Indoor-Outdoor Living: 6 Stunning Spaces to Inspire You
JUNE 2024
Indoor-outdoor living spaces are having a moment. While the desire for homeowners to create fun and functional outdoor spaces is nothing new, the COVID-19 pandemic definitely changed how people value indoor-outdoor living. Over the past few years, indoor-outdoor living has become an increasingly important factor in home design and homebuyers’ decision-making when looking for their next home.
Are you considering an indoor-outdoor space for your home? This blog will walk you through the benefits of indoor-outdoor living, popular outdoor living features, and some key things to consider when planning your own project. We’ll also share our six favorite indoor-outdoor living spaces we’ve helped clients bring to life over the years.
The Benefits of Indoor-Outdoor Living
As its name implies, indoor-outdoor living is a design approach that focuses on thoughtfully integrating a home’s indoor and outdoor spaces, allowing for greater interaction between the two. This kind of easy flow between indoor and outdoor spaces provides a number of unique benefits for homeowners.
Connection with Nature
Here in the Pacific Northwest, the colder months feel especially long and dark. The constant rain can make it difficult to get outside and enjoy all the natural beauty that surrounds us. That’s why there’s growing interest in “three-season” outdoor spaces. When you have something like a covered patio with heat lamps and sliding doors that open up to your kitchen, you can use your outdoor space year-round and avoid the cabin fever many of us experience here in the Pacific Northwest around January or February.
More Space and Entertainment Options
If you love hosting people and using your home as a hub for community, indoor-outdoor spaces provide lots of fun, creative entertainment options. From an outdoor kitchen to a covered seating area with a fire pit, a well-designed indoor-outdoor space will give you more room to work with and enable you to enjoy time with loved ones, even in the rainy season.
Natural Light and Ventilation
We’ve talked about Seattle’s gloomy winters. In addition to allowing you to spend more time outside, indoor-outdoor living spaces also bring in more natural light. This can be a game changer for your health and sanity when the sun is stuck behind a wall of gray clouds for nine months. Another bonus? They’re also great for letting in fresh air and improving the circulation in your home.
Increased Property Value
One of the great things about many indoor-outdoor living spaces is that while they’re elevating your day-to-day life in your home, they’re also adding resale value. An article from HomeLight estimates that installing a new patio can get you a 109% return on your investment. And with online searches increasing for things like outdoor kitchens, it’s clear outdoor spaces are growing in popularity and importance for consumers. As long as you’re mindful of your budget, adding a beautiful indoor-outdoor space can be a great way to increase the value of your home and make it more attractive on the market.
Popular Indoor-Outdoor Living Space Ideas
Indoor-outdoor living spaces can run the gamut from a simple covered seating area to a full-blown entertainment space with a pool, kitchen, and more. In their 2024 Outdoor Living Trends Report, Fixr consulted with top architects, construction experts, and designers to identify the following top five trending outdoor living features this year:
1. Outdoor Kitchen
According to Fixr, “73% of architects and homebuilders say outdoor kitchens are the most in-demand feature in backyard spaces in 2024.” While the ROI on an outdoor kitchen can vary, they are growing in popularity with homebuyers, and homeowners love the entertainment and lifestyle upgrades that come with an outdoor kitchen.
2. Pocket and Sliding Doors
65% of experts said pocket and sliding doors are in high demand this year. Installing pocket or sliding doors is one of the best ways to create a seamless indoor-outdoor living space, allowing for easy transitions between your kitchen or dining room and your patio or firepit area.
3. Fire Features
When you’re looking to design an outdoor living space that can be used year-round, a firepit is a great option. Not only does it provide a cozy gathering place in the colder months, but it will also get plenty of use in the summer, roasting marshmallows with friends or sipping wine by the fire on a cool June evening.
4. Swimming Pools
Swimming pools seem to be one of those things that homeowners either love or hate. They’re a big draw for the right buyer, and they’re a dream to have on a hot summer day. But here in the Pacific Northwest, that sunshine can be hard to come by most of the year. That’s why it’s helpful to consider other water features that might get more use, like a relaxing covered hot tub or an invigorating cold plunge.
5. Outdoor Work From Home Space
Work-from-home spaces boomed during the pandemic when many people switched to remote work, and they’ve maintained their popularity as more companies have shifted to hybrid schedules. Work-from-home spaces can range in scope from a covered patio with a designated work table to a fully constructed detached home office. These spaces can be designed with flexibility in mind, too, giving you a space to work during the week and gather with friends or pursue a favorite hobby on the weekends.
