7 Ideas For Creating Your Dream Indoor-Outdoor Living Space

If there’s one thing many of us have learned from the pandemic, it’s to not take the outdoors for granted. For months, we were trapped inside of our homes with little socialization. As time went on, we were encouraged to see people socially distanced outside, but not everyone had a space to accommodate these guidelines. Now, as we emerge from the pandemic, homeowners are looking for ways to bring the outdoors inside, and vice versa.

Indoor-outdoor living makes this a possibility for homeowners, as it incorporates the best of both worlds into one space. It gives homeowners more flexibility, while creating a more open, relaxing space for them to spend time, entertain guests and gather as a family. Think about how an indoor-outdoor living space could transform your home and your life. From living areas to backyard kitchens, these indoor-outdoor trends can give your home an inside-out twist.

What Is Indoor-Outdoor Living?

Indoor-outdoor living is a concept that creates a natural bridge between the interior of your home and the outside world. These trendy spaces provide homeowners with multifunctional areas that can be used for dining, relaxing or entertaining.

The goal of this popular home design trend is to bring your favorite indoor spaces outside, while seamlessly blending the two areas into one.

Indoor-outdoor living spaces can exist in any region but are ideal for people in warm and moderate climates, as they can be used all year long.

Benefits Of Indoor-Outdoor Living

There are many ways in which a homeowner can benefit from having an indoor-outdoor living space in their home. Physically, indoor-outdoor living can add additional space to your home and make your home feel much larger and more open. As a result, you can have greater opportunities for entertaining family and friends at your house.

If you do have people over and the weather takes a turn for the worse, an indoor-outdoor living space makes it easy to pack up and move inside.

It will also bring more natural light in while providing you and your family with beautiful views. A comfortable outdoor space can help you connect to nature, which will also increase your health and happiness.

All of these benefits are reasons enough to add indoor-outdoor living to your home, additionally, a living space like this can significantly increase your home’s property value.

7 Indoor-Outdoor Living Space Ideas

Another benefit to building an indoor-outdoor living space in your home is that as a homeowner, you have the creativity and freedom to put it wherever you want and design it however you want. Here are some different ideas for incorporating one that are sure to get your creative juices flowing.

Outdoor Kitchen

Remember when you used to prep food inside and then take it outside to grill? Those days are gone; just take the whole process outside now!

Some features that can be included in an outdoor kitchen are grills, stovetops and pizza ovens, sinks and refrigerators.

Open-air patio structures are one of the most common ways to build an outdoor kitchen because they protect the outdoor cooking area and can shield the space from rain, sleet and snow. Aside from covered, open-air patio kitchens, homeowners also transform their outdoor kitchens into open-flame barbecues and pizza ovens or their outdoor oasis into a full bar area.

Outdoor kitchens can be very customizable based on the needs of the homeowners.

Outdoor Living Room

The great outdoors makes for a wonderful living area, and there are many ways for homeowners to incorporate features that allow them to entertain guests outside all year long.

For those in warmer climates, this could mean simply adding some shelter such as a pergola, a covered patio or a gazebo to provide shade and protection from rain. In cooler climates, adding a fire feature can greatly extend your time outdoors. Stone or brick fireplaces, fire pits and chimineas (Spanish front-loading fireplaces with a chimney) are all warm choices.

Finally, an outdoor living space wouldn’t really be an outdoor living space without a TV. To really bring the indoors outside, incorporate TVs into your outdoor living space. You can watch the game with friends or enjoy your own version of a much more comfortable drive-in movie. If you choose a smart TV, you can even work or stream your favorite shows outside.

Outdoor Dining Area

Outdoor dining areas were perhaps one of the first ways homeowners built indoor-outdoor living spaces into their homes, and they’re still very popular today. There are many benefits to having an outdoor dining area because in the great outdoors, the space is endless! This provides homeowners with more opportunities to build an outdoor dining area with plenty of seating and functionality. Outdoor dining areas are fairly easy to build, and can also easily be combined with other indoor-outdoor living arrangements like an outdoor kitchen, bar or living room.

Outdoor Entertainment Space

During the pandemic, many homeowners made makeshift outdoor entertainment spaces, but now it’s time for the real deal. As you think about what types of features you’d want to include in your outdoor entertainment space, let us give you some ideas to ignite your brainstorming. Consider everything you might have in your current indoor entertainment space. These could be more common features like fireplaces or firepits, televisions and sound systems, a bar – or more unique-to-you elements, like gaming areas or a sauna. The opportunities are endless!

At the end of the day, an outdoor entertainment space will make you and your guests never want to leave.

Indoor-Outdoor Pool

Shoot for the stars with your indoor-outdoor living space by building an indoor-outdoor pool! Not only are indoor-outdoor pools relaxing and serene, but they are also practical because they let homeowners choose if they want to swim inside or outside based on the weather. Compared to a traditional indoor pool or a traditional outdoor pool, indoor-outdoor pool design is much more limited. However, there are ways to successfully design and build an indoor-outdoor pool.

A current trend is adding a garage-style door to your pool house.

Sunroom

If you’re building a pool, why not add a sunroom to your indoor-outdoor living space? Like pools, sunrooms can also be very calming and relaxing for homeowners, and can be customized based on your wants and needs. For example, you can turn your sunroom into a reading nook or a place to simply bask in the sun’s rays. You can also feature a swing chair in your sunroom or keep it simple with relaxing lounge furniture; whatever you need to make your sunroom feel like a tropical getaway.

Glass Windows, Walls Or Doors

Interested in cultivating an indoor-outdoor living space but aren’t ready for a major commitment? Homeowners can easily connect their indoor and outdoor spaces by using floor-to ceiling glass windows, walls or large sliding or French doors.

Tips For Creating An Indoor-Outdoor Living Space

When creating your dream indoor-outdoor space, keep in mind the layout and look of your space. For example, remember to mirror the home decor style of the interior of your home to the outdoor space. It’s also important that you use a cohesive color scheme, stick to the same floor level and extend flooring, textures and other design elements from the interior room into the exterior room.

The Bottom Line

Indoor-outdoor living is here to stay. When done well, bringing living areas outdoors can enhance your life. Enjoy yourself as you transition some of your living spaces, but if you’d prefer to purchase a home with an existing indoor-outdoor living space, we’ve got you covered. Browse homes with indoor-outdoor living spaces when you search for homes for sale in their area.