Summer Classics
Inside Out
Red-Hot Trends In Outdoor Living Rooms.
Ever notice that company never likes to sit in the living room? Move the same furnished space outside, however, and guests will never leave.
Outdoor living rooms are the hottest trend in home design right now, and manufacturers are offering furnishings and finishes that rival the finest interior furnishings.?
Builders are feeding this red-hot trend by deliberately blurring the lines between inside and out, using disappearing corners, vast expanses of glass, doors that slide out of sight, walls that recess at the touch of a button and flooring that makes a seamless transition from the family room to the lanai.
Creative new products, from aluminum coffee tables and wall sconces to weatherproof upholstery cushions, allow homeowners to turn simple patio space into lavish rooms for relaxing, socializing, cooking and al fresco dining.
And Florida’s gorgeous weather and beautiful natural surround provides the backdrop, washing your open air rooms in fresh air and living color.
Here are some of the best new ideas and innovations:
Fabulous Floors
Patio floors have come a long way since poly-pebble. Nothing says outdoor luxury like tumbled marble, fossil-imprinted stone or gleaming travertine.?
Steve Tuliano of Brick Paving Systems in Lutz offers hundreds of styles and color choices. He can provide literally acres of clay bricks, pavers, concrete tiles impregnated with natural shells or natural stone imported from all over the world.??
Tuliano’s company covered the walkways at Legends Field, winter home of the New York Yankees, in 70,000 square feet of handsome pavers. He’s also done work for Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, tennis star Pete Sampras and NFL mainstay Anthony McFarland.
“We just completed a job in Tarpon Springs where the house is 21,000 square feet, the guesthouse is 5,000 square feet and the owners spent $1.4 million on the swimming pool,” says Tuliano. “Their outdoor spaces are floored with tumbled marble and the effect is stunning.”
Stamped concrete offers a good look for less and a low-maintenance advantage.
“We pour it, color it, do impressions that make it look like tile or brick and then seal it,” explains Sandy Letourneau of? Top Deck in Riverview. “There’s no grout to clean and the surface isn’t as slick as tile, so it is safer around the swimming pool. Plus, you can select from 30 colors.”
Light It Up
Outdoor lighting provides security and ambiance, enhances the value of your home and expands living space.
Geoffrey Wells, owner of Night Lights in Tampa, can illuminate your grill, enhance water features around the pool, spotlight a garden statue, create pools of light along pathways, induce shadow effects and more.??
“I believe that lighting in the front of your house is for the neighbors but lighting in the back is for you,” Wells says. “We make the spaces look more interesting, and we’re careful not to overdo it because that destroys the mood of the outdoors.”
Night Lights can brighten up the patio with a small fixture that mounts on the pool cage and reflects palm tree shadows on the pool surface.
The company also can place a special light high up in the trees, where it’s invisible, making your outdoor entertaining areas appear as though they’re bathed in the light of a full moon.
Typical project costs? “Our packages start at $500,” Wells says, “and go to the moon.”
Brandon Miles of Lightscapes Inc. in Tampa agrees that a well-designed lighting scheme can make an outdoor entertaining area truly special.?
“Much of outdoor entertaining happens after dark, so we provide good illumination inside the lanai, near the outdoor kitchen and around the pool,” he says.
Lightscapes can up-light your oak trees, play up your home’s architectural features and situate lights inside potted plants and behind waterfalls.
“Have you ever stayed at a great resort and seen everyone standing around the beautiful tiki bar beside the pool at night?” asked Miles. “We can create that same relaxed, comfortable, beautiful effect in your own backyard.”
The new barbecue
Today’s outdoor kitchen is a far cry from Dad’s old barbecue grill, with appliances and accessories that transform amateur burger-flippers into accomplished culinary experts.?
“The new high-end grills actually make you a better cook,” says Bill Kessnich of the Outdoor Kitchen Store in Tampa. “They heat more evenly, are large enough to allow hosts to feed a crowd and come with features like rotisseries, side burners, pizza ovens, warming drawers and smoker boxes.”
Kessnich touts refrigerators, icemakers and sinks as the next most popular items because, “the more convenient you make your outdoor kitchen, the more you’ll use and enjoy it.”?
