Despite what many typically think, the landscaping industry doesn’t go into hibernation in the winter. Indeed, the winter months are difficult to perform construction due to the frozen ground and the weather, but there are plenty of projects to be done, including planning. As you consider your landscape needs, you may enjoy these cozy landscape design ideas for your paver patio project in New Boston, MI.
Creating Light and Warmth with a Fire Feature
A fire feature could be considered the single best addition to your outdoor living space, because no other feature will beckon you outside in cold weather. You pay for the space anyway and a fire feature will let you use it year-round! Fire features fall into three types: fire pits, fire tables, and outdoor fireplaces - each with their own diverse range of styles and their own character. They may use different fuels, but you can easily include more than one of these features across your outdoor living space.
Fire Pit: The fire pit is the most basic fire feature and typically involves a ring or a square of bricks or stone around a wood or gas fire. The primal nature of a fire pit and the ability for a larger group to gather around it and share equally in the warmth make it an immediate draw. A fire pit evokes memories of camping and a connection with nature.
Fire Table: A completely different and more elegant experience awaits those that gather around a fire table. This feature blends the fire pit and dining experience. Fire tables use natural gas which makes for a striking centerpiece for the dining experience. Because it’s gas-fueled, a fire table can be placed under a structure such as a pergola or pavilion, for a wonderfully sheltered feeling.
Outdoor Fireplace: The most grand and customizable of all the fire features, the outdoor fireplace will surely become the centerpiece of your outdoor living space. With this feature, you can take design liberties including adding a water feature or even the addition of a wood-fired pizza oven which will expand your ability to cook for your family and friends.
Creating the Perfect Seating Area
The perfect outdoor living space needs some comfortable places to relax. When it comes to hosting parties, temporary seating could create a cluttered feeling. You could plan some high-backed seat walls that surround a fire pit, creating a cozy and comfortable area to relax with friends. The high backs of the walls help enclose the area, both trapping some of the warmth and protecting the seating area from cold winds.
If privacy or wind are deterrents to enjoying time outdoors, consider adding a privacy fence, a living wall of cedars, or a vine-covered trellis on one side of your patio. A privacy fence is an opportunity for vertical gardening; and if you only partially enclose the patio, it’ll feel even more private yet you won’t feel boxed in.
Getting Closer to Nature
As you fill out your patio, don’t disregard the importance of bringing nature closer to the living space. Instead of transitioning from the patio to the lawn with more varied landscaping beyond the lawn, try bringing nature closer for a more soothing and relaxing experience. Choose hardy and water-wise native trees, shrubs, flowers, and ground covers to create a layered effect immediately adjacent to the patio. This will give your patio a more secluded feeling, and you’ll get to enjoy the more varied aspects of landscaping up close, rather than at a distance.
Related: 6 PAVER PATIO TRENDS THAT WILL ENDURE IN TRENTON, MI
