Outdoor living space......part 2

Where to start with your outdoor design? As in many past exterior design posts, the answer remains, look up at  your home. The clues are there, in it's architectural style, colors, and the existing construction elements you can repeat on the ground. 

To emphasize this point I searched all over the internet seeking particular home styles and then on to finding outdoor spaces that could be a match. Let's explore;

 French
What we can repeat;
    a stone floor that matches it's color ways
    furniture that is french styled with colors that mirror the homes colors

Prairie
What we can repeat;
     flooring that blends
     red accents
     the verticality and simple lines of the fireplace
     casual styled furniture and layout

Southern Colonial
What we can repeat;
     the color ways on the fencing with neutrals on the garden floor
     symmetry which is a hallmark of this architecture

Shingle style a la the Hamptons
What we can repeat;
     Garden floor that matches the sun bleached singles
     Boxwoods in controlled patterns and some cottage elements, reminiscent of the east coast

Victorian

What we can repeat;

opposites attract......a fussy exterior can balance a minimalist aesthetic

repeat the drama of the black with fencing and furniture

Provincial French
What we can repeat;
          color ways of neutrality
          provincial urns
          pea gravel is indigenous to this region as are the plantings
           

Contemporary American farmhouse

What we can repeat;

the garden floor repeats the colors of the roof

furniture matches the clean simplicity of the siding

contemporary design

Rectilinear contemporary
What we can repeat
     contemporary style
     a square space which repeats lines of the house
     I would stain this deck the dark colors reflected in the window sashes

Colonial
What we can repeat;
     the casual nature of the home with the addition of some structure in the plants. a la the boxwoods
     repetition of color ways in the obelisks
     casual stacking of the flagstone, all in a composition of country/city

Did this provide a starting point for you? Whether designing from scratch or tweaking your personal space, we will approach this project as one would build from the ground up and referring repeatedly to the architecture for a cohesive union. The next post will address the garden floor; the foundation and the beginning stages of design

Here is the front profile of Keri Doolittle's home, whose patio we will re-design. What is the architectural style? I am going to categorize it as a contemporary country french. The strong/steep lines of the roof and the authentic shutters would lean us in that direction. Keri how do you feel about that?

See you next week, happy April!
Debra