With spring finally behind us, I can see neighbours, friends and family starting to get outside and enjoy the warmer weather. We want to enjoy living outdoors but with all of the comforts of being indoors – and with the advancements in outdoor furniture, that is completely achievable. Have a look at the space that you have outside the house and decide how it is best divided up to create both comfort and luxury.

The Den

Being able to sit on the front porch is a great thing and the prevalence of front porches in new construction makes them a feature. Add some great foliage to a couple of urns that flank the front door and then use the rest of the space as a den. A couple of chairs, or a love seat in outdoor seating materials make a great space to have a quiet conversation with one other person, or to sit alone and watch the neighborhood go by. You rarely sit alone for long as the neighbourhood stops by to say hello and have a brief chat. This area allows you to enjoy the outdoors without sitting directly in the sun, but still enjoy the sights and sounds of the outdoors and the people that live around you.

The Living Room

In the back of the house, if the decking has a little more area, you can also incorporate an outdoor sofa and coffee table set up so that space also becomes an ideal place to entertain others or to simply curl up with a book and a summer drink. Conversely, you can create a wild lounge area. Your backyard will be party central.

Even if you don’t have a pool, all of this can be achieved on the deck or just on the back patio. It just means the pool is the bathtub indoors and that pool is just for you! With the advent of the woven recycled plastic structure and fantastic outdoor mould resistant fabrics, we are allowed to play with shapes and styles like never before. There are many lines of this style of furniture, varying dramatically in price. Have a look around at the various retailers and see what your budget can deal with. Ideally you will be able to choose a recycled product. Lowe’s has some good selection in terms of style or check out Dedon at the top of the budget chart.

The Dining Room

You also want to be able to create a dining room outdoors. I think it is always best to have this area closest to the back door of the house as this is typically where the barbeque is and it allows the travel of foods and dishes easily from the kitchen to the table. Again the development of styles of furniture means that you no longer have to be tied to the white plastic chairs that are available at discount stores. With the development of some really fantastic furniture, that is featured here, you can see that you are able to create spaces that will weather well and last you for years to come, while achieving the look of fine hotels around the world.

In terms of making choices of furniture, you want to look for items that have classic lines. You also want to be sure that they weather well as our Canadian climate is hard on furniture. Being able to have outdoor furniture that is every bit as beautiful as your indoor furniture allows you to double the size of your living area in good weather. In the past, it was difficult to host a brilliant dinner party in the backyard as the seating areas were never all that comfortable, making a three hour visit or long meal a bit painful. The only person that profited from such furniture was the local proctologist! I think it best to look at styles that are similar to what you have chosen for the indoors of your house so that you create a seamless feeling between the indoors and the outdoors.

Cushions

The upholstery for the furniture can change as often as you would do indoors. If you use good neutral coloured fabrics for main cushions, allow for a bit more intensity of colours with your accent cushions to match the intensity of the summer sun. Outdoor, mould resistant, fabrics can be found at any good fabric store. Maintain the interiors of the pillow so that you are only changing the covers, which is a more eco friendly choice. Summer by summer, you can change these cushions which will give you the feeling of a new space each year in the same way the surrounding gardens changes year by year.

As we are pushing on the gates of time to get us back into the great outdoors, don’t ignore the indoors but do what you can to marry the two. What you finally end up with is a fantastic space in the city that will keep you feeling as though you have gone to a resort. Now the only thing that needs sun block is your skin!

• Glen Peloso, Principal Designer of Glen Peloso Interiors Inc., designs spaces for commercial, corporate and residential clients. He is a regular host of design shows Restaurant Makeover and Take This House & Sell It. For more information on Glen Peloso Interiors, visit www.glenpelosointeriors.com.