A refrigerator is good for cold drinks but also for storing food and condiments prior to cooking, Kessnich says, while a sink allows the chef to wash up after handling raw meat.
Icemakers can hold up to 30 pounds of clear, restaurant-quality ice and make up to 60 pounds a day. “These features keep you from having to run back inside the house every two minutes,” Kessnich adds.
Utensil drawers, a trash system that slides in and out of the cabinetry and doors offering access to fuel and under-counter storage are also nice options.
And counter space is important because grilled food is often tastier when allowed to rest a few moments after removal from a fire. Build in a bar top or table end so guests can pull up a stool and chat with the cook, Kessnich suggests.
And don’t forget the television. Outdoor models are improving all the time. “Sunbright makes a television that’s twice as bright as a regular television especially for the outdoors,” says Kessnich.
The set is protected by an all-weather watertight shell with internal fan for summer temperatures and a heater for when the mercury drops. It’s impervious to rain, dirt, insects or scratches and leaves typical LCD televisions in the dark when it comes to picture clarity.
On Fire
Sitting around a fire on a cool winter evening makes outdoor entertaining idyllic.
“Outdoor fireplaces, whether they’re wood-burning or gas, create automatic gathering spots,” says Al Cannon, president of International Fireplace & Grill, builder of fine outdoor kitchens across the Tampa Bay area.
Cannon says some clients like the look of a freestanding fireplace that resembles a small chimney. Others want a fire pit set in the middle of a stone frame, around which chairs can be circled.
A standard outdoor fireplace measures 36 inches or 42 inches and is made of stainless steel and masonry, which can be surrounded by stone, tile or granite.
Wood mantles, iron screens, terra-cotta accents and stone hearths can be as simple or ornate as the homeowner desires. The only limits, Cannon notes, are imagination and budget.
Outdoor d?or
Toss the plastic chairs and moldy sun umbrella. Outdoor furniture has been taken to a whole new level of quality that imitates the look of fine indoor furnishings—and often matches the price.
?Dining tables large enough to seat eight to 10, plush upholstered couches, cozy love seats and inviting rocking chairs are particularly popular, says Denise Bertucci, manager of Elegant Outdoor in Tampa, which specializes in upscale outdoor furnishings like Brown Jordan, Tommy Bahama, Pavilion and Lloyd-Flanders. They may be cast aluminum or wicker and the cushions may be covered in durable Sunbrella fabrics.
“Coffee tables with a decidedly interior look are strong right now,” adds Carol Goodyear of Ethan Allen in Brandon. “Sofas and love seats made of resin wicker in white and dark shades can take sun, heat and rain and still look fabulous.”
Occasional tables done in metal, wicker or a combination add a nice touch next to chairs or couches and can hold plates of food or a beverage, Goodyear adds.
Goodyear says the most exciting element of Ethan Allen’s new collection is polypropylene rugs that can be hosed off but look just like fine interior rugs in solid colors, patterns and Asian-inspired prints.
Everybody into the Pool
The swimming pool is the centerpiece of any outdoor living area, and the strongest trend continues to be natural lagoon designs.
“Grottos and waterfalls and rock formations are the rage right now,” says Jim Michel, staff designer for Challenger Pools in Polk, Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough and Hernando counties. “Clients want a place to sit beneath the waterfall, or behind the cascading water.”
Straight, linear designs have been replaced by free-form, curving designs, adds Michel. Such designs, in addition to creating more visual interest, are more economical to build because pools are priced based on linear feet-and hard corners add linear feet.
Black-bottomed pools are popular, Michel continues, because they look more like natural ponds. Zero- or disappearing-edge designs are strong, but Michel talks clients out of that feature unless they have the views to make it worthwhile.
“A disappearing-edge pool only works when you’re on waterfront or the side of a mountain, so that the water appears to flow over into the ocean or the abyss,” Michel says.
Underwater colored lights that change hue are popular, along with water jets that spray an arc over the surface. The two-story soaring cage is back in vogue, along with lush landscaping inside the cage.
And alongside the pool, canvas tents in bold awning stripes go over metal frames to create personal cabanas. Automated screens and “draperies” can be opened or closed at the touch of a button or drawn by a wand for privacy and sun control.
