Outdoor Living Spaces
How can you expand your living space without the expense of an addition? Create an outdoor room.
As Diane Burcz Interior Design followers (@birchstyle on Instagram) know, my homes are my design laboratories. No surprise then that I have been working on the backyard of our Provincetown cottage.
In the first phase of the project, I collaborated with Andrew and Alexia of Urban Horticulture Design for the platform and a pergola for a sitting area, with four slatted walls behind for privacy.
“We worked to create a design that would bring @birchstyle idea into fruition, creating this wonderful, intimate getaway, right by the beach,” said Andrew.
The “roof” is a custom, rectangular Sun Shade Sail, ordered from Coversandall. My daughter and I installed the hardware for it on the top of the posts, using turnbuckles, pad eye brackets, and carabiners. This summer my mom and I sewed a curtain panel out of leftover outdoor, sheer, fabric from another DBID project for sides.
In phase two of the outdoor room project, I designed additional slatted wood partition walls that act as a visual barrier, but also added greenery with 126 Wallygrow eco planters. The plants on the wall are Angelina Sedum. The other plant materials are ornamental grasses, including Japanese forest grass, which are my favorite.
We added raised beds for vegetables and flowers. Urban Horticulture Design collaborated with me on this phase as well.
Selecting materials
I needed materials that could get wet and durable. Nothing is fussy. The couch is from Room & Board with a removable slipcover, that can be tossed into the wash. The large round ottoman has been recovered by Partners in Design in an outdoor fabric, by Donghia.
Three sizes of bluestone is used: one for the steps to the pergola, flat rectangular pavers for the path between the back of the house and the platform, and small squares by the shower. There is also a sandy area that we think of as our beach. Dory likes to sun herself there. The planting beds include strawberries and rhubarb, perfect for summer pies.
A Place for Everything
Another part of the project included an outdoor shower for sandy beach feet, a parking place for our bikes, and a place to hang the hose. I can add or subtract items on the slats, so not only do they provide visual interest, but they are highly functional, too.
