The Outdoor Room

Lights for gazebos and porches are indistinguishable from indoor lighting; the only difference is that they’re rated for outdoor use. The possibilities are virtually limitless, which is why many households have opted to decorate their outdoor dining rooms with exquisite chandeliers.

For high-end homes, Ramsay says the final piece of the puzzle is a lighting-control system. These programmable systems are often used to create preset “scenes” with indoor lighting, for example, a dim setting for late-night trips to the fridge or a bright setting for working in the kitchen. However, the outdoors can be connected just as easily.

“For outdoors, the system can sense the light so that it automatically turns on the landscape lights when the sun goes down,” Ramsay says. “And you can have different presets for entertaining. Everything can be integrated into a touch screen.”

Go With the Flow

Minnesotans are infusing out- door rooms with their own sense of style. The Spanish-influenced Mission style so popular in hot, dry climates is somewhat out of place in the Twin Cities. Similarly, Mediterranean-inspired styles are popular throughout the country, but they’re somewhat difficult to pull off here.

“I don’t think it works,” Bever says. “It depends on what kind of backyard you have, but I really don’t see it much. It’s mostly because a lot of the plants aren’t appropriate. I see more Austrian pines, dogwoods, hostas, daylilies. Color is always a big thing here.”

Since northern plants are easiest to grow and maintain, many homeowners adopt a north-woods theme for their outdoor living spaces. Many designers see a high demand for Adirondack chairs, stone fireplace surrounds, and rough-hewn wood pergolas.

“I see a lot of boulder-type sculptures, like rock sitting areas,” Bever says. “Waterfalls in the background can give you that ‘up north’ feel. And they tend to bring people closer to nature when they’re hanging out with the family.”

The décor of the home’s interior can and should influence its outdoor style; the goal is to create a smooth transition. But even more so, the home’s exterior must dictate the design of the outdoor spaces. A formal Victorian garden room is jarring with a ranch-style home, for example.

“If the home is very contemporary, we’ll do very clean-lined outdoor furniture that is almost retro in feel,” Peck says. “On the other hand, we’ve done some very traditional things. We’ve even done a Japanese garden theme. We feel like your entire property should have one flow and one feel and be designed to be integrated.”

When clients are building a new home, landscape designers should work hand-in-hand with architects, builders, and interior designers in order to create a cohesive whole. “As [landscape] designers, we’re the last guys in,” Dahlmeir says. “We have joint meetings with everyone and collaborate on all aspects. We’ve got to make sure that we can tie in all the various elements and pull it together into one complete package.”