Nestled amidst the stately oaks and sleepy marshes of South Carolina’s Hilton Head Island, the HGTV Dream Home 2020 was designed with relaxation in mind. Sprawling porches open to an expansive backyard poolscape that’s equally ideal for both large and intimate gatherings. As the exclusive hardscapes sponsor of the HGTV Dream Home 2020, we’re excited to offer this exclusive in-depth look at each of the home’s outdoor spaces, from a welcoming paver driveway to an outdoor entertainment space with spectacular marshfront views. Get design tips and insights on how you can recreate some of these looks for your own dream outdoor living spaces, then enter for your chance to win this amazing home.
Tranquility. The sense evoked by this word is often lost in today’s fast-paced world. When life gets too hectic, it’s something we crave — a calm and peaceful moment to stop, take a deep breath and slowly exhale. This is exactly why outdoor living has become essential to the human spirit. And it’s why this year’s outdoor living colors of the year are centered on creating a tranquil space to unwind and reconnect with one another and with the natural world.
Both Belgard and the Pantone® Color Institute individually released their colors of the year for 2020. It’s no coincidence that these two color tones complement each other, or that they were both chosen for their connection with nature and a sense of tranquility.
Known throughout the world for their expertise in the realm of color, Pantone annually announces the Pantone Color of the Year, which influences purchasing and design decisions in multiple industries — fashion, home furnishings, product packaging, brand identity and more. Their selection comes after careful analysis of global factors that impact color trends including the arts, entertainment, popular travel destinations and evolving lifestyle.
In the same respect, Belgard has long been the leader in the hardscapes industry with a definite influence on outdoor living design trends. Belgard also keeps a careful watch on architectural and lifestyle trends to anticipate the needs of the marketplace. With that in mind, the Terrarium color was selected and named for its biophilic ability to connect the built environment with the natural world. A rejuvenating hue found throughout nature, Terrarium complements the full range of colorations in the Belgard catalog and signifies growth, vitality and renewal.
Terrarium coordinates effortlessly with Pantone’s Classic Blue, which Pantone notes is suggestive of the sky at dusk and chosen for its ability to instill calm and bring a sense of peace and tranquility to the human spirit. Together, these two colors are perfect for ushering in a new decade, one that’s sure to be full of technological advances that continue to pull us away from that elusive state of tranquility.
“We are living in a time that requires trust and faith,” said Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute. “A boundless blue evocative of the vast and infinite evening sky, Classic Blue encourages us to look beyond the obvious to expand our thinking; challenging us to think more deeply, increase our perspective and open the flow of communication.”
In that same line of thought, Terrarium reminds us that no matter how much we evolve, we are still part of the natural world. As technology continues to race ahead of the human ability to process it all, it is easy to understand why we gravitate to colors that allow us to create an outdoor living refuge where we can slow down for a moment and embrace our humanity. After all, outdoor living is not just about building or decorating a patio, it’s about living in your outdoor space.
The difference between a simple patio and an “outdoor living room” is in the details. Think in terms of visually recreating an interior space outdoors. These five unique outdoor living rooms utilize a variety of interior design concepts while taking advantage of the outdoor venue. By incorporating some of these ideas, you can create an enviable outdoor living room that will have the Joneses wanting to keep up with you.
Cozy Retreat
Mirroring a classic indoor living room design, the outdoor fireplace serves as the focal point of this outdoor living room and includes a nearby bar for serving guests. Privacy fencing provides a backdrop to make it feel more intimate. Tropical plants, textured pavers, water features and an additional fire feature work together to add an exotic quality.
Villa Veranda
This Mediterranean-style home uses a mixed-material design to visually define the living room area of the outdoor space. Vibrant color blocks in the paver design help reinforce this by creating the look of an oversized area rug. The fire pit design incorporates an extra-wide wall cap, allowing it to also function as the coffee table of the furniture grouping.
Entertainment Mecca
A terraced design divides this outdoor living room into separate entertainment zones. The upper level offers an intimate conversation area with furniture facing the fireplace. The lower level features a stunning waterfall fire feature that serves as the base for a weatherproof outdoor TV. The expansive patio area surrounding the fire feature allows for multiple furniture groupings, perfect for movie nights or backyard tailgating.
Light and Airy
Outdoor lighting design plays a major role in this relaxing outdoor living room. An oversized fire pit, uplights, edison-style string lights and lanterns all add to the ambiance. Attractive pendant lights hang over the seating area to add additional illumination and create the aesthetic of an interior room. A faux rug paver design reinforces the living room concept.
Terraced Sitting Rooms
This multi-level terrace design creates the look and functionality of multiple sitting rooms. Utilizing retaining walls to convert a sloped backyard into usable entertainment space, the design incorporates a contemporary paver pattern to mimic the look of interior carpeting. Contrasting paver banding and landscape walls create visual separation between each distinct sitting room. Wall caps mirror the color of the banding to tie the look together.
