
Whether you’re planting herbs, flowers or lush greens, having a vertical garden is a beautiful way to display your green thumb. We’ve seen people use everything from up-cycled, slatted pallets and plastic liter bottles to vinyl vertical closet shoe holders as the base for walls of vertical plantings.
2. Black-Painted Privacy Fences and Outdoor Walls.
Anything set against a black wall becomes instantly more dramatic. Greenery, florals and potted plants just pop. The lines in deck flooring become their own design element. Black walls tend to emanate a sense of Zen-like calm, mystery and peacefulness.
3. Personalized Patio Lighting.
From the vintage-style hanging Edison bulbs to the LED light strings inside of hanging wine bottles and shabby chic Mason jars, to rustic chandeliers and puffy, Chinese lanterns, outdoor designers have never had more options for matching unique outdoor lighting to the aesthetic of the homeowner.
4. Fire Pits and Fire Bowls.
Ah, the fire pit. This popular gathering spot is perfect for relaxing at nightfall and comparing notes on the news of the day. For a smaller footprint in more confined spaces, there are numerous tutorials on Pinterest for making your own tabletop fire bowls, mini fire pits in glass boxes, or above and in-ground fire pits.
5. The Pièce de Résistance: The Grill.
Depending on your level of grilling mastery, you can invest in tabletop grills for smaller spaces in the $100 range, or go for the $3,200 stainless steel, commercial-grade outdoor kitchen grill. Before committing to a grill that may last the next several seasons, we always encourage homeowners read reviews on sites like Consumer Reports or Amazon.
As homebuilders and home designers at Consort, we enjoy helping our clients envision and realize their living spaces, indoors and outdoors. We hope these tips have given you some fun ideas for making the most of outdoor living in your beautiful new home.
