Discover the Outdoor Living Room

Have you ever considered adding on another room but figured it was just too costly? Possibly a big family room, a den or sunroom was what you had in mind. A place to relax and enjoy life.

Actually, you do have that room available to you, but probably never realized it. Your property can be transformed into an outdoors living room with a little bit of imagination and ingenuity.

It doesn't cost nearly as much as a building project, and you won't have to live with the noise and dirt of construction. In most of Ohio you can spend at least five months of the year, if not seven in your outdoor living room. You can visually enjoy this room for all twelve months, even if from indoors in the winter.

Your outdoor living room can have all the amenities of an interior room, and you can perform virtually any activity outside which you can inside. If you create a secluded spot at the back or in the side yard, you will have just as much privacy as well.

The walls of your outdoor living room can come in many shapes, sizes and colors, providing the same effect as wallpaper, paint or paneling would in an interior design. Perimeter type plants such as juniper or spruce, rows of shrubbery like lilac or viburnum, small trees such as crab apples and service berries, or fences of all kinds provide excellent "walls" for your outside living room.

The "floor" can be a luscious green lawn, a brick patio, or a treated wood deck. The broad branches of a maple, oak or ash will be your ceiling.

Flowers and flowering shrubs function as decorating accents. An individual tree with distinct characteristics, like a "weeping" flowering crab, can be a focal point, as could a bird bath, statue, wading pool or fountain.

Although a television may not be the main attraction (however, many good portable televisions are available), the view from your outdoor living room is live and in color. Birds and small animals provide the action, or perhaps a wind chime or waterfall for the sound.

Many different kinds of furniture are available. Wicker, wrought iron, wood and synthetic tables, chaises and chairs can create inviting and comfortable seating. Almost any style or taste can be met in high fashion.

Many activities can take place in an outdoor living room, from sleeping in a hammock to relaxing in a Jacuzzi or hot tub. By adding a portable or permanent grill or fire pit, exceptional meals can be prepared outside, and with a picnic table or built in deck bar they are enjoyed outdoors as well.

You can also perform a number of activities you would never dream of doing indoors, like practicing a golf swing, croquette, or flying model planes. You can enjoy your pets outside without the fear of them soiling the carpet or shedding on the couch.

You can also accommodate more people outside. If you have dreamed of throwing a big party, or having several friends over for dinner, now you can entertain with room to breathe. You may even consider hosting an outdoor wedding or reception in your new outdoor living room.

Your house doesn't visually or physically stop at the door. Just beyond it is an entire other room - the outdoor living room waiting to be discovered.