Many of these features are pricey. But the good news is, you’ll be too relaxed to care.?
Outdoor living rooms are the hottest trend in home design right now, and manufacturers are offering furnishings and finishes that rival the finest interior furnishings.?
Builders are feeding this red-hot trend by deliberately blurring the lines between inside and out, using disappearing corners, vast expanses of glass, doors that slide out of sight, walls that recess at the touch of a button and flooring that makes a seamless transition from the family room to the lanai.
Creative new products, from aluminum coffee tables and wall sconces to weatherproof upholstery cushions, allow homeowners to turn simple patio space into lavish rooms for relaxing, socializing, cooking and al fresco dining.
And Florida’s gorgeous weather and beautiful natural surround provides the backdrop, washing your open air rooms in fresh air and living color.
Here are some of the best new ideas and innovations:
Fabulous Floors
Patio floors have come a long way since poly-pebble. Nothing says outdoor luxury like tumbled marble, fossil-imprinted stone or gleaming travertine.?
Steve Tuliano of Brick Paving Systems in Lutz offers hundreds of styles and color choices. He can provide literally acres of clay bricks, pavers, concrete tiles impregnated with natural shells or natural stone imported from all over the world.??
Tuliano’s company covered the walkways at Legends Field, winter home of the New York Yankees, in 70,000 square feet of handsome pavers. He’s also done work for Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, tennis star Pete Sampras and NFL mainstay Anthony McFarland.
“We just completed a job in Tarpon Springs where the house is 21,000 square feet, the guesthouse is 5,000 square feet and the owners spent $1.4 million on the swimming pool,” says Tuliano. “Their outdoor spaces are floored with tumbled marble and the effect is stunning.”
Stamped concrete offers a good look for less and a low-maintenance advantage.
“We pour it, color it, do impressions that make it look like tile or brick and then seal it,” explains Sandy Letourneau of? Top Deck in Riverview. “There’s no grout to clean and the surface isn’t as slick as tile, so it is safer around the swimming pool. Plus, you can select from 30 colors.”
Light It Up
Outdoor lighting provides security and ambiance, enhances the value of your home and expands living space.
Geoffrey Wells, owner of Night Lights in Tampa, can illuminate your grill, enhance water features around the pool, spotlight a garden statue, create pools of light along pathways, induce shadow effects and more.??
“I believe that lighting in the front of your house is for the neighbors but lighting in the back is for you,” Wells says. “We make the spaces look more interesting, and we’re careful not to overdo it because that destroys the mood of the outdoors.”
Night Lights can brighten up the patio with a small fixture that mounts on the pool cage and reflects palm tree shadows on the pool surface.
The company also can place a special light high up in the trees, where it’s invisible, making your outdoor entertaining areas appear as though they’re bathed in the light of a full moon.
Typical project costs? “Our packages start at $500,” Wells says, “and go to the moon.”
Brandon Miles of Lightscapes Inc. in Tampa agrees that a well-designed lighting scheme can make an outdoor entertaining area truly special.?
“Much of outdoor entertaining happens after dark, so we provide good illumination inside the lanai, near the outdoor kitchen and around the pool,” he says.
Lightscapes can up-light your oak trees, play up your home’s architectural features and situate lights inside potted plants and behind waterfalls.
“Have you ever stayed at a great resort and seen everyone standing around the beautiful tiki bar beside the pool at night?” asked Miles. “We can create that same relaxed, comfortable, beautiful effect in your own backyard.”
The new barbecue
Today’s outdoor kitchen is a far cry from Dad’s old barbecue grill, with appliances and accessories that transform amateur burger-flippers into accomplished culinary experts.?
“The new high-end grills actually make you a better cook,” says Bill Kessnich of the Outdoor Kitchen Store in Tampa. “They heat more evenly, are large enough to allow hosts to feed a crowd and come with features like rotisseries, side burners, pizza ovens, warming drawers and smoker boxes.”
Kessnich touts refrigerators, icemakers and sinks as the next most popular items because, “the more convenient you make your outdoor kitchen, the more you’ll use and enjoy it.”?
A refrigerator is good for cold drinks but also for storing food and condiments prior to cooking, Kessnich says, while a sink allows the chef to wash up after handling raw meat.
