Bringing the indoors outdoors: The ‘Outroom’

Author Profile
Alexandra works in the marketing department, and in 2014, bought her first house, which turned out to be somewhat of a ‘project’.
Since then, the whole house has needed renovating, which has helped her gain a knowledge of basic DIY, decorating and making the best of a small space.

By Alexandra Giles

A sense of bringing the indoors outdoors is something that lots of us love to create in our homes - or have plans to. The rise of indoor house plants, for example, is a trend that has stuck and there has been a real shift over the years to have a connection with the outside. This is true even here in the UK where we are not always blessed with the best weather. We want more natural daylight (even if it is grey!) and big windows. There has been a huge rise in the popularity of bi-fold doors, which provide a solution to both these needs. We can now have access to our gardens and let natural light flood into our homes.

I have been working with Origin, one of the UK’s leading bi-folding door and window brands. Origin recently commissioned a survey among homeowners with bi-fold doors installed, asking them about the impact it has had on their day-to-day living. There were some really interesting stats to come out of it, although I would say not surprising being a bi-fold door convert myself.

Some of the headline stats from Origin’s survey I can really relate to. For example, 98% of homeowners feel that the addition of their outroom has made their house feel bigger. You can walk from our kitchen/diner straight onto the decking, so it really does feel like an extension of the existing house. We also use the kitchen/diner more now too as it is the lightest, brightest room in our house, which 94% of homeowners also agreed on. And the things that I mentioned earlier, about people wanting more natural daylight and a better connection to the garden, are also achieved, with 85% of people revealing they had experienced these things since adding the doors.

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Our Bi-fold door story

When we bought our house in 2012, the garden was a shambles - but we knew it had huge potential. We had an uneven and broken patio; breezeblock planters with no life in them; very narrow steps leading up to a small lawn area which was patchy; and no budget to do anything. However, when we renovated the inside of our property, we dreamed of more natural light and a useable outdoor space, so we installed bi-fold doors. Shortly after internal renovations were complete, we tackled the garden and that saw the birth of our ‘outroom’ which is what Origin is referring to as this new space we all crave.

How to unlock the living potential of the outroom

It does not matter how big or small your garden is, the beauty of an outroom is that you can style and transform any size space so that it becomes an extension of your house and creates an outdoor living area.

My first piece of advice would be to think about what you would like to use your outroom for. Do you want an area for entertaining, perhaps with a bar area and formal seating? Or, would you rather create a relaxing environment with a cosy garden sofa, outdoor pillows and throws? A more recent growing trend is outdoor kitchens - especially fun to create if you have folding doors and are able to build a pergola or undercover area above it.

Or do you want to create a space that ticks more than one box? For me, it was definitely the latter. I wanted an outdoor space where I could relax and read a book, but also a place to dine and have picnics with my young daughters and friends for true outdoor living.

Once you know what you would like to use your outroom for, you will need to consider the key elements of the space which I have listed below.

Layout

The first element to work on, once you know what you want to use your outroom for, is your layout, which is key in defining what is realistic and achievable. There is no point in dreaming about a joint outdoor kitchen and outdoor living area if you only have room for one. I find it useful to draft quick sketches or, if you have the skills, to draw the space to scale. Once you have your layout sorted, you can start filling it and thinking about the materials you want to use.

Flooring

Lots of people opt to use the same flooring as they have indoors for their outdoor space. This definitely creates a seamless finish and gives the illusion of a bigger space, especially if you have bi-fold doors that can completely fold back. However, it is important to also think about the material of the flooring. I have ceramic tiles in my kitchen/diner, but I really wanted to be able to walk outside barefoot, which I also knew my little ones would want, too. Whilst we have underfloor heating inside, it of course wouldn’t be possible to have this outside. Instead, we opted for decking as wood is a very warm material and allows us to do this, helping to create a cosy outdoor space.

Seating and Furniture

One of my favourite parts of designing our garden was the seating area. Choosing the right style of outdoor furniture for your garden is important if you want to connect your outroom to your indoor spaces. You need to think about choosing similar types of materials, colours and finishes. It was an easy decision for me as we have used scaffold boards throughout our home as shelves and also fitted wardrobes. So, with that in mind, I had a scaffold board sofa made and it’s a perfect fit for our outdoor space.

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Undercover Area

The concept of bringing the indoors outdoors has also seen the rise of the pergola and people creating undercover areas that can be used all year round. This would be my next dream for our garden. We have a canopy which is perfect for providing shade on a sunny day, but it does not keep the rain away. I would suggest making this a top priority for any outroom.

Lighting

This is a very important part of your outroom design. Again, everyone’s needs are different, so think back to what you will be using your space for. It could be that you will want to use it in the evening, so invest in some solar powered festoon lights or fairy lights, or even plugin ones if you have a socket nearby. This creates the cosiest atmosphere and I especially love switching outdoor lanterns on in the evenings (even when I am not sat outside as I can see them from inside), as they give such a warm and soft glow.

Finishing touches for your outroom

Once you have covered all of the above and have put together your ideas, you can move onto the fun bit and style your outdoor space and add the final finishing touches. I have included below my absolute must-have items to create a functional and beautiful outroom.

Textiles

Add some hygge to your outdoor lounge area with lots of cushions, rugs, woolly blankets for winter and linen throws for the summer. Not only are these textiles functional and practical, they also look fantastic and instantly create a sense of calm and relaxation for your outdoor area.

Greenery

This may come easily to you, but if you are not a keen gardener or don’t have the space, think about potted plants, flowers and shrubs. If I am going to spend the day in the garden, I will also grab some of my indoor plants to take outside.

Accessories

This can range from decorative pieces to adorn your garden walls to candles which are a must have in my book.

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Finally, for the ultimate cosy/hygge outroom, you definitely need a fire pit or wood burner. We light ours regularly as we do not get the warm summer nights here in the UK that other countries have the luxury of. It’s also great fun if you want to toast marshmallows or cook over it.

I hope you have enjoyed reading my tips and have fun creating your own outroom.