For more outdoor living room design ideas, visit our Stylish Roomscapes Pinterest board.
Since coming onto the scene just a few short years ago, outdoor porcelain pavers are quickly becoming the hottest new thing in outdoor living design. Homeowners are falling in love with the contemporary style, durability, stain-resistance and ability to mirror indoor design trends to create indoor-outdoor flow. Used on their own or as part of a mixed materials design, porcelain pavers can be used in a variety of ways. Check out the slideshows below for some inspiration on incorporating the new porcelain trend in your outdoor spaces.
Instagramable Patios and Outdoor Living Rooms
Porcelain pavers offer an
excellent medium for creating sleek monochromatic looks. And with endless
interpretations of stone and wood, you can also create a design with the
aesthetic of natural stone or wooden planks without the fading, chipping or
splintering.
Quartziti Pavers and Wall Veneer
NaMe Pavers
Noon Pavers
Quartzi Pavers and Bordeaux™ Fireplace
Rail Pavers
Stones Pavers and Bordeaux™ Fireplace
Stones Pavers
Verona™ Pavers
Not Your Grandma’s Porch
Whether you call it creating curb envy or curb appeal, an elegant porch is a great way to set your home apart from the neighbors. For rear porches, porcelain has also proven to be a game-changer in creating seamless indoor/outdoor transitions. Porcelain pavers mirror indoor flooring design trends and often have coordinating indoor tiles and porcelain wall veneers to create a flawlessly coordinated look.
Transitioning from one outdoor space to the next might involve some steps or walkways. Porcelain pavers are excellent for creating steps that accentuate a cohesive outdoor living design. You can also use them to create unique walkways, either alone or to add contrasting visual interest to a concrete paver design.
Outdoor kitchens give a backyard that extra umph of livability. And this is where porcelain building materials really shine. Due to its composition and finish, porcelain pavers will not stain. Whether it is mud, oil, pizza sauce or even red wine, simply wipe it off and gone! Porcelain pavers also coordinate quite nicely with other building materials.
Verona™ Pavers
Noon Pavers
Ardesie Pavers
Quartziti Pavers
Water and Fire Features that Sizzle
Fire and water make every outdoor design better. There’s just something about adding those natural elements that instantly make the space cozier. And with an extremely high compressive strength and an ultra-low water absorption rate, porcelain has a highly impenetrable surface. This includes mold and mildew, making it an excellent medium for creative water features. It can also take the heat. You couldn’t do an in-ground fire pit with a wooden deck. That would be crazy. But with wood-grain porcelain…you betcha.
Nau Pavers
Quartziti Pavers
Noon Pavers
Sundeck Pavers
Noon Pavers
Quartziti Pavers
Spa-Worthy Poolscapes
Maintenance free and slip resistant, a porcelain poolscape is a modern take on the age-old favorite backyard addition. Porcelain pavers can be used to create sleek ultra-contemporary looks or be mixed with other materials for eye-catching inlaid designs. Porcelain is also an excellent medium for creating a stepping stone pool deck, which is a growing trend in pool deck and patio design.
A fire pit instantly becomes the spot where everyone wants to gather. If you’re planning on adding this must-have element to your backyard, these tips will help you create a welcoming outdoor living space with a fire pit as a focal point.
Location, location, location.
Unless you’re going for a contemporary symmetrical look or you’re working with a lot of space, don’t place the fire pit in the center of the patio, but offset to one side. You can balance the design with other heavy elements, such as an arbor, tree, water feature or outdoor bar. You will also want to pay attention to the wind patterns in your yard to place the fire pit in the location that will most likely draw any smoke away from the center. This is particularly important with a wood-burning fire pit. It’s also wise to investigate whether there are any regulations in your neighborhood or municipality regarding fire feature placement. It should be easily accessible, but not too close to the home. A good rule of thumb, especially with wood-burning pits, is to place the pit ten feet or more from any structure.
Make room for everyone.
Once the fire is lit, people will tend to gather around it. In terms of space, you will want to plan for seating that will allow for both group settings or cozy, intimate one-on-one time. A fire pit itself is rarely larger than four or five feet across. The patio space around it should be an additional four to six feet on all sides. Seat walls are a great way to both visually define the space and allow for lots of seating. But don’t enclose the space completely with walls. It’s nice to leave room for chairs, standing and foot traffic. Also think ahead to how you plan to decorate. For example, if you’re choosing low-slung seating such as Adirondack chairs, realize that they will take up extra real estate and plan accordingly.
Create conversation zones.
It’s highly unlikely that people will sit around the fire pit to eat on a regular basis. You will want a separate dining space for that. Plus, for better entertaining, it’s a great idea create multiple conversation zones around the patio where separate groups can gather for more intimate conversation. Some people will feel comfortable picking a spot where they can stay all evening, while the social butterflies will flit from zone to zone engaging in multiple conversations throughout the night.
