How a Landscape Designer Achieves Functionality in Glastonbury, CT, Outdoor Living Projects

Creating an outdoor space for your home is an investment that will give you great returns in good times, convenience, and aesthetics. Functionality is an important part of planning for your project, as this living space needs to be practical for your everyday activities. Working closely with a landscape designer to make this happen will ensure it will achieve maximum convenience. Here’s how functionality can be ensured for your Glastonbury, CT outdoor living project.

Planning for You

Achieving functionality in a landscape will differ for each person based on lifestyle and preferences. What’s functional for one person might not work for the next. The secret to a successful design is planning for your individual needs: What do you like to do the most outdoors? Cook? Swim? Unwind with a good drink? For the person who loves to cook, having a fully functional outdoor kitchen might be the goal. The focus would then be on the food prep workstation and appliances, and building a space that allows for convenient cooking. For someone whose culinary activities peak at muddling mint for mojitos, the central theme might focus on a beverage cooler, a bar sink, and an ice machine. Your design professional needs to know what you do when you’re lounging, so think about which functions are most important to you.

Appliances and Options

Once you know what kind of space you want, the next step is choosing which appliances and accessories to integrate into your design. If it’s important to have shade in your space, perhaps you want a pergola or roof over your patio. This also creates a more comfortable space for seating.

Safety is also an important factor when designing your space, especially if you have children. For a family-friendly landscape, the grill might be designed in a way that channels smoke and heat away from where children are most likely to be playing. An exhaust hood over your grill or cook station will help to channel smoke appropriately. Garbage and recycling may be tucked into pull-out drawers in your kitchen island for containment of food waste. This will also keep flies and bugs away from your garbage for a cleaner space. The key to design is keeping appliances in an arrangement that suits your use of them. Your outdoor dishwasher should be near a sink and a garbage container, and lounge areas should be close enough to the kitchen that your beverage cooler is easily accessible.

Finalizing the Plan

Once you’ve discussed with your landscape designer which functions are a necessity for you, you’ll decide final details like the materials used and the layout. Pavers are a reliable material for flooring and kitchen islands, and walls can be crafted from concrete materials that resemble natural stone. Today’s quality masonry materials are strong enough to withstand the elements and won’t crack or fade. For instance, some pavers are stain-resistant, like Senzo by Unilock. This makes for easy cleanup of spills and splashes, and can prevent slip and falls.

Aesthetic details like masonry planters can be a beautiful touch to your space. Use pavers to construct privacy walls with planters around your space, and install tall plants like evergreens. This adds a natural element in addition to keeping neighbors’ prying eyes away from your activities. A water feature or fire feature also adds unique beauty. As your landscape designer drafts a plan, inquire about adding in an outdoor fireplace near your kitchen area for a cozy spot to curl up and enjoy a glass of wine.

Functionality in your space is all about which features you use most being placed in convenient spots that will make it simple for you to use and enjoy. Your landscape designer can come up with a layout that makes the best of your space and looks great.

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