5 Top Trends in 2020 for Outdoor Living Spaces

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather

 

5 Top Trends in 2020 for Outdoor Living Spaces

 

If you’re looking to increase your property value and make it more attractive to a future buyer, you may well consider upgrading your outdoor living space. 2020 could be marked down in history as the year when the focus of life turned to our private residences, as outdoor attractions closed and offices asked their employees to begin working from home.

 

As Americans began to spend more time at home, the benefits of outdoor living spaces came into view. Today, many people looking for a new home will be paying special attention to the amount and quality of outdoor room available for recreation, relaxation, and just hanging out.

 

Prime Outdoor Investment: The Outdoor Kitchen

But it’s not a swimming pool or rose garden that homeowners are focusing on in 2020. Instead, the top investment trend is the outdoor kitchen. In a report on Outdoor Living Trends in 2020, Fixr found that top construction experts chose outdoor kitchens as the outdoor living space people were most likely to invest in. This trend held constant throughout the country, even in cooler areas.

Photo by Tatiana Syrikova from Pexels

 

Proper lawn care is the first step in elevating your home’s exterior, but it isn’t the only way to transform your outdoor living space. One of the biggest outdoor living trends is actually installing an outdoor kitchen. Outdoor kitchens typically include a countertop and sink, as well as a grill, seating, and perhaps a fridge. Other cooking arrangements—a pizza oven, for instance, or multi-burner stove—are optional and can make any outdoor kitchen stand out.

 

Outdoor Fireplaces: Bringing Us Together

Another outdoor feature that is becoming more popular in 2020 is the outdoor fireplace. Maybe it’s the way they bring people together, offering an anchoring spot and changing an empty yard into a kind of outdoor living room.

 

While your traditional fire pit is certainly a valid alternative, many homeowners are also choosing to invest in outdoor gas fireplaces—the easy upkeep and straightforward, no-fuss lighting make it a good option for those who want the warmth and enjoyment factor without the trouble.

 

Entertainment Areas: Move It All Outdoors

A fire pit or gas fireplace does not have to be a stand-alone amenity. More and more, homeowners are choosing to invest in full-out entertainment areas that may or may not be combined with their outdoor kitchens.

Photo by Jason Boyd from Pexels

 

Think of them as a living room, moved outside: comfortable seating around a focal point is a common factor among thousands of different designs.  As health experts recommend we meet our friends six feet apart and outdoors, trends toward building backyard entertainment areas are only going to become more pronounced.

 

Patios and Decks: Hang Out in the Sun

Your traditional patio or deck is still trending, too. Apartment dwellers are looking at homes in the suburbs, eager for that outdoor space, and the addition of a patio or deck to a home with undeveloped backyard space is one sure-fire way of increasing value.

 

Image by Andy Giraud from Pixabay

 

Decks or patios are typically simple, easy to clean spaces close to the house that allow people to get outdoors and spend time in the sun with minimum hassle—and minimum bugs. Combined with outdoor kitchens, they morph into entertainment centers and allow visitors to skip the house entirely and spend time together outside.

 

Swing Sets and Tree Forts: Getting the Kids Out of the House

If quarantine taught us anything, it’s how hard it can be to be stuck inside, and how much a little outdoor release can alleviate some of the stress. For families with children, the outdoor renovation of choice is outdoor play areas: swing sets, tree forts, and playset combos that allow children to get outside, burn off excess energy, and get the exercise they need.

 

DIY playsets are trending, as families with extra time on their hands are enjoying the challenge of building something together. For those who need something quicker and easier, basic playset installations from the big box stores remain a popular choice.

 

Looking Forward

For many homeowners, 2020 is the year to take that unused entertainment budget and use it on something closer to home—their own outdoor living spaces. Trends toward outdoor kitchens, entertainment centers, firepits and playsets have a common theme: backyard places where we can relax and enjoy the outdoors with those we love.

 

This theme is likely to stay constant even as pandemic threats fade and people continue to explore the benefits of developed outdoor spaces that bring the best of outdoors together with the comfort of indoors. If you’re looking to sell, a beautiful outdoor space, along with other projects that increase your property value, can have buyers lining up to buy your property!

Categories: Home Improvement, Homeowner, Real Estate Tips, Shorewest Tips, Trend Watch

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Home Valuation Report