One of the hottest trends right now for homeowners in America are outdoor rooms. Not only do outdoor rooms look wonderful, but they are a great way to expand your home and increase its value. Fabulous outdoor rooms start with a great design but before you begin to put together the elements of your outdoor space, you need to consider how the area will be utilized. Whenever I meet with a client who wants custom design services in their home, I always have them sit down with me first and walk through how the room will function for their family. We also discuss their general needs, preferred style and budget.

An outdoor room should be planned in the same manner and if a significant permanent structure will be added to your home, I recommend consulting with an architect who can assist with site planning, environmental issues, and city codes, along with drawing up your plans. Some of the questions I ask clients to consider before beginning their room design are who will be using the room? Does the room need to accommodate children, pets or the elderly? Who will use the room most often? And what purpose or purposes will the room serve? Will they use the room for relaxing, entertaining, or eating?
I also discuss with my clients how often they plan to entertain, what type of entertainment and how many guests need to be accommodated. For your outdoor room, you need to think about your utility requirements too. For example, if you want a ceiling fan or overhead lighting you’ll need electricity. And for an outdoor kitchen you need to think about plumbing for a sink and gas for cooking. Remember it’s much easier and less expensive to plan ahead for your needs of your outdoor room than to have to add a needed item after construction.

Another important function of outdoor rooms for me is privacy. I don’t know about you, but I like my outdoor space to feel secluded, cozy and inviting.

After discussing function, the next step to designing your outdoor room is site planning. This part is especially critical when you’re planning an outdoor room. Important considerations are the slope of your site, how rain affects the site, sun exposure, temperature variations, wind, and current landscaping. You probably won’t want to spend much time in an outdoor room with a western exposure unless you have shelter or trees that provide shade, otherwise you’ll end up with an outdoor space that is way too hot in the summer.

After determining what’s required for the room’s site, the next consideration would be the style of outdoor room you prefer. When thinking about style, remember to consider your home’s style because your outdoor space should be a natural extension of your current home. For example, an airy loggia with a large hearth, pillars and stone balustrades looks great with a European Tuscan style home. Or a veranda with arched pillars looks fabulous with a French eclectic style home. And of course a porch with massive stone stacked and wood columns looks right at home with an arts and crafts house.

Now that you’ve decided the function, site requirements, general needs and style of your outdoor room, I recommend making a list of the top five features you would like to have in your space. If you are a couple, it‘s important to understand what each of you is looking for in this room and come to an agreement. Once, you’ve determined your top choices, all you have to do is match your choices with your budget.

When setting up your budget, the first step is figuring out how much money you’re going to spend. Once my clients have determined how much money they are willing to spend, we put together a detailed estimate of the expenses needed to complete the room. Costs to consider for your outdoor room would be the consultation fees for an interior designer and architect plus the cost of materials and labor for the walls, ceiling and floor. You also need to think about other costs such as utilities, lighting, appliances, outdoor amenities, high tech options, environmental enhancements, site requirements, landscaping, furniture and accessories.

Once you’ve gone through all these steps and determined the style and features you’re planning to include in your outdoor space, now you’re ready to look at the interior design of your outdoor room. Even if your room doesn’t have walls, you still need to think about how the elements around your room such as landscaping colors, architectural elements and water features will affect its look. Equally important is how your outdoor space will look from the interior of your home. Before you begin putting together your outdoor room, go inside your home and stand in front of each window that will look out on your outdoor space Think about how your room will affect your view from each window and the impact of the outdoor room on the natural light streaming into your house. If you add a roof to your outdoor space, make sure the roof doesn’t change the feel of your inside rooms from light and airy to dark and depressing because the roof suddenly blocks the sun.

Now that we’ve discussed what you need to consider for planning an outdoor room, I want you to get a cold drink, go outside in your own backyard, sit down, close your eyes and think about what you would like to have in your own outdoor space. As you’re sitting there relaxing, imagine how your outdoor room will look. What features will it have? What amenities do you want? What would you do in the space? After you’re done daydreaming about your space, go back inside, take a pad of paper and write down what you’ve imagined. Congratulations! Now you’ve got a great start on designing your own outdoor room.

Designer’s Eye column was written by Karen Mills of Interiors by Design, Inc. and host, Living Large.