Whether you have a huge yard or a tiny one, some careful thought and planning can ensure that you and your family get the most out of it. What changes you might consider making will depend on what you want to get out of your space. If you have young children you will want to maximise play space, or if you're young and single you may be more concerned about entertaining space.
No matter what your yard will be used for, one thing that will help everyone enjoy the hot afternoons and balmy nights of a good Aussie summer is making sure there's a good flow between your indoor and outdoor spaces. Here are three ways to accomplish this.
1. Tweak your décor.
Just as when you spruce up the inside of your home, you consider how the wall colour and floor coverings of adjacent rooms will work together, you should do the same for the outside. If you've a flagstone floor or rustic floorboards in your kitchen, consider extending the same or a similar floor out onto your patio or deck.
Match the paint colour of the walls outside to the room that you go out from, and you'll make the two areas read as one continuous space. If you're on a smaller budget, simple changes like coordinating the colour of your chair cushions inside and out, or buying some inexpensive plants and decorative pots to put either side of the yard doors will help to create the same effect.
If you want to use the space all year round, make sure your outdoor furnishings are weatherproof, and go for plants that won't suffer from the cooler nights.
2. Think practical and rearrange.
Think about how you will use the area outside, and the room it connects to. Do you need to be able to keep an eye on the kids while you cook dinner, or join in the conversation round the BBQ while you wash up or serve drinks? Will there be parties round the pool or on the deck that need to hear music from the indoor stereo?
Moveable items like trampolines, paddling pools and BBQs can be positioned so that they allow people indoors and outdoors to feel connected, and if that stereo is near to a window or your yard doors, it will make your life much easier.
3. Bigger changes
If your budget allows, or you're planning some major house renovations, it's worth considering whether the access onto the yard works for you and your family. If you're planning a lot of al fresco cooking and dining but your only convenient access to the deck is from the sitting room, then moving it to the kitchen or creating an extra set of doors could make all the difference.
Even if your doors are in the right position, you can improve the flow from indoors to out by installing bifold doors. With durable aluminium versions requiring very little maintenance and being available in a wide choice of colours, it could be a worthwhile investment that allows you to maximise your enjoyment of your outdoor lifestyle. You can learn more about these bifold doors through suppliers such as AMJ Window Solutions.