Gas or wood? Why not both.
Some people prefer gas — fewer code restrictions on placement, no ashes to contend with, no smoke, no wood to buy or chop. Other’s prefer wood — earthy smell, more robust flames, more warmth, more traditional campfire aesthetic. For those who enjoy the pros of both scenarios and live in a community that doesn’t restrict wood-burning features, consider a hybrid fire pit that allows for both gas and wood. The gas can be used as a starter and can even be hooked up to a smart system, which makes it easier to get the party going. Plus, the fire doesn’t have to go out when you run out of wood.
Soften the space.
To make your space comfy and cozy, soften the space with pillows, throws, decorative accessories and organic design elements. Landscaping or a water feature behind seating adds wonderful dimensional texture to the design and adds a sense of privacy. Decorative elements add personality to the space and help create an outdoor living room aesthetic. Pillows and throws soften the space both visually and physically, also allowing you to tie in with the colors used elsewhere on your patio to make the overall design more cohesive. You can also use paver patterns to create a faux rug paver design.
When investing in an outdoor living installation, consider features that offer multi-generational appeal. This will not only help your family enjoy the space more now, but will also add to your home’s resale value down the road. If you’re designing a family-friendly patio space specifically with kids in mind, it’s also important to think long term. Plan features that will entice them to spend more time outside now, but will still be appealing to you later once the nest is empty. Here are some inspirational backyard design ideas with those considerations in mind.
Backyard Interactive Fountains
An interactive fountain is a picturesque water feature that can double as a play area during warmer months. Small children will be enthralled for hours at at time running through the dancing waters. And in the off-season, or in later years, you’ll still enjoy listening to the soothing sounds and watching the playful spouts. These fountains can either be created with a water-recycling permeable paver system, or by adding a drain system to standard pavers.
Eco Dublin® permeable paver
Subterra® permeable pavers
Urbana Stone® and Cambridge Cobble® pavers
Firepits and Outdoor Fireplaces
Nothing offers multi-generational appeal like a fire feature. The fabulous thing about a fire pit or outdoor fireplace is that it will actually entice multiple generations to spend time together. A backyard fire tears down generational barriers and allows everyone to enjoy each other’s company while listening to the crackle, watching the flames, roasting marshmallows and telling stories — all while creating new stories to be told later.
Belair Wall® 2.0
Mega-Arbel® Pavers
Weston Stone® Wall
Garden Walls and Seat Walls
A garden wall offers the multi-functional ability to serve as a retaining wall, seating space or a decorative component to your outdoor spaces. It can be a spot for landing G.I. Joe’s helicopter, lining up Barbies for a modeling show, or just hanging out with a friend to tell secrets (that last one works for any age). You can also use landscape walls to build a raised garden bed that can either house science fair experiments, herbs and veggies for farm-to-table dinners, or elegant gladiolas.
Celtik® Wall
Weston Stone® Wall
Celtik® Wall
Outdoor Kitchens with Multiple Cooking Surfaces
As the kids get older, if you want your house to be the one where all their friends come to hang out, be aware that adolescents and teens feed like a plague of locusts. You’re going to need multiple cooking surfaces to feed the masses. And you’re going to prefer they hang out outside, which is MUCH easier to clean before or after a gathering. Honestly, isn’t that why leaf blowers were invented?
Bristol™ Series Brick Pizza Oven
Tandem® Modular Grid Outdoor Kitchen
Weston Stone® Outdoor Kitchen
Outdoor Bar Top Dining
When designing an outdoor kitchen, a bar top dining area is a must — and you can never have too much seating space. Everyone wants to sit near the cook to visit during food prep. Plus, kids love to eat at a bar and let their little legs dangle. And adults love to sit at the bar to watch the game. That’s why sports bars exist, so why not just have one at home where you can watch what YOU want.
Weston Stone® wall and Bergerac® pavers
Weston Stone® outdoor kitchen
Patio Chalk Art
Kids (and some grownups) can entertain themselves for hours with a box of chalk and a concrete surface. And with a simple spray of water, the canvas is ready for the next artist. Smooth-faced pavers work best for drawing, and modular styles like Lafitt® Grana Slab can offer natural boxes for housing separate creations…or opportunities to color outside the lines. Patio pavers with textured surfaces can also be fun for creating colorful, abstract chalk designs.
Lafitt® Grana Slab
Lafitt® Rustic Slab
Multi-Zoned Outdoor Living Areas
Whether you typically host adult gatherings, family get-togethers, or kid paloozas, having multiple entertainment zones is a must. This allows for the natural creation of different conversation areas, or even separate play areas. The moms can visit together in one zone while the kids play with blocks in another. Or one zone can be for cinephiles to discuss the latest twist in the Marvel universe, while elsewhere a group of oenophiles can discuss the intricate flavors of their latest Pinot Noir discovery.
