Making the Perfect Relaxation Place
I was inspired to write this blog by a post I saw on Facebook. A creative lady had collected an eclectic mix of garden furniture and art to assemble a cozy Alice in Wonderland themed sitting area, in a corner of her garden. I thought it was a lovely idea, and thought of all the cozy sitting areas I have designed over the years. Usually they have a broader theme to replicate the overall garden, but each family has their own interests and aesthetic. That is what makes design work fun!
So what are the elements that contribute to making a sitting area cozy? Top of the list has to be privacy. I remember my first years of helping folks design their gardens in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties in California. It was a bit of a culture shock for me. I grew up in an area with no fences and the closest neighbor was at least 300 feet away. Dense Oak woodland separated the homes so privacy was not much of an issue. Fast forward to the 1980’s in areas with 5′ side yards and 25′ setbacks from the street and back fence. Urban and suburban neighborhoods each with a surrounding wooden fence and street view. Boy did homeowners need privacy! Cozy was not usually a word associated with most of these lots.
It can be achieved though, and screening the neighbors windows and homes is a good starting point. Second story windows of an adjacent home can often make your backyard feel like a fish bowl rather than a comfortable or cozy spot!
I usually use tall screening shrubs or small trees to help this issue but many times it is a multi layered approach that gives the best outcome. Screening with tall shrubs along the fences, a few small trees in the interior of the garden and shade structures or large umbrellas give a roof to the area. Lots of gardens don’t have much room for big shrubs or trees so vines grown on a support that is high enough give a feeling of privacy can work too.
Having a green backdrop gives depth to the area and buffers sound in addition to providing privacy. The trees and umbrella help to shade the areas but can also give a sense of privacy. Sometimes it comes down how you feel emotionally about sitting in an area outside. Ask yourself- “are you comfortable there?” and “is this space inviting?” The answers to these questions are the jumping off point in designing a cozy spot to work or relax.
The next question is “what would improve the area to make it both inviting and comfortable?” Privacy is big but the next item commonly missing in outdoor spaces is the lack of a shady spot to sit or the lack of a sunny spot to relax. This is where Arbors and awnings come in handy.
Having Both Sun and Shade
These are some examples of fairly large shade structures, all of which can be scaled down for smaller gardens. The last phot is a gazebo that comes in kit from Costco. I mention this because its hard to find affordable patio covers, that are not custom built. All the examples shown above have both sunny and shady areas for a cozy spot to sit. The shade structures also give privacy from neighboring homes and buildings that overlook your garden. A drop blind hung on the side of an arbor can give more privacy and protection from the setting sun or breezes. Secure the blind to posts with a tie to the arbor posts, placed at the base of the blind. Some arbors even have curtains for the sides- fancy!
Garden Furnishings
Third on the list and equally as important as privacy and exposure is the need for good quality, comfortable garden furniture. Afterall, who wants to site on a hard bench? Cushy chairs with cushions invite guests out into the garden, provide a cozy sitting area for entertaining and socializing. Garden furniture also represents your personal taste and style. Colorful cushions or throw pillows with dramatic prints jazz up an area while cool colors give a sense of calm. Keep in mind that UV rays fade most things in the garden over time. choose colors you like in a faded color too!
A bar, coffee tables, side tables and foot stools should be included in your furniture shopping too. Have tables or a counter to set food and drinks on super important to utilizing and area. The foot stools are just helpful for tired legs and feet!
See my blog on garden furniture for more help picking good quality furniture:
Take Your Sitting Area to the Next Level
Optional items like garden art, fire pits or fire tables, potted plants, fountain or small water feature, cooler for drinks, lighting, sound system etc…. are the really fun part of setting up a cozy sitting area. This is where your creativity really comes into play. Giving personal touches to your sitting area ties the outdoor area to your interiors and to the things your family loves. Like the lady with her Alice in Wonderland sitting area, you can be playful with the items in your space.
These are just a few items that could be added to a cozy sitting spot.
Stringing outdoor garden lights, solar powered or plug in, has really enlivened patio and garden areas. We used to install a lot of fancy outdoor lighting systems, most of which were maintenance heavy over the long term but, the use of string lights in the garden has helped lower the cost of outdoor lighting and is easy for homeowners to install themselves. Solar spotlights on trees and plants are a simple version of landscape up-lighting or back lighting.
The Fire pits shown are propane and simple to install and maintain. The fire place is an expensive item but there are some prefab. fire elements that can be set against a wall giving a similar effect.
Run a simple drip system to pots to make your life easier and to have greater success!
Fountains can have solar or live current for the pumps. To keep fountains clean, add a teaspoon of spa or pool chlorine once a week and have your fountain run everyday for a few hours to filter the water. Run a dripper from your potted plant drip line to the fountain to keep the basin full so the fountain doesn’t run dry and ruin the pump. Both the pump and the drip system can be hooked up to a simple timer at the power source. Fountains have the added advantage of burbling the sounds of the neighborhood into the background.
I didn’t cover paving types for a cozy sitting area but I do have a blog that goes over varied paving types, from crushed stone garden paths to flagstone and paver patios:
Calstone Pavingstone company has some great products for patios, sitting areas and walks:
Spring is here and summer is coming so it is a great time to plan a cozy sitting area that will serve you, your family and friends for many years to come. Enjoy and if you have a question or comment please feel free to add it to the comment section.
