Designing a Four Seasons Outdoor Living Space
Getting the Most from Your Outdoor Living Space Year Round
Building a custom outdoor living space is a big investment. Living in Michigan, with four distinct seasons, some might think an outdoor entertainment space is only for the summer months but that couldn’t be further from the truth. A custom outdoor living space should incorporate elements that can be enjoyed in every season. In fact, a snowy winter day can be one of the best for enjoying the great outdoors!
“Three key elements you’ll want to incorporate to ensure your outdoor living space is used year-round are Shelter. Heat. Lighting.” says landscape designer Jake Steward.
Shelter
Shelter can be any structure that protects you from direct rain and snow. Whether it’s a four-season room attached to the home, a free-standing open-air pavilion off the patio, or even a covered porch. It doesn’t have to be extravagant but it certainly can be. “We’ve built many pavilions with all the amenities of a home: Kitchen, fireplace, TV, recessed lights, heating, and more.” says Steward “That’s the benefit of a custom build, we can include anything you can dream up.”
Heat
There are countless options for outdoor heating. Our favorite is an outdoor fireplace because of the ambiance it provides as well as warmth. But overhead heating or heat lamps are also great options. Many of our luxury pavilions incorporate both so that guests can stay warm anywhere in the pavilion without needing to huddle around the fireplace. And of course, there is nothing like a spa to warm you up on a cold winter’s night. In our opinion, relaxing in a hot spa while snow falls around you is about as good as it gets.
Lighting
Finally, lighting, often overlooked but incredibly important. After all, it’s hard to enjoy a space if you can’t see where you are or what you’re doing. Under-coping lights are beautiful and an important safety feature to illuminate steps and sitting walls. Lanterns and string lighting set the mood as do smaller fire elements like fire & water bowls. Installing soffit lighting that changes color is another fun way to customize your space. The lighting can be adjusted to fit the season, occasion or your mood.
Amenities
If your space includes Shelter, heat, and lighting, it will be easy to enjoy year-round. If you want to take it to the next level, there’s so much more you can do.
A mounted all-weather TV is a great way to bring the party outside. Watching football on a crisp fall day or a holiday movie curled up beside the outdoor fireplace, these are experiences you and your guests will treasure.
A covered outdoor kitchen with overhead heat makes it easy to host outdoors year-round. Take a tip from Nordic countries and spread a faux fur blanket over each dining chair and offer a hot drink with the meal such as mulled wine or hot cider.
Our Tower build features a custom gunite spa with an all-weather TV mounted into the stone wall. Imagine hosting a new years party where guests can watch the ball drop, relaxing in the hot tub with a glass of something sparkling.
Nothing gets the blood flowing quicker than a little exercise. Considering adding a game area or covered athletic court to your outdoor space. A covered Bocce Ball court or table tennis under your pavilion can be a ton of fun.
The best part of a custom build is that you can make it exactly what you want. As we like to say “This is Ventures. Your Dream, Built Better!”
