The Outdoor Room

Like many fashions, the trend toward lavish outdoor living spaces probably got its start on the West Coast. Angelenos, comfortable among their cabanas and outdoor fireplaces, might be surprised to find that the trend has caught on in the Upper Midwest, too.

But it’s not a surprise to Twin Citians.

For one thing, there’s a lot more fair weather in Minnesota than most coastal folks believe. Additionally, Minnesotans are experts at extending their outdoor living season. The first tender buds are cause for celebration—preferably with a grill full of brats. Summer comes complete with sultry evenings perfect for drinks on the deck. And with a crackling fire, crisp autumn nights are magical.

For decades, affluent families have owned upstate lake cabins or second homes in Florida. Now, they are just as likely to invest that same money closer to home, making their in-town residences a holiday spot.

Outdoor life is nothing new. What is new is the idea of moving indoor accouterments outside. Lawn chairs and dinky retractable umbrellas are history. The new outdoor living spaces incorporate full-service kitchens, cushy couches, big-screen TVs, water features, curtains, and even chandeliers.

When designers set out to make outdoor spaces comfortable and livable, they do so by creating smaller and more intimate spaces, or outdoor “rooms.” One room blends into another. For example, Clayton Johnson, landscape designer at Bloomington-based Yardscapes, Inc., says many of his designs bridge the gap between a home and a body of water.

“At a house on Lake Minnetonka, you might traverse from a main patio space to a firepit space to a dockside space,” he explains. “Water features are big, and they continue to get bigger in terms of their popularity. It can be anything from a large body of water all the way down to a fountain or a bird bath, and still give you that overall desired effect.”

Joseph Bush, owner of J.P. Bush Homes, Inc., in Lake Elmo, describes a lavish multilevel job his company completed recently on Lake Minnetonka. The centerpiece was an outdoor pool, and the surrounding rooms included a screened porch, deck, and covered cabana with a fireplace and pizza oven.

“Within that cabana was a staircase that went down to a room on the deep end of the pool,” he says. “The wall against the deep end was all glass, so you could watch everybody swim. And then at the end of that viewing room was a door that had a tunnel underground that came up into the house.”

Those kinds of amenities are generally found on $15 million homes. But in general, outdoor rooms add so much value to a home that nearly all homeowners are making them a priority.