We love the outdoors and we’re so lucky that Sydney is blessed with great weather for most of the year. Alfresco entertaining is the perfect way to spend a relaxing summer weekend and with the silly season well underway, hosting family and friends outdoors is a great way to connect and relax. With a cleverly designed, well thought out alfresco area you can embrace the outdoors not just in summer but throughout the year. With this in mind the team at Kaplan have put together design ideas and tips to help inspire an outdoor space that not only reflects your unique style but ticks all the boxes for your guests as well.
1.Seamless Flow & Bringing the Outside In
Inviting the outside in and seamless transitioning from living spaces to the outdoors is a great way to make the most of our fantastic weather and connect indoor living with outdoor entertaining. Kaplan have a number of designs that utilise this seamless flow in design; The Rhapsody 38 has a spacious living room that opens up to a huge alfresco deck area: https://kaplanhomes.com.au/properties/rhapsody-38/ . It’s also available as in double storey for those who need a little more space: https://kaplanhomes.com.au/properties/rhapsody-48/ . Not only does this design allow for an easy flow from the indoors to out, it also brings natural light streaming into the living space and allows for you to keep one eye on the tennis match on the TV in your living room and the other on the what’s sizzling on the BBQ.
2. An Outdoor Kitchen Protected from the Elements
Sydney may be blessed with wonderful weather, but your entertainment area needs to be able to protect you from the elements, both the harsh summer sun and winter rain. Planning your space with this in mind and installing an outdoor kitchen will let you use your outdoor space not only in Summer but also in the Winter season, keeping the good times rolling all year round! BBQs, firepits and pizza ovens are a great addition that not only provide a great focal point to the space but add additional light and warmth in the cooler, darker months. This also keeps the host where the guests are rather than in the kitchen so it can really bring this area to life. When planning this space, it’s also important to consider how the harsh summer sun will hit your outdoor area. Café blinds for shading and for privacy are a great choice, their versatility means you can adjust the shading according to the seasons. Any of Kaplan’s Aristo 29, Aristo 31 and Aristo 35 designs can easily accommodate an undercover outdoor kitchen with seating, allowing for comfortable entertaining all year round.
3 . Create a Private Oasis
As much as we like our homes to be the envy of our neighbours, we don’t exactly want them to be able to peer into our outdoor private spaces, especially when we’re entertaining. To keep yourself and guests comfortable make sure you create a private oasis with clever outdoor screening, planting and landscaping. Bamboo is a great way to create a natural, beautiful green wall that screens the outside world and gives a sense of comfy enclosure. Bamboo is very fast growing and teamed up with other exotic planting you and your guests will be transported to the tropics in no time. Just make sure you do your research and plant the non-invasive bamboo species with the screening characteristics you’re after. Invasive bamboo varieties will quickly spread and controlling them will be very difficult and costly in time and money. Café blinds are also a great option to screen out the neighbours and can be adjusted as necessary. Nestling built in seating into low garden walls is another way to create a sense of private enclosure without boxing you and your guests in. Built in seating is also very versatile and you can create pops of colour and personal style with cushions and rugs.
Thinking about how you intend to use your outdoor space and planning your design around these needs and wants is crucial in creating the alfresco entertainment area you’ve always dreamed of. Kaplan Homes has a number of Display Homes in Marsden Park, Edmondson Park and Gledswood Hills that can inspire your outdoor entertaining and our inhouse interior designer Anne can help you design an outdoor space that is both functional and beautiful. So before you start building, pop into Kaplan and speak to one of our experienced building consultants.
