Backyard Dining under Custom Pergola

Santa Barbara Backyard Patio Ideas

While a patio might be located outside of your main home, it is just an extension of the home and offers additional space to enjoy. Making the patio an inviting area will add to you and your family’s quality time outdoors. The patio is essentially another room in your home giving the family more options to relax and entertain.

The following list of backyard patio ideas can be used to give you inspiration for transforming your patio into a more enjoyable living space:

Add water – There is something that is soothing about water. The sound of running water is so serene and peaceful. Add a water feature to your patio, such as a fountain, and enjoy many relaxing moments.
Cover it – Enjoying your patio is much better if you don’t have to deal with the bright, and sometimes hot, sun. Cover the patio with a pergola or other type of sun blocking feature. Heat and rain can be kept at bay with a covered patio.
Entertainment center, furniture and rugs – Truly make the patio another room. Add a TV, some outdoor furniture and a rug or two. There are many wonderful choices today in outdoor decor. Add some color to the mix and jazz up your space.

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Backyard Kitchens for Cooking Outdoors

November 20, 2012 By Bruce Koehler

Built-in Kitchens for your Backyard

We absolutely love it when our clients are interested in bringing their “indoor” lives outside. There are so many new and interesting options for creating a backyard kitchen and dining area which will enhance your outdoor living spaces.

Santa Barbara is great for outdoor entertaining because our weather is so mild in the winter that it makes it possible to comfortably entertain family and friends for holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas outside in your backyard.

During the last few weeks, we’ve been working on installing an example of one of these outdoor living spaces.. a fully functional outdoor kitchen. dining area and fire pit. Our client had some of their own ideas and and we found the project a fun challenge so we thought we’d share it with you , our blog readers.

The steps we recommend:

Step 1: Select a reputable landscape architect. We recommend finding someone whose vision matches your own. For this project, we called on our friend Leland Walmsley of EverGREEN Landscape Architects located in Carpinteria, California. We enjoy working with Leland because he is brilliant and gifted. He has an artist’s eye, just like we do! Furthermore, his focus—as his name suggests—is on the green landscape. We both prefer to use sustainable products that make your garden look beautiful while saving water and energy. Check out his website at: http://www.evergreen-sb.com/.
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