Icemakers can hold up to 30 pounds of clear, restaurant-quality ice and make up to 60 pounds a day. “These features keep you from having to run back inside the house every two minutes,” Kessnich adds.
Utensil drawers, a trash system that slides in and out of the cabinetry and doors offering access to fuel and under-counter storage are also nice options.
And counter space is important because grilled food is often tastier when allowed to rest a few moments after removal from a fire. Build in a bar top or table end so guests can pull up a stool and chat with the cook, Kessnich suggests.
And don’t forget the television. Outdoor models are improving all the time. “Sunbright makes a television that’s twice as bright as a regular television especially for the outdoors,” says Kessnich.
The set is protected by an all-weather watertight shell with internal fan for summer temperatures and a heater for when the mercury drops. It’s impervious to rain, dirt, insects or scratches and leaves typical LCD televisions in the dark when it comes to picture clarity.
On Fire
Sitting around a fire on a cool winter evening makes outdoor entertaining idyllic.
“Outdoor fireplaces, whether they’re wood-burning or gas, create automatic gathering spots,” says Al Cannon, president of International Fireplace & Grill, builder of fine outdoor kitchens across the Tampa Bay area.
Cannon says some clients like the look of a freestanding fireplace that resembles a small chimney. Others want a fire pit set in the middle of a stone frame, around which chairs can be circled.
A standard outdoor fireplace measures 36 inches or 42 inches and is made of stainless steel and masonry, which can be surrounded by stone, tile or granite.
Wood mantles, iron screens, terra-cotta accents and stone hearths can be as simple or ornate as the homeowner desires. The only limits, Cannon notes, are imagination and budget.
Outdoor d?or
Toss the plastic chairs and moldy sun umbrella. Outdoor furniture has been taken to a whole new level of quality that imitates the look of fine indoor furnishings—and often matches the price.
?Dining tables large enough to seat eight to 10, plush upholstered couches, cozy love seats and inviting rocking chairs are particularly popular, says Denise Bertucci, manager of Elegant Outdoor in Tampa, which specializes in upscale outdoor furnishings like Brown Jordan, Tommy Bahama, Pavilion and Lloyd-Flanders. They may be cast aluminum or wicker and the cushions may be covered in durable Sunbrella fabrics.
“Coffee tables with a decidedly interior look are strong right now,” adds Carol Goodyear of Ethan Allen in Brandon. “Sofas and love seats made of resin wicker in white and dark shades can take sun, heat and rain and still look fabulous.”
Occasional tables done in metal, wicker or a combination add a nice touch next to chairs or couches and can hold plates of food or a beverage, Goodyear adds.
Goodyear says the most exciting element of Ethan Allen’s new collection is polypropylene rugs that can be hosed off but look just like fine interior rugs in solid colors, patterns and Asian-inspired prints.
Everybody into the Pool
The swimming pool is the centerpiece of any outdoor living area, and the strongest trend continues to be natural lagoon designs.
“Grottos and waterfalls and rock formations are the rage right now,” says Jim Michel, staff designer for Challenger Pools in Polk, Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough and Hernando counties. “Clients want a place to sit beneath the waterfall, or behind the cascading water.”
Straight, linear designs have been replaced by free-form, curving designs, adds Michel. Such designs, in addition to creating more visual interest, are more economical to build because pools are priced based on linear feet-and hard corners add linear feet.
Black-bottomed pools are popular, Michel continues, because they look more like natural ponds. Zero- or disappearing-edge designs are strong, but Michel talks clients out of that feature unless they have the views to make it worthwhile.
“A disappearing-edge pool only works when you’re on waterfront or the side of a mountain, so that the water appears to flow over into the ocean or the abyss,” Michel says.
Underwater colored lights that change hue are popular, along with water jets that spray an arc over the surface. The two-story soaring cage is back in vogue, along with lush landscaping inside the cage.
And alongside the pool, canvas tents in bold awning stripes go over metal frames to create personal cabanas. Automated screens and “draperies” can be opened or closed at the touch of a button or drawn by a wand for privacy and sun control.
Many of these features are pricey. But the good news is, you’ll be too relaxed to care.?