“It’s a lot more fun to be outside.” That, according to Zoe Gowen, senior home editor for Southern Living.
“Outdoor living now means a lot more than a few lounge chairs scattered on a brick patio or some rocking chairs lined up across your front porch,” says Gowen. “People are embracing the idea of outdoor rooms. They want the same amount of comfort and convenience from their porches and decks as they do their living rooms. Smart homeowners realize that a porch addition is a lower cost way to extend the square footage of your home.”
Particularly in scenic and moderate climate areas of the country, outdoor living is both beloved and expected. In Las Vegas the master-planned community of Summerlin® requires its home builders to design homes that provide residents with ample outdoor living space representing a minimum of 15 percent of the total floor plan. That means Summerlin homes come standard with a variety of outdoor living features, including covered patios, loggias and balconies, sun decks, porches and rooftop decks. Many floor plans include multiple outdoor seating areas to create outdoor socializing and entertainment spaces.
According to remodeling.com, merging indoor and outdoor living is an increasingly popular trend, and homeowners are relying on windows and doors to blur the line between indoor and outdoor living, transforming their patios into extended living rooms. Stacking glass walls open up by sliding large glass panels on top of each other flooding the room with natural light and fresh air, while pocket glass walls can transform an interior room into an open-air retreat. In fact, multi-slider glass doors are common throughout scores of Summerlin neighborhoods and homes helping residents take advantage of the community’s natural beauty.
And everywhere you look outdoor furniture is now living room-worthy thanks to advances in fabric technology that make it possible to have fully upholstered furniture outside and able to withstand the elements. Flooring is often seamless flowing from inside to outside to create a consistent look. And fireplaces are moving outside to create a cozy and dreamy outdoor family gathering spot while outdoor heating and cooling systems ensure a level of comfort, regardless of the season.
Ocean Home Magazine says swimming pools are entering new, creative territory with additions like starry 3D effects, intricate mosaic designs and ditched decks that create an infinity edge that is cool, sleek and sophisticated. And outdoor lighting is going bold with chandeliers and pendant lighting in geometric shapes.
One outdoor trend, in particular, adds an especially fresh touch both inside and out — living walls or vertical gardens that are as functional as they are beautiful. According to HGTV, adding a living wall to your home, condo or apartment is like hanging a frame of living art on the wall. Plus, it improves the air quality and acoustics of the space. In fact, the surface area of 50 square feet of a vertical garden produces the same amount of oxygen as a 14-foot tree. Adding a wall of plants in a room with many hard surfaces can minimize the echo by absorbing sound.
One of the most popular design trends today is the addition of an open-air transition room called a loggia that expands livable space outdoors and adds drama and beauty to a home. Combining the outdoor serenity and indoor comforts the loggia has grabbed the attention of homebuyers and architects across the country, including those in Summerlin. While age-old in origin, loggias can be traced back to the architecture of European countries where the climate is mild. Yet because a loggia offers protection from sun and rain there’s no need for special outdoor furniture.
According to Danielle Bisterfeldt, Vice President-Marketing, Summerlin, water features, custom pools, outdoor kitchens, outdoor built-in flat screen TVs and fireplaces are just a few of the options offered by several Summerlin builders who have become masters at designing homes for the community’s exceptionally beautiful desert environment.
“Summerlin is situated on elevated topography that overlooks the Las Vegas valley and sits at the foot of Red Rock Canyon,” said Bisterfeldt. “With the area’s natural beauty and the community’s gorgeous parks, trails, golf courses and streetscapes, it’s no wonder most residents want to spend as much time as possible outside, starting with their own home.”
Homes in Summerlin are available in a variety of styles – from single-family homes to townhomes– priced from the $200,000s to more than $2.5 million. More than 35 new neighborhoods are actively selling 150-plus distinct floorplans. For information, visit Summerlin.com. For information on custom homesite opportunities, call 702-255.2500.