Room to Breathe—Seattle Landscape Designers Share Ideas for Creating Outdoor Rooms for Challenging Times
Is there anywhere that feels safer, especially at this moment in time, than your own backyard? Health experts constantly remind us that being outdoors is much safer than being in an indoor environment. Now is a perfect time to create an outdoor area where you can relax, as well as one where you can visit with a small group of friends or family—at a safe distance. And of course, your outdoor room should be versatile enough to adapt to a more carefree future.
Outdoor rooms can be designed to serve a variety of functions—play areas, barbecues, large gatherings, etc. This article focuses on two types of outdoor rooms: intimate private sanctuaries as well as areas where several people can easily visit but still be far enough apart that the risk of Covid 19 transmission is minimal.
What is an Outdoor Room?
An outdoor room is similar to an indoor room. Just like a room inside your home, an outdoor room has a floor, walls, and a ceiling. The floor of an outdoor room might be lawn, gravel, concrete or stone pavers, a wood deck, etc.
Screened on two sides, this outdoor room in a previously unused corner of the garden looks out on the larger landscape and provides a space for drinks by the fire table in the evening and listening to birds over coffee in the morning.
Design and photo by Courtney Olander; installation by InHarmony Sustainable Landscapes
A wall could be an outside wall of your home, a planting bed, or a fence or built wall. Walls provide enclosure for your outdoor room, creating a feeling of safety. Different wall heights create different emotional reactions. A 6-foot-high wall or fence makes a space feel sheltered and private.
The ceiling might be the sky, a tree canopy, an arbor, or a building overhang or roof over a deck. The feeling of an outdoor room is affected by the colors and materials used. Vibrant colors might be stimulating, whereas soft colors are relaxing.
Elements of Outdoor Rooms
Comfort is paramount when you want to relax or visit with a few friends. Seating needs to be comfortable, and surfaces on which to set a book or beverage should be within reach.
Warmth is important as well. Propane firepits and heaters are simple solutions that vary widely in cost depending on style and quality. Custom fire features personalize the area.
The site should be sheltered from wind, and shade should be available when it’s blindingly bright or uncomfortably warm, though warmth from the sun might be welcome on a chilly day. With a patio umbrella or awning, the area can adapt to either situation.
Modern outdoor dining and firepit area designed by landscape architect Kim Rooney lends itself to intimacy while also offering opportunities for distancing. The wood arbor framing the dining area has heaters and glass panels in the ceiling.
Photo courtesy of Kim Rooney
The sound of moving water is soothing and can muffle unpleasant noises such as from traffic. Bubbler fountains offer a pleasing gurgle and are attractive to birds. Self-contained fountains only require an electrical outlet to run the pump. More artful options can be designed and built by landscape professionals. When dusk falls, lighting of paths and focal points adds magic to your landscape, and overhead strings of lights also make a warm summer evening feel even warmer and more intimate.
Outdoor Rooms for Intimacy
For one or two people, the more intimate and cozier the better.
A comfy couch in a cozy corner is all you need to curl up with a book or snuggle with your sweetie.
Photo courtesy of Janine Anderson
Happy hour from this back-of-the-garden perch includes views of birds bathing in a nearby fountain.
Photo courtesy of Janine Anderson
Outdoor Rooms for Socializing
We all want to be safe and well, yet we still want to gather. Although no gathering is risk free, congregating outdoors is safer than indoors and gatherings with five or fewer is safer than inviting the whole clan. And of course, creating distance between members of different households further reduces the risk of virus transmission.
Here, a 5- by 5-foot tabletop was fitted over a built-in firepit so that a small group could socialize safely. As evening temperatures drop, the tabletop is lifted off so conversation can continue beside a warm fire.
Photo courtesy of Janine Anderson
When this Medina couple renovated their courtyard for their daughter’s wedding, they didn’t realize what a respite their garden would provide after the stay-at-home order was implemented. The couple enjoys sitting with friends by the fire feature (back right) and watching the many birds that visit their basalt water feature. Many of the plants provide a haven for hummingbirds and butterflies as well.
Design by Robin Parsons; photo courtesy of Doreen Wynja
This versatile backyard patio has distanced seating, a firepit that doubles as a coffee table, and a bubbler fountain that attracts birds but only required leveling and an outlet to operate.
Design and photo courtesy of Janine Anderson
The Bottom Line
Most of us alive today have never before experienced anything like Covid 19, and we don’t know when we will be free of the worry and the reality of the virus. Until that occurs, we need to minimize our risk while still living lives that having meaning, which often includes gathering with friends and loved ones. Those of us fortunate enough to have space outdoors are at an advantage. Thoughtful and creative use of outdoor spaces will enable us to stay safe and social—as well as have room to breathe.
Two pals don’t need much to break bread safely--just stay outside and keep your distance. This 72-inch-long table is perfect for catching up with your neighbor.
Photo courtesy of Janine Anderson
Consult a landscape designer for help in creating outdoor rooms that offer sanctuary as well safe spaces to visit with friends and loved ones.