6 of Our Favorite Indoor-Outdoor Living Projects
At Crescent Builds, we have extensive experience working with clients around Seattle to design custom indoor-outdoor living spaces that meet their unique needs. Here are five of our absolute favorite projects we’ve worked on to help inspire you as you consider adding your own indoor-outdoor living space.
1. North Beach Whole House
With stunning views of the Puget Sound, one of the primary goals for this remodel project was to enhance the homeowners’ sense of connection with the surrounding Pacific Northwest landscape. Integrating the NanaWall system allowed the patio space to serve as an extension of the living and dining areas. This not only increased the usable square footage of the home but also improved the sight lines through the house, making sure the focal point remained on those gorgeous Puget Sound views.
2. Kirkland Outdoor Kitchen Addition
This project is a prime example of how to design an outdoor living space with year-round use in mind. A fully equipped kitchen and cozy seating area by the fireplace are all under the cover of a beautiful roof structure with built-in lighting and heat lamps, making this a perfect space for family fun in every season.
3. Queen Anne Backyard Remodel
We love this project as an example of how you can creatively use the outdoor space available to you. What was once a concrete backyard was transformed into a lovely patio with planting beds, a small garage for the homeowner’s motorcycle, and a garden shed. Custom details throughout give this space a unique modern yet rustic vibe.
4. Ballard Garden Studio Garage Renovation
This one is super fun. The homeowner wanted to transform her existing garage into a multipurpose living space with features for every member of the family. We got creative and built a cozy reading nook with a ladder leading to a secret room for the kids to hide out in. Custom built-in storage and shelving, plus a NanaWall system that opens directly to the home’s lush garden, make this a flexible space the family can use in so many different ways throughout the year.
5. Broadview Sunroom and Garden Shed Addition
This award-winning modern sunroom was designed with a twenty-two-foot wide NanaWall door system, allowing the homeowners to connect the interior of their home to their beautiful backyard garden. Radiant in-floor heating keeps the space cozy in the winter, and floor-to-ceiling windows bring in tons of natural light all year long. We also built a custom garden shed to provide extra storage space.
6. Phinney Garden Room Garage Renovation
We helped bring new life to this once dilapidated garage by transforming it into a stunning garden studio. With an abundance of light, connectivity to the backyard, and plenty of simple, thoughtfully designed cabinetry, we were able to help this family of three create an inviting indoor-outdoor space that can be used year-round and didn’t compromise on storage options. This space was also awarded a 2021 REX Award by the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties in the category of “Get Away Room & Specialty Space Excellence, More Than $90,000.”
Things to Consider for Your Indoor-Outdoor Living Space
If you’re champing at the bit to get started on your own indoor-outdoor living project after seeing some of the spaces highlighted above, we don’t blame you! But before you take that next step, there are a few things you’ll need to consider when planning for your own indoor-outdoor living space.
Budget and Cost
The goal of an indoor-outdoor living space is to improve your lifestyle and potentially increase your home value, not give you headaches and financial stress. Before you do anything, sit down and define your goals for this project and your realistic budget. Then, you have clear guidelines and can start dreaming and planning with confidence.
Maintenance and Upkeep
A swimming pool and a large cabana might sound like heaven, but they can be a drag if you aren’t ready to invest the time or resources to maintain them. As you plan, balance your dreams for your space with an honest assessment of what it’ll take to maintain it and whether you’re comfortable with that commitment.
Functionality and Purpose
Think about where you spend most of your time. Maybe your family is always gathering in the kitchen for a good meal, in which case adding a pocket door to connect your kitchen to your patio is a great idea. Or maybe you’re not much of a cook, but you love spending as much time as possible in your garden. In that case, a beautiful shed for potting plants and a pretty seating area surrounded by your beloved rose bushes might be the way to go. Either way, remember that your indoor-outdoor space should be designed to support and add value to your unique lifestyle.
Climate and Weather
This is a big one for us Pacific Northwesterners. Don’t just design your outdoor space around that picture in your head of the perfect July afternoon. Consider how the space can be enjoyed on a drizzly January morning, too. Things like covered outdoor kitchens and pocket or sliding doors give you the flexibility to use your new space no matter what Mother Nature decides to throw at you.
Bring Your Indoor-Outdoor Living Space to Life
There’s a lot that goes into planning, designing, and constructing an indoor-outdoor living space. But when done right, you’ll be left with a one-of-a-kind space that can transform how you live and bring you joy for years to come. If you still have questions or you’re ready to get your project off the ground, give us a call. We love working on indoor-outdoor living projects, and we’d be happy to walk you through how we can work together to make your vision a reality.